Page 79 of Amore
FRANKIE
Tears blurredmy vision as I nodded rapidly. I had no idea Luke would take me back to the treehouse to propose or that he was proposing at all, but it didn’t matter because my answer would always be …
“Yes.”
He stood and slid the solitaire diamond onto my left hand, then I wrapped my arms around his neck and kissed him hard, jumping into his arms as he fell back onto the daybed where we’d lost our virginities. This time, we weren’t young and we weren’t virgins, but two people who knew what the other liked. And before my parents returned from walking Amore, Luke and I changed the last memory we had in the treehouse.
This time it was one I never wanted to forget.
* * *
Before the internetspeculated about the diamond I was sporting on my left ring finger, I sent Rachel a text as we flew back to LA asking her to informThe Daily Gossipthat I was engaged to my bodyguard and childhood friend. I felt it was important to mention we had been friends for years, given pictures of Luke and me had only been circulating a little over a month. When a celebrity got engaged after a short amount of time, people assumed it wouldn’t work out.
But Luke and I had a different story than that.
One that started as neighbors, who became best friends who secretly loved the other.
One that had a favor turn into a life-altering decision.
One that took nine years to start again.
One that would last forever.
When we arrived back in LA, Luke and I went to a month-to-month furnished condo Emily had set up for us while we waited for escrow to close onournew home. The waiting period was going to be brutal because all I wanted to do was move into a place that was ours. A place where Luke and I could plan our wedding, snuggle on the couch and watch movies. A place where we could sit in the backyard and drink wine while watching the sun set over the Pacific Ocean. A place where we could build a life together.
“Good morning, fiancée,” Luke murmured across my skin, stirring me awake.
“Good morning, fi—” I covered my mouth and struggled to untangle myself from him. Once I was free, I beelined it for the bathroom only to hurl into the toilet with seconds to spare.
“Are you okay?” he asked, following me.
I sat back, wiping my mouth with the back of my hand. “No.”
He wet a washcloth and handed it to me. “What can I get you? Water? Crackers? Medicine?”
The thought of crackers had me leaning over the toilet again and heaving. “Please don’t mention food.”
“Okay, but maybe it’s something you ate last night.”
“Maybe, but honestly, I’ve been nauseous for days.” I wiped my mouth with the cool washcloth.
“Right. Let me get you some water.” Luke left and then brought back a bottle of water from the fridge.
I took a swig of the cold water and then pressed the bottle to my forehead. “Maybe I should go to the doctor.”
“Or maybe you’re pregnant.” He chuckled.
My heart stopped at his words, my eyes widening. “Um … shit. I need my phone.” Racing out of the bathroom, I went back to the bedroom, where my phone was charging on the nightstand. I grabbed it and scrolled to the app I needed. “Oh, my god.”
“What?”
“I need—shit!”
“You need to shit?”
“This is no time for jokes, Lucas Davenport,” I snapped.
“Then what is it?”
