Page 98 of Kissing for Keeps
“He’ll be giving his official concession speech at 6:30,” Richard says. “I’ll plan to give my victory speech at 7:15, if you can contact the media to let them know.”
“Of course. I’ll do that right now.”
“Great.” There’s a short silence. “We did it, Siena.”
“We did it,” I say to Richard, my eyes prickling as I meet Jack’s gaze, his pride reflecting back. The best part about it, though, is that it would be there even if the outcome had been different.
“Let me know when you’ve got confirmation for the speech,” Richard says.
“Will do.” I smile widely. “Congratulations, Senator Harrison.”
Jack pulls me into a bear hug the second I hang up, and somehow, we end up on the grass, staring at the sky and basking in the relief of the night.
“I’ve got to make a couple of calls,” I say, reluctant to leave this little cocoon. “Is it okay if I use your office?”
“You do what you’ve got to do. I’m going to hang out here until you’re done.” He sighs and clasps his fingers behind his head. “It’s exhausting carrying boxes and couches in a sexy way for four hours.” He flexes his biceps again and again until I slap him on the chest and get up.
He smacks me on the butt, and I scamper away with my phone in hand to escape any further retaliation. It takes ten minutes for me to make my calls, and I walk outside afterward to Jack standing next to a small cardboard box.
“I thought we were done,” I say. “We’ve got an hour before we have to leave for the victory speech, and I have to take a quick shower.”
“Almost done. This is the last one.”
I let out a sigh, since my arms are tired from carrying things all day. At least this one is small. “I’ll grab it.”
“Whoa whoa whoa,” he says, putting out his arm to keep me from picking it up. “This one needs to be handled with extra care.”
My brow wrinkles. He’s smiling, but he looks more nervous than usual. I reach down and pull up one of the lid flaps.
The first thing my eye catches on is a can of Dr Pepper. I reach for the can, only to stop when I notice the bulging top. My gaze flicks to Jack, who’s watching me, his expression unreadable.
I check what else is in the box, pausing on the carton of chocolate-covered strawberries, then stopping on a tall, orange box. I pick it up and read the front. It says Cheese Nips, but there are a bunch of holes in the box and ansadded in front of the word Nips with permanent marker.
“Holy cheese snips,” I say as the punchline hits. “How did you find these? They were discontinued a few years ago.”
“It’s the age of the internet, babe. You can find anything. But I wouldn’t eat them. They expired years ago.”
I shake my head and laugh. “You’re such a dork.” And I am so ridiculously in love with that dork.
He grabs the Dr Pepper in one hand and the strawberries in the other, setting them gently on the grass. “I think you missed something.”
My eyes scan the empty box. There’s nothing there, though—until something glints in the corner. My heart stops.
Jack lowers himself to a knee and picks it up—a gold ring with a small, oval diamond in the middle. He twists and turns it between his fingers for a second.
My heart is bouncing between my stomach and throat as he reaches for the Dr Pepper can, lays it on the ground, and slowly turns the top until it faces my feet.
I cover my shaky smile with a hand as he looks up at me with the most nervous one I’ve ever seen.
“Since the first night I met you, I knew there was something special about you, Siena. I played Brad’s dumb game because I wanted that bottle to land on me when you spun it. It didn’t, so I came after you and rigged the game for the outcome I wanted.”
I remember the craziness of that night and how I walked home on clouds, unable to keep from dreaming of the possibilities. Even then, though, I didn’t dream of this.
“But games were never what I really wanted with you,” he says. “I want the real deal. Thehoney, I’m home, the sleepless nights with kids, the white picket fence.” He glances at the fence that surrounds his new house and shrugs. “Chain link works, too. The point is, I want all of it. I want it withyou.”
I swallow, but I couldn’t keep from smiling right now to save my life.
It seems to give him a little more confidence. “So… what do you say?” His smirk comes back. “You think you can handlethis”—he makes his pecs do a little dance under his shirt—“forever?”
