Page 76 of Pursued By My Grumpy Fiancé
“Hello, Mr. Gould, Ms. Dunn. Are you two ready for breakfast at Tiffany’s?” A woman dressed in head-to-toe black asks as she opens the door.
“Oh yes, we most certainly are!” I say with glee, pulling Landon into the store with me.
We sit at the table set up in the middle of the store. The environment has completely captured my attention, the signature Tiffany-blue color sporadically decorating the shop.
A server brings us out two coffees before scampering off.
“So, Mr. Gould, how did you pull this off?” I say, looking lovingly into his eyes.
He mimes zipping up his lips and throwing away the key.
“A good magician never tells his secrets,” he says, a sly grin on his face for a moment before it turns serious. “Hailey, I have something for you.”
“What is it?” I watch quizzically as he reaches into his breast pocket. He slowly pulls out a small jewelry box and opens it up. Inside, nestled against the soft satin fabric, is my grandmother’s brooch. “Oh my god, how did you find this?”
I take the box from him, dumbfounded by the discovery. The last time I saw this priceless piece of jewelry was when I was standing at the counter of Annie’s Bits and Pieces, as I was desperately trying to make the money to cover my mom’s medical bills.
I look up at Landon and realize how much he must truly love me. To go to all this trouble to find it—for him to have paid enough attention that day we went thrift shopping and passed by the windows of that pawn shop. What an incredible man
“Well, I had Bruce go on a wild goose chase to find it. He won’t tell me how difficult it was, but he was gone for the entire day, and nothing ever takes Bruce that long.”
“But how did you know about it in the first place?”
His deep blue eyes stare into my soul, his love for me evident in them. Every day, he is sweeter and more comfortable, slowly settling into the person I always knew he was.
“As I said, a good magician never tells his secrets.” He mimes zipping his lips and throwing away the key again.
“A good magician also never uses the same bit in a set,” I say as I roll my eyes.
“There’s something else,” he says. At his cue, a worker brings him a box. He takes the lid off the box and reveals the necklace he won at the gala.
“Oh, Landon.” I smile at the sweetness of this man, this man that I am so, so lucky to have. He clasps it behind my neck, the metal cool against my collarbone. He takes his seat across from me and admires his handiwork.
“I decided to save it for someone special,” he says. A wide grin spreads over my face, unable to contain my happiness.
“You’re amazing. I can’t believe you’ve done this. This day truly is a dream come true,” I say. Landon’s eyebrows shoot to his head.
“But wait, there’s,” he says, patting his pants pockets.
“You’re not going to pull out the mood ring I lost when I was twelve, are you? Because I know a good magician never tells his secrets, but I would have to—”
I trail off as I watch Landon get on one knee beside the table, a tiny jewelry box in his hand.
“Hailey Marilyn Dunn, I am in love with you. You are so incredibly smart, easily the smartest woman I’ve ever met. You’re so witty and hilarious. I always find myself laughing when I’m with you. I’ve never met anyone as kind or caring as you in my life, and I know that for as long as I live, I will never meet anyone as kind or caring as you. I guess what I’m saying is, my heart already belongs to you. I want you to have a ring that says it to the world, again. So, Hailey, will you marry me?”
I clasp my hands over my mouth, gasping in shock. Surprise courses through me, momentarily stunning me. I recover quickly though, throwing my arms around Landon’s neck.
“Yes, yes, oh my god, yes! Landon, I can’t believe this. It’s perfect.”
He slowly sets me back in my seat before sliding the ring onto my finger. It’s gorgeous—a green emerald surrounded by white diamonds. I don’t even want to think about what it cost.
“I can’t wait to marry you, Hailey. I’m the luckiest man in the world.”
“And I’m the luckiest woman.”
Chapter Thirty-Three
Epilogue — Hailey
