Page 115 of The Wedding Crush

My heart stalls.

At the center of the bouquet is a beautiful solitary diamond ring, glinting off the warm light.

“Marry me.” It comes out on a breathless whisper. “Tear down every emotional and physical barrier with me, Avery Ellis. Make me the luckiest man alive by sharing a life and family with me. I’ll be the grumpy, silver fox with ‘Big Prick Energy’ to your Oopsie Daisy—”

“Oopsie baby.” I giggle.

He looks confused but he smiles anyway.

“Yes, that too, I guess. Just say yes.”

Tears are stream down my face, my throat constricts, and breathing no longer feels voluntary, but I stare at this devastatingly handsome man asking me to spend forever with him, and I’ve got zero doubts.

“I will.” His face lights up. Until I add, “If…”

Stefano huffs out a disbelieving laugh like he can’t fathom what condition I’d ever put on a second chance at happily-ever-after.

He throws his head back laughing.

“Okay, I’m listening. What more can I give you besides the world?”

Because this double date apparently specializes in secret agendas and world-upending romantic gestures, Morgan dramatically clears her throat. Not even bothering to hide her competitive side, she makes a huge production of fanning out her hands for me to drop the bomb on them.

As I slip my hand under the throw pillow and pull out the small daisy plush, the guys are genuinely baffled.For only a moment.

“What more can you give me, you ask…” In my palms, I peel back the white petals until a tiny baby doll wearing a yellow onesie with a daisy affixed to it appears, with a teensy greeting card. “You could give us your heart,” I say.

Opening the small card, I watch as he reads the inscription.

Oopsie daisy, here comes baby.

Stefano’s eyes snap to mine. “A baby?”

I nod, still holding my breath. I’m waiting for him to reassure me this is indeed celebratory news for him too.

“Holy shit, I love you so much.” He tosses the flowers and our plastic baby aside, rushing in to kiss me with his entire body. “You make me so happy.”

“Boom!” I hear Morgan clap her hands together, gloating to Dante, “That’s how it’s done.”

Favor returned.

Soon, though, our kiss grows urgent. In front of our plastic baby, and the bride and groom in over-the-top satiny pajamas, Stefano pulls me into his lap. My hands are in his silvery curls and his are on my face.

We are going to town, two seconds from saying screw it, and going all the way when Dante clears his throat.

We couldn’t care less about them seeing us kiss, though. If anything, we’re just returning the favor.

But Dante Fortemani is undeterred.

“Okay, but just so we’re clear…” Dante says loudly, laughing. “Are you sure you all want to rush in? Surely, you’d want to have a prolonged engagement. You need to take your time and learn each other.”

Stefano and I laugh into the kiss.

One way or another, I think we all knew Dante would find a way to throw Stefano’s words back at him.

“No? You don’t want to learn what’s important to you as individuals and as a couple?” Sarcasm floods his tone. “What a shame…”

Morgan is cackling, but Dante isn’t finished with us.

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