Page 81 of Made for You
Bruce coughed and choked on a swallow.
“What? Like that’s not where you guys are headed?” She shrugged.
“Kiley.”
Bruce’s tone was a twin set of amused and chagrined. It gave me the sense that he liked the idea, the glimpse of a future together, but didn’t want to spook me. And I’d realized over the last few days, especially since last night, that he’d done exactly that. He’d been feeling these things for me for weeks, he said, and yet, he’d held himself back for my sake.
“Are you going to be the flower girl?” I said, winking at her.
Her eyes lit up with delight. “Oh, definitely, but only if I get to have a flower crown and a special dress.”
“Done and done.”
We glanced at Bruce to find him staring at us with a stunned expression.
“Don’t look so shocked, Boo. You know you want to marry her. I bet you’d propose today if you thought she’d say yes.”
He barked a laugh but smiled. “You’re not wrong.”
My stomach flipped, and a kaleidoscope of butterflies winged around in my belly. A twinge of nerves, but not that flare of worry, not the sense that if I said yes, it’d all end in disaster.
We’ll stick.Somehow, the more I dove in, the more certain I became.
Kiley’s phone rang, and she held it up.
“It’s Marcus. Mind if I take it?” She was looking at Bruce.
“Go right ahead. Tell him thanks again.”
She mouthed, “Okay” and bolted up the stairs as she answered.
I filled two glasses of water and returned to Bruce’s side. He’d somehow managed to sit up so his legs were extended on the couch and he sat upright against the pillow on one end.
Now that he’d repositioned, I could sit on the edge of the couch next to his thighs. Just being close to him like this sent heat racing through me. Since the relief had worn off and I knew he wasn’t on death’s door, the usual physical effect he had on me had taken hold yet again.
“So you want to marry me?” he asked, completely pleased with himself.
My turn to bark out a laugh. “Eventually, I think.”
His mouth dropped open, then he laughed. “Yeah? Really?”
Happiness flooded my every sense. “Yeah. I mean, I think like Gram said, let’s enjoy being together and being in love.” I twined our fingers together and snuggled closer to him. “But I like the idea of Kiley in a flower crown. Maybe a junior bridesmaid instead of a flower girl, though.”
He huffed out a disbelieving sound but lifted his chin to capture my mouth with his. Too soon, he pulled away, but it was worth it when he did.
“Well, then. You let me know when you’re ready, and we’ll get the party planning started.”
I chuckled, then sobered when I saw just how serious he was. Those butterflies winged around so viciously, they had to be deranged by now, dizzy and love drunk.
“How will you know? How do I signal that?” I traced the jut of his collarbones through the thin shirt he wore.
His eyes flickered around the room as he thought, that beautiful mind working to come up with something that would no doubt delight me.
“How about something mathematical? Like you give me a formula for love or something? That’s a thing, right?”
I laughed, thinking of something cheesy like saying “143” indicating the number in each representative equation for the letters in the word, but then an idea hit, and my heart rate ticked up. “Actually, how about Euler’s formula?”
He pinned me with that dark gaze long enough, I worried maybe he’d forgotten our conversation until he nodded. “Still no idea what it is, but yes. That’s it. Flash me the formula and I’ll know.”
