Page 90 of Cherry Picked
“Where’s the final hiding place?” he asked. “I’ve looked everywhere.”
I knew he’d never find it if I didn’t show him, so I pointed to the far end of the fireplace mantel. “Look under the edge of the mantelpiece for the keyhole.”
I followed him to that side of the room. When the turn of the key triggered the nearby built-in to pop away from the wall, Hawk’s eyes widened comically. “There’s a hidden room?”
I gestured for him to precede me into the small space. It was about the size of a walk-in closet, sandwiched between the living room and the library and hidden between the main level powder room on one side and the large living room fireplace on the other.
It had an overstuffed chair with one of his favorite blankets on it, a reading lamp, and an ottoman. The warm red of exposed brick on one side was set off by the fresh coat of navy blue paint on the other. Fairy lights twinkled from the low ceiling. I nudged him further into the space before pulling the shelf-door closed behind us.
“It’s a panic room,” he said with a grin.
“It’s a reading nook,” I said, rolling my eyes. “You read too many books if you think you need a panic room in Little Pippin Hollow.”
His eyes met mine, shooting a strange intense energy between us. “It’s a sex dungeon,” he said, nostrils flaring.
“Maybe. But first… it’s something else.”
I pulled out the small gold ring from my pocket and lowered myself to one knee. I hadn’t practiced the speech, and for a single panicked moment, I wondered if maybe I should have come up with something polished.
But then I remembered Hawk didn’t want polished. He wanted my heart… and he had it.
“Hawk Sunday, my best friend, my first and only love… will you marry me? Will you be my partner in work, in love, and in… whatever random environmental protests come our way? Will you be my family and build a life with me?”
Hawk fell onto the ottoman and stared at me in disbelief. “You… do you really mean it? You’re not… this is real?”
“Of course it’s real,” I said. “But only if it’s what you want. I was ready to elope with you the day I realized I’d been in love with you for years. But if it’s too soon for you, we can wait. You can wear this as a promise ring or—”
I didn’t get to finish the sentence. Hawk lunged for me, knocking me back onto the soft carpet and kissing my face off. We kissed for a long time, murmuring our love for each other, our promises and plans for the future, and our joy at finally knowing the hardest part, the time of insecurity about how the other felt, was behind us. Whatever troubles came our way from now on, we’d handle them together.
“I love you so much, Jack,” he said when I finally slid the ring onto his hand.
“As I love you.”
“Thank you for our reading room.”
I grinned. “Oh, it’s ours now, is it?”
“Of course. It is a truth universally acknowledged that a Sunday brother in possession of a good hiding place must be in want of someone special to hide in it with him… and I’ve found mine.”
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