Page 60 of Kiss Me at Midnight
Lily stared down at him, waiting for the proposal that she was certain would follow but all he did was smile up at her.
“Lily, this is where you reciprocate his love,” Grandma Dotty whispered. Only she whispered loud enough for everyone to hear.
Laughter filled the room, but surprisingly, doubt didn’t fill Lily’s heart.
“When I came back from our little vacation,” Lily began, squeezing Jud’s hands. “I looked long and hard at all the negatives, all the hurts. I rewrote conversations in my head and second-guessed decisions I’d made. And then I made peace with all my actions. All except one. The fact that you weren’t in my life anymore.” She drew a deep breath, and this time Jud gave her hands a squeeze. “And just now, walking up to you, I decided that I need to do a better job trusting my instincts, especially when it comes to you. It wasn’t that first kiss at the stroke of midnight that had me falling for you. It was those long, quiet conversations. Those moments when I shared my vulnerabilities, and you shared your doubts. Those were the times when I fell in love with you.” When she realized he was just as human as she was.
Jud reached out a hand toward Grandma Dotty.
She dug into her skirt pocket and produced a small, Tiffany blue velvet box. “I was honored to be your sidekick today, Talon.”
“Thank you, Daring Dotty.” Jud opened the ring box, revealing a large diamond ring. But that diamond didn’t shine as bright as the elation in his eyes. “The band is titanium. I hope you like it. I signed up for three more seasons as a superhero. I’m not ready to branch out into theatrical film just yet. I’m only beginning to spread my wings, honey. But it would make me one of the happiest, hardest working men alive if you’d do me the honor of becoming my wife. You can choose a date. Today, next month, next year, or five years from now. As long as we’re together, you can set the pace.”
“Are you sure?” Lily didn’t want to rush things, despite the fact that her heart was singing a big, long note that sounded a lot like,“YES!”
“Am I sure that I want to be with you?” Jud nodded. “But I want you to be sure, too. As with all actors, my future isn’t a straight line. My career may dip and dive. But I can take the lows and celebrate the highs as long as I know that you love me.”
“I do love you.” Lily recognized the love in her heart for what it was and let everyone know it with a shout of,“I love Jud!”
Her father washed a hand over his face.
“Then say yes, already.” Grandma Dotty rapped her knuckles on the stage floor. “I’ve got an encore performance coming up.”
“Yes. I’ll marry you, Judson Hambly.” And before Lily knew what was happening, Jud swept her into his arms and kissed her deeply, like this time it was for keeps.
Epilogue
Professor Violet Summer was happy with her life.
When she told that to her younger sister Maggie, who was a veterinarian and a jilted bride, Maggie laughed. They were behind their parents’ Hamptons house for Lily’s engagement party, walking toward the beach, each with a drink in hand. Maggie held a bottle of beer. Violet held a glass of sauvignon blanc. They sat down in the sand and stared at the ocean, squinting in the summer sun.
“We’re the last two single sisters standing.” Maggie sipped her beer. “We need to stand together.”
“I’m not looking for a man to complete me,” Vi told her. “I have research projects to conduct, papers to write, a name to make for myself.”
“Is that all? I’m looking for a man to take to Kitty’s wedding.” Maggie removed her sandals and pushed her bare feet in the sand. “You know their engagement is inevitable. And since I used to be engaged to Kitty’s groom, I need someoneextra.”
Vi sipped her wine as a particularly loud wave crashed on the shore. She wore a blue silk tank top and sand-colored linen slacks but was wishing she was in shorts and a cotton T-shirt. “Extra what?”
“I don’t know. Rich, handsome, royal.” Maggie laughed. “That’s it. I want my own Prince Charming.”
Yikes, this could be bad. “Are you serious? Princes are hard to come by, Maggie. We get a few at Harvard.” But a very few and from such small kingdoms that a royal title was a bit sketchy.
“Get out.” Maggie bumped her shoulder against Violet’s. “Can you introduce me to one?”
She was serious.
“No. I don’t want to get in the matchmaking business. Remember me? Professor at Harvard?” Vi was certain matchmaking by the staff was frowned upon.
“Come on. One prince. For me. Please?” Maggie set her beer in the sand, laced her fingers, and propped her chin on her digits.
There was one man who might fit the bill, but Violet would have to approach the task very carefully.
“Excuse me, ladies.” A cowboy stood in front of them. Tall, muscular, wide brimmed hat. His tan cowboy boots were half buried in the sand. “Have you seen a white horse in the past five minutes?”
Violet blinked. She leaned closer to Maggie. “I think I’ve had too much to drink, Mags. I’m seeing things. Specifically, a tall, sexy cowboy with kissable lips.”
Maggie shaded her eyes with one hand. “I’m in the same boat. I’m seeing the same mirage. It’s got to be a hallucination. We don’t get cowboys in the Hamptons.”
