Total pages in book: 177
Estimated words: 169272 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 846(@200wpm)___ 677(@250wpm)___ 564(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 169272 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 846(@200wpm)___ 677(@250wpm)___ 564(@300wpm)
Before my brain has fully processed his words, Henn kneels before me and holds up a closed ring box.
“Henny!” I gasp out, throwing a palm to my mouth. “Oh my gosh.”
With a beaming smile on his gorgeous face, Henn flips open the lid of the box, revealing a dazzling diamond ring that makes me gasp again. “Hannah Suzanna Montana Plátana Milliken,” he says, “you’re the great love of my life. The only other member of the Dorkus genus in existence, among an entire universe of stars. The minute I saw you, my flabber was gasted. My gob pummeled into a bloody pulp. You’ve inspired hand flexes since the moment I first touched you. I knew, from the moment I first saw you, literally, you’d one day become my wife.” Henn looks down at his watch again, like he’s waiting for something specific. Several awkward seconds pass, during which I feel like I’m going to explode if he doesn’t ask the actual question. Finally, Henn looks up, grins adorably, and says the words I’m dying to hear: “Hannah Milliken, will you make me the happiest, luckiest Dorkus in the world and say yes to marrying me?”
“Yes!” I shout. Suddenly, as if on cue, the Tower’s spire erupts above us in mesmerizing sparkles that provoke a whoop from every person in the viewing area, including Henn and me.
“It’s like a giant bottle of champagne being popped in our honor!” I shriek happily, as Henn rises from his knee and takes me into his arms.
“All of Paris is celebrating with us, baby!” Henn shouts. He kisses me, and then leans back in order to slide the ring onto my finger as those glorious sparkles continue bathing us in golden, glittering light. As we kiss, the violinist from earlier starts playing our song again. And for the entirety of her performance, we can’t stop giddily laughing, hugging, kissing, and cuddling.
When the song ends, I embrace Henn again, and then gaze joyfully at my ring glittering behind his neck. “This ring is stunning. God, I hope you didn’t feel like you had to keep up with Josh.” I’m pretty sure he did, since the ring’s central diamond is nearly as big as Kat’s, which she lovingly calls her “Rock of Gibraltar.”
“Don’t worry about that,” he says. “All that matters is you love it. Do you?”
“How could I not? It’s spectacular.”
“Reed helped me pick it out in Maui. It’s been burning a hole in my pocket since then.” He chuckles. “I was going to propose to you at Josh and Kat’s reception, after you caught Kat’s bouquet. And then, like three different times since then, basically whenever I’d had more than one drink.”
“You were planning to propose to me the night of our fight in Maui? Aw, Henny. You poor thing.”
“Don’t feel sorry for me. I had no business doing it then, before I’d been completely honest with you about everything. Plus, I can’t believe I didn’t realize then that I could only ever propose to you here and nowhere else. What was I thinking?”
I chuckle. “This has been perfect. I’m in awe of everything you’ve arranged.”
Henn motions to a waiter, presumably to refill our flutes. But when the waiter arrives, he’s got more than a champagne bottle. He’s also got a tray of gorgeous petit fours.
“You really did think of everything!” I exclaim, before selecting a treat from the tray.
“This was Kat’s suggestion,” Henn admits. “She thought you’d appreciate a little post-engagement treat.”
I laugh. “She knows me well.” I take a bite. “Delicious.”
“Mine too.” Henn looks sheepish. “Kat helped me with the design of your pendant, too. I shudder to think how clunky it would have looked if I’d gone with my initial idea.”
“You were a genius to get her input.”
“I can’t take credit for the violinist, either. That was Reed’s idea. Although it was my idea for her to play our song.”
“It makes it even sweeter to think this was such a team effort. Genius includes knowing when to delegate, babe.” Laughing, I kiss him—and as our tongues swirl, I suddenly realize I’m more than ready to say something Henn has been waiting to hear for a while now. “When we get back, I’ll tell Maddy to start looking for a new living situation,” I declare. “I don’t want to live apart from you anymore. I want to move into the house and live with you, forevermore.”
Henn’s entire body, not only his face, lights up. “Seriously?”
I nod. “I’m sure Maddy can live with Keane and Zander. Or, if she’s not ready for that, then she knows plenty of film students she could live with. I think a group of them live together in a big house. Maybe there’s room for her there.”
“Are you sure?” Henn asks.
“I’m sure. Honestly, I can’t wait. Maddy will be fine. Better than fine. She hasn’t said it, but I think she’s feeling ready to spread her wings and start a new chapter of her life, without feeling coddled by her big sister. I honestly think she’ll be relieved and excited when I tell her I think it’s time for a new beginning for us both.”