Page 101 of The Magnolia Chronicles

I barked out a laugh, closed my fingers around the ring. "That's not how this is going to work, Magnolia."

She reared back. "Excuse you?"

"No, my love. I'm sorry but you don't get to propose to me."

Her eyes narrowed, brows furrowed, lips parted. I loved the look of outrage on her face. It was adorable. "And why not?" she asked.

"Because I've waited," I replied. "I've waited since—since the very start. Then I waited all summer and into autumn. I've wanted to do this so many times and I've waited. I wanted it to be right for you, for me, for us."

She dragged her teeth over her bottom lip. "How much longer did you intend to wait?"

I slumped back against my seat, rubbed my forehead. "Not long. Your mother told me I wouldn't be welcome in her home if I didn't hurry up."

"Oh my god," she whispered, bringing her fingertips to her temples. "My mother."

I reached for her hand. "Do you remember how I researched magnolias when you first told me your name, MizMaggie? I was sure I'd seen one but I didn't know off the top of my head what a magnolia looked like and I had to see for myself. I found photos but I also learned magnolias are nothing like other flowers. They blossomed before bees appeared on earth. They waited a long time for the world to understand them and that time made them tougher. More independent. So much stronger." I pushed the ring past her knuckle. "You don't have to wait any longer, Magnolia."

She blinked down at her hand. "We've both waited."

"Hey. Russo, hey."

"Yeah?" I asked Ben, shaking off the memory of that morning. "What's up?"

He held out a slim platinum band with a rough-cut blue stone seated at the center. "What about this one? It's a sapphire. It's kind of pretty and small, but it's also gnarly. Maybe a little scary. Just like Killer. Right?"

I peered at the ring. Not unlike Grace, it was delicate but undeniably gnarly. "For once, we agree."

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