Page 120 of My Infatuation with Isabella

“And then you stole my proposal.”

She giggles. “I just needed to make sure you knew who the hardened criminal really is in this relationship.” She tightens her hold on me. “This feels like a whirlwind. I hated you in January, yet I’m engaged to you by April.”

A lightbulb goes off when she says that. “Oh, yeah. We’re engaged. Hang on.” I reach into my pocket for her ring, a two-tone gold and white gold band that crosses over in the front to encase a diamond in the middle.

“It’s beautiful.” She gasps, placing her left hand in mine so I can slide the ring onto her finger, then she holds it up to admire it for a few seconds. “Still feels surreal. Weren’t we just talking about moving too fast this morning?”

“Well, it depends on when you start counting. Besides, we said we’ll do what feels right, and this feels right...right?”

“Yes.” She beams up at me, then steals a kiss.

I’m not sure how long we stay there with our lips locked, but a significant amount of time obviously passes because Scott clears his throat to get our attention.

“I hate to break this up, but the two of you are making out on that horse as if it’s not stolen property. We need to get that back to the park, Dyl.”

“Yeah.” I shift to get off first, then help Bella down as well. “I’m just gonna put this back and drop them off, and then I’ll come back home, alright?”

“Home?” Her smile widens. “I like the sound of that.”

“Me too.”

Scott grabs her wrist before she walks away. “So, do you forgive me for breaking the pact?”

“I do.”

She gives him a tight hug, then goes back inside. We try, with great effort, to put this horse into the back of the truck again. Scott makes me take the ass when we load and unload it, and he wasn’t lying. It’s a killer on the back. As soon as we’re done tightening the bolts to secure it back in place, we slump down to take a breather, sitting down on the grass beside the horse.

“So, you’re getting married, boy!” Scott says, slightly breathless. “I can’t say I’m surprised, but I’m so pumped about this. I’m so glad the two of you worked it out.”

“It’s only been a month, though, Dyl,” Pete argues. “After what happened with Francesca, I thought you’d be more cautious with throwing around proposals.”

“Pete, I cannot wait to start my life with this woman. I can’t explain why it’s different this time. It just is.”

“You don’t need to explain it to us, Dylan,” Scott says. “We know you. We know what’s different this time. Pete just doesn’t want to accept it. So...when you say you can’t wait to start your life with her...what’s the timeframe? When do you see the wedding happening?”

I shrug. “I don’t know. Maybe June or July when it’s warmer. Bella gets a promotion in August, so definitely before then.”

Scott stands up and throws his hands in the air. “Yes! Dyl, you corny bastard, I could kiss you right now!”

“Please don’t.”

“You just got me a new car, boy!”

I look over at Peter. “Is this what the bet was about?”

“Yep...thanks a lot, Dyl. I just lost my Mercedes.”

“What were the terms?”

He lets out an irritable sigh. “The day the two of you had your first therapy session, Scott called me and told me that you guys would be married before the end of the year. Considering what she did to your car and the fact that she...” He stalls, second-guessing if he should voice his thoughts. “...that she cheated on you...I thought that was unforgivable in your book.”

“It is...but she didn’t cheat on me. She just let me think that...and I did...until one day this asshole sent me a link to a radio show and...long story short, I heard her tell Tommy that she didn’t do anything with that guy.”

Pete’s eyes widen at the revelation, and he narrows his eyes at Scott. “You motherfucker! You knew that all along? That’s pertinent information you withheld.”

Scott gives an unremorseful shrug. “A bet’s a bet, Pete.”

He sneers, shaking his head before he looks at me again. “But all that aside, I’m really happy for you, Dyl.”

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