Page 27 of The Mechanic's Virgin

“I don’t have a ring, butI willget you one,” I tell her, my chest filled with joy and desire for the woman of my dreams. “So, Grace, my princess, will you marry me?”

A hush comes over the shop, as if every person is now holding their breath.

Grace stares at me, like she can’t believe what she’s just heard.

Then as more tears spill from her eyes, she nods and smiles the sweetest smile that lets me know I’m the luckiest man alive.

“Yes!” she cries out as thunderous applause breaks out around us. “Yes, I will!”

12

GRACE

I can’t believeNash forgave me so easily.

How could I have ever let myself believe–even fora second–that Nash would ever have been capable of the things that horrible woman said? I almost ghosted him, and he still came looking for me. Still looked at me like I was everything to him. And he held me in the middle of that coffee shop, unashamed, and told me he loved me.

And asked me to marry him.

“He loves me…” I whisper to myself, smiling. I see it in everything he does. The way he watches me like he’s the luckiest man alive. How he holds me like I’m a delicate treasure. The way he whispers lovingly into my ear, words that sends my soul soaring.

We’re engaged.

My whole body goes hot every time I think about it. Just a few days ago, Emily was trying to set me up with a guy I wouldnevergo out with, and now I’m off the market forever. I smile to myself as I sit in the shop, wearing yet another one of Nash’s old T-shirts, watching Craig and Nick work on a flashy new Mustang they’ve got up on a lift.

Nash left about an hour ago. He said he had some errands to run and that he was going to sort things out for us. Make things all better. I asked him for more details, but he just kissed me on the forehead and left. I know better than to doubt him now. Whatever he’s up to, I trust him completely.

“Yo, girl!” I look up as Emily walks in through the open garage door. She’s got two iced coffees with her and is looking at me with that look she always has when she knows exactly how I’m feeling.

“Somebody’s on cloud nine,” she teases, dancing over to me and handing me my cup. “Mrs. Nash.”

“Mrs. Nash!?” I laugh. “It will be Mrs. Emerson when the day comes.”

“Oh, good. Because that’s much better than Mrs. Nash.” I smile and take a sip of my drink.

“You know, I thought you were going to punch him yesterday,” I say. “The way you got all up in his face.”

Emily rolls her eyes and chuckles. “I honestly was close. But he had the receipts. Smart guy.”

“Very.”

“And you two are obviously completely obsessed with each other.” She smiles. “But if he didn’t have those pics on his phone? If he was just stammering and trying to get past me? I might have laid him out!”

Emily mimes throwing a punch in the air, drawing odd looks from the boys.

I smile but look down. Guilt still runs through me, like ice in my veins. “I hate that I doubted him.”

“Grace,” Emily says gently. “You were ambushed by a psycho bitch. The fact that you even gave Nash a chance to explain himself shows that you have a good heart. Most girls wouldn’t have.”

“You think?” I ask.

Emily wraps an arm around me–a comforting arm like a mom teaching her daughter a lesson. “I know,” she tells me. “From what I saw yesterday, Nash would die before hurting you. You found yourself a goodie.”

Tears sting my eyes. I wipe them on the sleeve of Nash’s T-shirt. Nodding, I look at Emily. “Yeah, I did.”

The loud sound of an engine and a car pulling up outside startles me. Emily and I both look up, and my stomach drops as a black SUV pulls up and parks. I know who it is before he even steps out.

It’s my father.

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