Crush (22 page)

CHAPTER THIRTY-THREE

MIA

Five months later

“So this is where it all started.”

I gazed at the aquamarine pool water at the Beau Rivage resort in Biloxi, and Brad wrapped his arms around me from behind. He’d brought me here on our summer break, and I was glad to finally have some spare time to do nothing but relax with the love of my life. I’d just finished my first semester of law school at Georgetown, and it was absolutely hectic. Totally worth it, though. I was learning so much, and I was having the time of my life. Aside from time spent with Brad, of course.

“Yep,” he replied, lightly touching his lips to my earlobe. “Remember how precious you got about me splashing you even when you were about to get wet anyway?”

“I wasn’t precious!”

“You totally were,” he said. “But it’s okay. You’re allowed to be a little precious sometimes.”

“I’m going to push you in the water if you don’t be quiet, mister,” I said with a giggle.

He chuckled. “Okay, okay. Why don’t we go for a walk down to the beach?”

We padded down to the sand and looked out across the horizon. The sun was low in the sky, about to set, and the dark water looked like it was covered in orange and gold flecks.

“Hey, there’s the deck where your Mom and my Dad got married,” I said, turning my head and gesturing further up the beach.

“So it is. I can’t believe that was already three years ago.”

I trailed my feet in the sand, and Brad’s hand linked with mine as we breathed in the fresh, salty air.

“So Carter got a job with Google out west?” I said, turning to look at Brad.

“Yeah, he did. Lucky bastard. The rest of us are all still stuck in school and he’s out in Silicon Valley making bank. Nah, kidding…it’s awesome for him. Speaking of what our friends are doing…don’t think it’s escaped my attention that Tamara is at Georgetown as well. Should I be worried?”

He grinned, and I laughed. “Very funny. You know Tamara and I have always gone to the same schools.”

“Mm…I’m still a tad jealous that she gets to see you so much while I only get you once every two weeks if I’m lucky.”

I stopped and turned to him. “Oh, hush. We’re here together now, aren’t we?”

“Yes, we are,” he said softly, reaching out and tucking some of my hair behind my ear.

God, he was so handsome, and he was wonderful on the inside as well. I still couldn’t believe it’d been three years since we first met, right here in Biloxi. We’d been through so much together, and Brad had always been there to defend me, support me, and help me. I was the luckiest woman on the planet.

“You know, Bradley Eriksson, I think I might just have a little bit of a crush on you,” I said, gazing up into his eyes.

“Really? Me too,” he said with a grin. “In fact, I’ve got enough of a crush on you to have done this.”

He pulled his shirt sleeve up to reveal a small black tattoo on his arm.
Mia.

My eyebrows shot up. “I thought you were never going to get another tattoo again,” I said, running my fingertips across the ink.

He grinned. “Nah, I said I’d only ever get one again if I found something worth putting on my body. Your name is worth it. So do you like it?”

I smiled back at him. “Of course I like it. I love it. It’s so sweet.”

“Thank god,” he said, shoulders sagging with relief. “It would’ve been awkward if you didn’t, because I sorta got it as a prelude to this.”

With that, he let go of me and sank down to one knee, and my hand reflexively flew to my mouth. No way. Was he really doing what I thought he was doing?

Oh, hell yes. He was.

He slipped a small jewelry box out of his pocket and held it open for me.

“It might not look like much compared to all the giant rocks other people have,” he said with a sheepish grin. “But I think it’s beautiful. Just like you. Just like us.”

It wasn’t much? He was wrong about that. It was everything.

Inside the plush box sat a sparkling rose gold and morganite ring; exactly what I’d always dreamed of. Like he’d said, it wasn’t the biggest, fanciest diamond ring in the world, but that wasn’t what I’d wanted anyway. I knew he still didn’t have much spare money, and I’d never cared about that. Whenever I’d dreamed of him proposing to me, I’d always pictured something beautiful to symbolize how beautiful our relationship was, and that’s exactly what he was giving me. No matter what it cost, the ring was perfect.

So was he.

“Oh my God…yes!” I said, tears of joy springing to my eyes.

“You didn’t even give me a chance to ask,” he said, eyes crinkled around the sides in amusement. “But here goes anyway. Mia, will you marry me?”

I nodded like crazy, and then he stood up and kissed me. The whole world seemed to stop spinning around us as we embraced, like we were the only people who existed in the entire universe right now.

Brad and I hadn’t always gotten along; in fact, on more than one occasion after we’d first met, I’d seriously wanted to punch him. That was all behind us now, and we spent every day loving each other and making the most of our time together.

A long time ago, my mother had told me that I might have to kiss some frogs before I found my prince, and I’d certainly kissed a few frogs in my time. Now I had Brad. He was my prince, and I was his princess.

This was our very-own fairytale.

THE END

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