Page 159 of Falling Back to You

Cal sighed, tightening his grip on my hand. “I’m still trying to ask her, Lovebug.”

“Can you ask her faster?”

“Sorry, Cal!” Paisley whisper-shouted, and snagged Khia back out of view.

“This is not how I saw this going,” he muttered.

I touched his cheek. “You’re doing great, Cap.”

That was all it took. Cal straightened his shoulders. “I’ve got one more important question. And no, it has nothing to do with facial hair. I love you. And I want to do this crazy, messy, beautiful thing called life with you.”

“Is that a question?”

“Patience, woman.” He fumbled with his coat pocket and pulled out a ring box. “Will you marry me, Holiday?”

Tears streamed down my cheeks, and I couldn’t even worry about my mascara. “Callan James, I will absolutely marry you.”

He slipped the ring on my finger. A beautiful sapphire. My favourite stone.

Popping up, he scooped me into a hug. My feet left the ground and laughter bubbled out of me as I clung to his neck, breathing in the familiar smell of him. All the tension in my body left under his strong touch. He was the best stress reliever, and I was addicted.

When Cal set me down, he cupped my cheek and leaned in for a kiss. Our lips brushed when—

“Broseph, you’re stepping on my toes!” a voice hissed behind a juniper bush. A voice that sounded very much like Ruby.

What on earth?

“Well, you asked me to hold your stuff,” Brooks hissed back.

I snickered, and Cal groaned. “I wanted to document the moment, and I thought having Ruby do it since she’s leaving for Spokane to work with Steph would be special. And she insisted she needed Brooks’s help.” His forehead rested against mine. “But I might be regretting that now,” he whispered, our lips a hairbreadth apart.

“She totally friend-zoned him,” I said.

“Keep it down, peanut gallery,” Cal hollered into the bushes, then refocused on me. “Forget about them.” He tilted my chin up. “I’m going to kiss my woman, annoying teenagers aside.”

“They’re both twenty.”

“Semantics.” And he made good on his promise. His kiss was everything. Perfect. Ours.

“I love you,” he whispered against my lips.

“And I love you.”

“This means I get a puppy!” Khia cried, who had evidently escaped Greyson and Paisley again. “Daddy, you promised!”

“Did I?” Cal pulled away from the kiss, dazed. “I mean, we can discuss it . . .” He trailed off, taking in Khia’s wobbly lower lip.

Greyson chuckled from down the path, his arm draped around Paisley. Both of them grinned widely. “Nice try saying no to that, brother.”

As if knowing she’d won, Khia’s smile grew so big that her eyes filled with tears. She ran straight to me, and I caught her up in a hug. Then Cal wrapped his arms around us both. Our family was together at last. Just how it was supposed to be.

“Marry me soon?” he murmured in my ear. “Like maybe tomorrow?”

I giggled. “Not sure we can pull that off, Cap.”

He sighed dramatically, warm breath tickling my neck, and tugged us closer. “Fine, we’ll negotiate.”

“I like the sound of that.”