Page 126 of Falling into Place
An excited murmur swept through the sizable room. Fassler Hall was packed tonight, and Brooks was coming out of his skin with anticipation. He cast a covert glance at Sasha and Macy, who had teamed up with Kendall for trivia tonight.
Macy kept her expression neutral, but Sasha couldn’t contain her excitement and covered her mouth to muffle a squeal. How she’d kept it all a secret for this long without ruining everything, he’d never know.
Carly was oblivious, chatting excitedly with Jeff, who had become one of Brooks’s favorite people.
“Ooh, a bonus round?” she was saying. “Have they ever done that before?”
“Nope,” Jeff said with confidence. As often as he went to trivia nights around town, the man would know.
She looked at Brooks and smiled. He leaned over and kissed her, amazed that he didn’t sense even a sliver of nerves for what he was about to do.
It just felt right. That was all there was to it.
The moderator tapped the mic, and everyone’s attention returned to him. He flicked a look at Brooks that wouldn’t have been noticeable to anyone else. “Alright. Even though this is a bonus round, same rulesapply, so no cheating!” He cleared his throat. “And also, I’d like to invite a guest to come up to the mic and ask the questions this time. Y’all are probably tired of hearing my boring-ass voice all night.”
A few people shouted the affirmative while others murmured in confusion. Brooks stood up and made his way to the stage, careful not to look at her as he went.
All night, he hadn’t been nervous. Not even a little bit. But that was before he stood elevated and on display in front of eighty people.
He cleared his throat. “Thanks, Tommy.” He gave an awkward little wave. “I’m, um, Brooks, and I’ll be leading the bonus round tonight. There are four questions. Good luck, everyone.”
Understandably, everyone still seemed confused as hell. Well, everyone except Sasha and Macy. He didn’t know how Carly looked because he still couldn’t bring himself to look at her yet or he’d lose it.
Confusion or not, winning was still king, so each team had their assigned recorder ready with pencil in hand.
“Question one: Who is the owner of Backstitch, OKC’s up-and-coming, hottest new resale clothing store, set to open next spring?” He looked at her then, and it took her a second to process the question. He ignored the buzz around the room and stepped off the stage when her eyes met his, a slight frown between her brows.
“Question two.” He began weaving through the tables. “When did Brooks Martin fall in love with Carly Porter?”
Her gaze was locked on his now, her features transforming. She blinked several times and her lips curved up.
“Question three: Which of Carly’s body parts is Brooks’s favorite?”
By now the audience had caught on and was watching them as he closed in on her, a slight laugh and a few whistles piercing the air. He was close enough now to see the tears welling in her eyes even as she cocked a single brow at that question.
“Number four is a yes-or-no question.” He stopped in front of her and dropped to one knee. “What was Carly’s answer when Brooks asked her to marry him?”
Her left hand covered her mouth, and the other arm extended to wrap her hand around his propped knee. “Oh my gosh,” she whispered.
“Carly.” His voice suddenly felt thick. “I love you. You’re th—Jeff, you okay, man?”
Jeff blinked rapidly and swiped at his eyes. “Sure. Yeah, I’m fine, whatever. Keep going.”
Carly smiled behind her hand, her eyes going wide with humor as tears spilled over.
“Right. Carly, you’re the most unbelievable woman I’ve ever met. Never in my wildest dreams would I have ever thought there was anyone on this earth so perfect for me. I know you’re not a big believer in that kind of thing, but I know without a doubt I’ll never love anyone the way I love you. I’ve never met a woman who makes me laugh like you, who challenges me like you, and who drives me out of my damn mind the way you do. Especially when you wear those red strappy sandal things.”
The room was as quiet as he’d ever heard it, except for some guy in the back who yelled, “Get ’er done!”
He ignored that.
“There’s something about you that I’ll never get over. Ever. I don’t know what I ever did to deserve you, but I want you to be mine forever and let me love you until the day I stop breathing. So I have this question to ask: Will you marry me?”
Tears streamed down her face (and Sasha’s and Macy’s and Jeff’s) and she nodded, grabbing his hand as they stood and he wrapped her in his arms. She grabbed his face and kissed him.
“What’s the answer?” someone yelled from the back.
“Yes!” Carly tipped her head back. “I said yes!”
