I looked out over the playground, then back at Luke. Everything was starting to blur as more tears built up in my eyes.
“I want to be able to sit on a fucking park bench and kiss you out in public and not have it featured on Entertainment Tonight.”
“But that would be such a simple life.”
Luke laughed. “Life with you, Brighton, is never going to be simple. I already know that. But it’s the only life I could ever imagine having. I can’t promise there still won’t be a stray photographer, or someone trying to take a picture of us. Or even our kids, if we’re blessed with them someday. But if I’m no longer acting, no one is going to give two shits about me after a while. I don’t want to do this life without you. So…will you do me the honor of marrying me?”
“We’re not even dating!” I got to my feet and started to pace. “I was supposed to be mad at you for at least another few weeks. You know, make you work for it. Not let you walk right back into my life and then…and then…”
He lifted a single brow. “And then what?”
“And then realize that I can’t live another moment without you either!”
Luke stood, and I threw myself into his arms. He held onto me so tightly, as if he was afraid I would slip away again.
“I love you, Bree. So fucking much, and I’m so sorry for everything.”
I buried my face in his chest to muffle my cries as I held onto him with all my might. When I finally looked up, my breath caught in my throat. Luke was gazing down at me with so much love in his eyes, I felt my knees buckle.
“I love you too,” I said. “And yes, I’ll marry you.”
A smile erupted across his face, and he pressed his mouth to mine in a searing kiss. When we drew apart, I started to laugh.
“What’s so funny?” he asked with a chuckle.
“I don’t know who’s going to be happier about this news. My mother, your mother, or Hank.”
He grinned. “Or Candace.”
Luke
Bree flashed me that smile that melted my heart and stole my breath, and I kissed her once more. The crazy thing was, we were in public. At a park. And not a single person was around. Just like in the restaurant, where we’d openly argued.
If this was what life with Bree was going to be like, then sign me the fuck up.
“What do we do now?” Bree asked with a wicked gleam in her eyes.
“Well, if you’re leaving it up to me, I vote for making up for lost time.”
She waggled her brows. “We’ll have to go to a hotel.”
I frowned. “Why?”
She pulled back and gave me a look that said I had asked the stupidest question ever. “Luke, we cannot have sex in the bed and breakfast. Gross.”
“Ooookay. What about your place?”
“Hard pass. With my luck, my mother would walk in on us. No, we’re going to have to go somewhere else.”
I blinked in confusion. “Where?”
She looked off into the distance as she thought about it. “We can’t go to Boggy Creek Motel. I mean, it’s super cute and all, but Joyce will be on the phone with my mother before we shut and lock the door. No, we need somewhere private. Somewhere no one will see us.”
“I gotta tell ya, Bree, I’m experiencing a bit of déjà vu.”
She laughed. “I’m sorry. We have two choices. We can go to the motel and risk my mother showing up with a basket of goodies, or we find somewhere more private to…catch up.”
Bree’s phone beeped, and she pulled it out of her pocket. Her mouth fell open. “Oh my God, it’s like the woman has some sort of sixth sense!”
“Your mom?” I asked.
She nodded. “She wants me to call her. Probably for an update, or because someone overheard us in Tess’s place.” Bree tapped the phone and put it on speaker.
“Bree, darling.”
“Mom, what’s up?”
“How are things going with Walter?”
“Luke, Mom. His name is Luke.”
“I thought he was incognito?”
“He is, but you don’t have to call him that. You can call him Luke. And things are going…good.”
“That’s wonderful! Now, will you define good for me? Good as in you’re working things out and you’re no longer single? Or good as in you’re talking but still in the friendzone?”
Bree looked at me and mouthed, “See!” All I could do was smile and shrug.
“Mom, I asked you to please not do this. Why do you think I never told you about Luke in the first place?”
“You said it was because you were afraid I’d tell Annie, and she’d tell Karen Larson, and then Karen would tell Millie. And if Millie found out, she’d say something in Schmick’s Market, and then the whole town would find out. And someone would know someone in Boston, and they’d tell someone else—and then the whole world would find out.”