Page 75 of Any Cowboy of Mine
“Jackie, you’ve not only made my friend feel happy, supported, and loved—which I love you for—but you took a terminal bachelor off the streets, thus saving the hearts of countless women in Montana.” The crowd laughed, including Sophie. Only she and Brad, however, knew the reverse was true as well. Steve had saved Jackie from herself, from making bad decision after bad decision with men.
“But seriously, you are wonderful, and perfect, in every way for Steve. And Steve, my friend, my wingman—the worst wingman in history, by the way—and my mechanic. I want to thank you. For showing me through your stubborn refusal to admit that four hours is far too short a time to get engaged to someone, that love can happen anytime, anywhere, to anyone, and we would all be colossal fools if we didn’t take it and run like hell from anything that tried to get in our way.” Steve bumped his chest with his fist and flashed Brad his notorious peace sign. Sophie wiped a tear she hadn’t realized had fallen. Jackie’s hand was so tightly wound in hers she was losing feeling in it.
“So, with all of that being said, I want to raise a glass to toast the newlyweds, but first there is one thing I have to do, with your permission, of course, Steve and Jackie.” He nodded at them both, and Sophie watched them nod vigorously and enthusiastically back at him, with an added thumbs-up from Steve. Jackie finally released Sophie’s hand, which was damp with sweat and tingling as the blood began to flow back into her extremities.
Sophie cocked her head to the side, her brows drawn together in thought.What was this about?She was the maid of honor—she was supposed to know the wedding day inside and out.
Suddenly, Brad was in front of her, no longer addressing the crowd, but her alone. Her heart sped up, and the warmth in the tips of her fingers and toes spread towards her center.
“Sophie,” he said, gazing into her eyes with passion and loyalty. “I thought Steve was the worst wingman ever when he ditched me to talk to Jackie all night, but now I owe him everything. Because of him, I found you. And you, Sophie have turned my world upside down and given me everything I’ve ever wanted in life.”
Sophie could barely catch her breath. Her hands trembled as he reached for them. His thumb rubbed circles atop her skin like they’d done hundreds of times since they met, but this time, it felt different, like he was etching her future in the lines of her palms. He got down on one knee, and Sophie felt lightheaded, her whole body shaking like an aspen leaf in fall. He winked at her, drawing out a wan smile from her quaking lips.
“We made fun of our friends for getting married so quickly, Sophie, but they saw what they wanted their life to look like, and they wanted it to start right away. Now I know exactly what I want my life to look like, and every page of it has you on it. So, Sophie,” he said, pulling a ring box from his breast pocket and opening it before her, “will you do me the honor of being my heroine, my muse, my wife?”
Sophie stared at Brad, her vision blurry with the tears that streamed down her face. In his hands, he held the most beautiful circle-cut ring she’d ever seen, offering her the life she’d always imagined, with the man who’d first stirred that imagination. She knew she couldn’t be dreaming, though, because then she’d have been able to find her voice and scream “YES!” at the top of her lungs. As it was now, she found herself blubbering, wiping away tears, and trying to tell him that of course she would marry him with enthusiastic nods up and down of her head on repeat.
After stumbling on her words three times, she finally said, “Yes. Oh my goodness, I can’t believe this is happening.”
“Believe it,” Brad said, getting back onto his feet to raucous applause and whooping and hollering. People crowded in around her and Brad, but he pulled her close, and whispered, “I promise to make you the happiest woman in Montana, Kellerman. Can you handle that?”
She laughed as he slid the ring on her trembling finger. It took up half the bottom of her finger, but shone like the North Star on a clear, winter Montana night. It was stunning, but was mere icing on the most perfect cake she could fathom.
“I think I can, Connors, I think I can.”
Brad wrapped his fingers in her hair and leaned down to kiss her. Sophie felt a dozen hands hugging her, inspecting the new hardware on her ring finger, and patting her on the shoulder, but all she saw was Brad, in front of her, forever.
It was a Valentine’s Day present that came with a promise she’d never forget. A promise of a future she could dream about as she made it come true.
The End