Page 116 of The Love Lie
She gulps. “What’s that?”
“I want your tomorrows.” He tugs on her hand so she falls against his chest, then presses his lips to her ear, too quickly for the cameras to change angles as he whispers for her and her alone, “I’m a greedy man. I want them all. You say yes and every last one of them is mine. Understood?”
She leans back to look him in the eyes and places her palm over his heart. “They’re already yours, cowboy.”
“Well then…” He grins, slides off the edge of the interview couch, and drops down on one knee right there—in front of the studio audience, the cameras, and the ten million people watching at home. With her fingers clutched in one hand and the ring suspended expectantly in the other, he flashes those dimples, making her and about nine million other women swoon. “Samantha Rose Peters—I said this once, and I’ll say it again—will you marry me and make me the happiest man in the world?”
“Well, I’m not sure I can promisethat,” she says with a wry twist of her lips. “We both know I’m a handful. But I will be your wife.”
“Deal.”
He slides the ring over her knuckle so fast it stirs a laugh, then she’s in his arms and they’re spinning. Applause rings out, claps and shouts and cheers. Then a loudboomechoes across the stage as an unholy amount of confetti and balloons rains down from the rafters. Cooper arches his head back to release a loud bellow as they come to a stop at the center of the madness,hardly able to see each other through the paper flurries. He keeps his hands at the small of her back as he lowers her to the ground. She tightens her arms around his neck and draws him down. They kiss long and slow, enjoying every second of knowing it’s just the beginning as the romantic music blaring from the speakers hits a crescendo.
Suddenly, the spotlight shifts.
They’re left in the dark.
Without even looking, Sam senses the cameras pan away. Good riddance. She has no intention to stop making out with the drop-dead-sexy cowboy who she can now officially call her fiancé. But then someone screams. And another person. And another in an excited chain of reaction that can only mean one thing—next season’s lead has just walked out, and it’s a good one. As a loyal fan of the show, she’s dying to know who it is. Curiosity might have killed the cat, but it definitely kills the mood. She can’t help it. She takes a peek.
“Ty?” The name pops out drenched in surprise.
“Ty?” Cooper rears back. “You forget to tell me something, Cuj? Since when are you on a nickname basis with Tyler Briggs?”
“Why?” She turns back to Cooper with a smirk. “Jealous?”
“Do I need to be?”
She snorts and pats him on the shoulder. “Down boy. It’s not like that. Did I forget to mention that Winnie’s older brother plays professional hockey? He and Ty have been best friends since they were kids. The three of them grew up together. They visited us in New York a few times. I can’t believe he’s doing this show. Winnie’s going to lose her mind when I tell her.”
“She’s going to have to get in line. My ears are practically bleeding.” He winces and looks up at the crowd of screaming women, then tugs on Sam’s hip, turning her back to him with a grin. “Guess we’re old news.”
She cringes.Not exactly.
His brows immediately pull together. “What?”
Sam folds her bottom lip between her teeth, debating if she should wait, but it’s like ripping off a Band-Aid—better to get it over with. “This is probably a good time to mention that I signed a contract with Nina, pursuant to your proposal on live TV, to film a new show calledSam and Cooper: Happily Ever After?about the two of us moving in together on your ranch.”
“Cuj.”
“It’ll be great exposure for Emily’s jewelry business. Did I mention I’m going to accept her CFO offer? Not for fifty percent, obviously. But I think sixty-forty is fair, and—”
“Cuj.”
“It’ll be the perfect way to launch your new photography business. I saw the website you put together after I left, by the way. It looks great, though I do have a few suggestions—”
“Cuj.”
“Anyway, we start filming in six months during the next break between seasons. Oh, and in case this wasn’t obvious, Nina is executive producing the whole thing.”
“Sam.”
She gulps and leans back, trying to remain as casual as possible, which isn’t the easiest thing in the world to do when a six-foot-two cowboy is fuming in her arms. “Yes?”
“Have you lost your mind?”
“Come on.” She tilts her head to the side and fluffs her lips into that pouty expression that almost always lets her get away with murder. “You have to admit, it has a nice ring to it.Happily Ever After.Doesn’t it?”
His glower deepens as he opens his mouth. She quickly switches tactics, cutting him off at the pass.
