Page 88 of Definitely (Maybe) Dating

“Why?” She had to know.

“I love you, Piper Campagna, so much I can’t think straight. And that’s not an excuse, but I was so busy trying to fix everything, be perfect for you, that I lost sight of what was important. And that’s us. It will always be us.”

“I like us,” she whispered. “But wait. Isn’t tonight your big night with the mayor?” Yet, he was there with her.

“This is a big night for me. It’s the night I tell the woman I love that I want to be in love. That I am in love.”

“You love me?” she whispered, her heart inflating like it was filled with helium.

“I love us,” he said. “So let me ask that question I wanted to ask the other day. Do you love me back?”

“Yes!” she cried and went up on her toes and kissed him. “I love you so much it terrifies me.”

“Join the club.” He cupped her face. “I’ve spent the past month trying to talk myself into believing that this was just chemistry.”

Piper froze. Healthy love wasn’t exactly in her wheelhouse. But the man in front of her, the man who said he loved her, was surrounded by it. “How do we know it’s not just chemistry?”

“Because I’d rather be alone with you than anywhere else in the world.”

Josh kissed Piper, and when their lips touched, Piper finally understood that love, in all its pureness and intensity, wasn’t something said in the middle of the night. It was something shown, something given without an expectation.

Epilogue

Six months later. . .

“Put your hand right there,” Josh said, and Piper’s pulse picked up.

“Here?” she asked.

“Lower,” he whispered, and she moved it lower. “Lower still,” he instructed.

And her palm slid even lower. His was on the move as well, skating down her back to rest on the lower curve. Then he pulled her flush against him—against all of him—sending little zings through her entire body.

“Here?” she whispered.

“Oh yeah, right there. Now, how about that dance, Boots?”

Before she could answer, Josh stepped right into her, and they began gliding across the floor. Around them, other couples moved to the music as the instructors passed, commenting on posture and body lines. Not that Josh needed any instruction; his lines were impeccable and his body mouthwatering.

“If I step on your feet, remember that I warned you,” she said.

“Then close your eyes and follow my lead.”

Over the past few months, Josh had done everything he could to prove to Piper that she was his number one. That she was loved and he showed her an emotion she’d never experienced before.

Adoration. Josh made her feel adored and treasured, and as if she were the most important person in his world. So she closed her eyes and let him lead around the dance floor, twirling her and even adding a dip that made her laugh.

“What kind of dance is this?” she asked. “A waltz?”

He stopped, his hands going to her hips and holding her closer than when they’d been dancing.

“Actually, I was hoping it could be our wedding dance,” he said, and Piper’s heart leapt.

“A wedding dance?”

“Ourwedding dance.” He pulled something out of his pocket, and it sparkled under the lights. It was a beautiful antique ring with a deep blue sapphire in the middle surrounded by a band of diamonds. “Piper Campagna, will you marry me?”

Piper wrapped her arms around his neck and brushed her lips against his. “Mister District Attorney Josh Easton, there is no one else in the world I’d rather be alone together with.”

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