Page 48 of Eye of the Hurricane (Weathering Doves Harbor #2)

“Do not fuck this up,” Ravyn says through clenched teeth. She reaches up and straightens out my tie. Yes, these women have me in a fucking tie.

“Don’t let her scare you. You can’t mess this up,” Audra corrects, ruffling my hair with her fingers.

“Don’t lie to the guy. This is Katherine we’re talking about. The sight of you on one knee might give her a panic attack,” Ravyn says.

“It won’t, we talked about it. She’s ready. I wouldn’t have bought the ring if she wasn’t,” I assure them.

“So she knows you’re proposing?” Roman pipes up from the other room.

“No. We had a conversation a couple of months ago about marriage and if it was something she wanted, considering the idea her mother put in her head her whole life.”

“And she said yes?” Ravyn asks, surprised.

“And she said yes,” I confirm with a stiff nod of the head. “ In fact, she said if I asked her right then she’d say yes because she was so sure about this.”

Audra clutches at her heart, channeling her inner grandma. “That’s so sweet. This is going to be great.”

“Okay, I take it back. Audi is right, you can’t fuck this up,” Ravyn says.

“I’m not nervous about fucking it up. I just want it to be perfect for her.”

“It will be,” Audra says.

“We all put too much planning into this for it not to be,” Ravyn agrees.

“It’s fancy and extra and everything she’ll want it to be. I’m sure of it,” Audra assures me.

I take one last look at myself in the mirror. My hair is perfectly tamed with the numerous products Audra ran through it. My messy waves are currently groomed into uniform curls. Crazy what a little curl cream will do. At least, that’s what Ravyn said when she saw it.

Audra and Ravyn assured me that my outfit should be left in their hands. I was hesitant at the time to leave it up to them, but now seeing it, they did good. I can’t complain. They’ve got me in a dark gray suit with a peachy orange tie. The colors go beautifully together.

“Am I color coordinated with Katherine?” I ask.

“No, we couldn’t mess with her outfit or she’d know something’s up,” Audra clarifies.

“We’re just hoping she doesn’t show up in something questionable,” Ravyn adds.

“We figured the way she dresses, we’d be safe,” Audra says. I have to agree. Kat’s dressed stunningly everyday. I’ve never seen her in a dress I wouldn’t propose to her in. I think if I could have, I would have dropped to one knee that first day I saw her on campus.

We all walk out to the living room where Roman and my parents are. They all look at me, smiling. My mom has tears welling in her eyes.

“Don’t cry, Mom.”

She scoffs at me, swiping at one that rolls down her cheek. “They’re good tears,” she assures me.

“So everyone remembers their jobs?” I ask. Every head in the room nods.

“We’re getting Katherine and bringing her to the beach,” Audra says, pointing to herself and Ravyn.

“I’m on video duty,” Roman says.

“And we’re going to help you set up while they kidnap the poor girl,” My dad says.

As if proposing to Katherine isn’t a dream come true on it’s own, the cherry on top is all of my family being involved.

“Well, fuck it. Let’s do it. Sunset is at 6:49, the pretty part of sunset happens about ten minutes to fifteen minutes after. And yes, Ravyn, I looked it up. Let’s aim for that, okay?”

“You got it, boss,” My dad says, winking at me.

“Simp,” Ravyn covers the word with a fake cough. “I’m kidding. I’m proud of you.”

KATHERINE

“Won’t it be dark by the time we’re done with this paint-and-sip thing? It seems weird that they’d plan something for sunset that you kinda need to see for,” I ask. Ravyn and Audra share a look.

“You know, I didn’t think about that. That is weird, maybe they’ll have lights.” Audra suggests.

“Maybe,” I say with a shrug.

Audra is currently driving Ravyn, Luna, and me to a paint-and-sip night on the beach. It sounded like an absolute dream of a night until I realized it’ll get dark in the middle of it.

“I’m sure if this is something they offer several times a week, they have a plan for when it gets dark,” Luna assures us.

“Yeah, okay. Good point.”

I don’t think a single thing of this plan until we pull into the parking lot and there aren’t cars. We’re pulling up to a paint-and-sip that seemingly no one is attending or teaching.

My first thought is that I’ve been tricked into some beach party or some other hare-brained scheme of my friends..

Which is why my heart comes to a halt when there’s a walkway made of candles once we get to the other side of the dunes. I quickly turn to the girls with tears in my eyes.

“You knew!”

“Of course, we knew,” Luna says with a laugh. She reaches forward, giving me a gentle push toward him.

Everything is perfect. It’s everything I ever could have dreamed of.

The sunset is the perfect backdrop to the perfect proposal.

The sky is painted in all different shades of orange, red, and pink.

The candles give a warm hue that reminds me of when we sheltered together last year for Hurricane Celine.

The heart-shaped arch behind him is covered in orange and yellow flowers and completed with big cursive letters spelling out “Marry Me?” .

Everything follows a warm color pallet but me. I’m in a silky, floor-length, baby blue dress. And of course, matching heels.

I make my way slowly down the aisle that’s been carved out with smoothed sand and candlelight. When I reach Ares, he’s got tears in his eyes which immediately cause mine to fall.

“Yes,” I blurt out. He chuckles.

“Oh no, I prepared a speech, honey. You have to listen to it.” I nod quickly. My heart is hammering in my chest and I feel filled to the brim with love. I know my answer, I don’t care if he pulls a bread tie out of his pocket to put on my ring finger.

“Last year, my mentor told me that I had all of the technical skill to make it as an artist, but none of the emotion needed to make art. You kissed me for the first time and she never said those words to me again. You quite literally are the sun, Katherine. You cast light on every corner of my life. Before you, I felt like the point of life was having fun. I know now that the point of my life is spending it with you.” He pauses and takes a deep breath.

I’m mildly aware that our friends are watching, but my eyes are locked on him.

“I know that a year ago, the idea of marriage would’ve sent you running.

I also know it’s because the last thing you ever wanted was to be nothing more than someone’s wife.

Let me lay your fears to rest. You are, and will always be, so much more to me.

Being a wife—my wife—is the least impressive thing you’ll accomplish in your life, I just hope you’ll do me the honor of accomplishing it anyway.

You’re a badass. You’re managing the PR department of an NHL team straight out of college. You’re strong and you’re firm.

Most of all, you’re dedicated. More than I’ve ever seen another person be.

You’ll be more than a wife. You’ll be my best friend, my partner, and my muse.

Above all of that, though, you’ll be you.

This won’t change that. I love you, more than I could ever put into words or a painting.

Will you please put me out of my misery and marry me, honey?

” His smile spreads across wet cheeks as he opens the little box to show me a beautiful ring.

It’s a cushion-cut diamond on a fully diamond-crusted band. And it’s a rock.

“Yes.” I fall to my knees in front of him to kiss him. He chuckles at the act. “I love you. Yes, yes, yes!” I cry against his lips. For a single second he pulls away from me and slips the ring onto my finger.

I’m locked in that moment with him for an immeasurable amount of time. At some point, we land back on earth and reality. We stand to our feet and our friends come running over to congratulate us.

It’s a human puddle of tears, squeals, and bright smiles.

The sense of family here with these people is something I’ve never experienced in my life. Even when I lived at home, we were never close, there was never a safety net to fall back on.

A part of me I didn’t know was broken has been healed by them. The greatest thing Ares has ever given me is himself. The second greatest thing he has given me is his family, who have become my own in many ways.

“So which one of you had the bright idea to tell me it was a paint-and-sip right at the time it gets dark?” I ask, laughing. Everyone’s eyes fall to Ravyn and she looks guilty.

“Okay, yeah. That’s my bad. In my defense, no one had an issue with it until you asked in the car!” She defends.

“Can never go down alone, can you, Ray?” Ares asks, laughing .

“Never. Misery loves company.”

“I can’t believe both of my babies are getting married,” Ares’ mom, Allison, cuts in.

“You just got engaged,” she adds, wrapping an arm around Ares.

“And your wedding is in just a couple of months,” she gushes, throwing her other arm around Roman.

“Can I ask about grandkids yet?” she asks and all us have the same reaction.

“No!” We all exclaim with wide eyes and she laughs.

“I will get some eventually though, right?” She looks back and forth between Roman and Ares. They both give her assuring nods.

“I’m ready to be Pop-Pop Ken,” their dad chimes in.

Ares squints his eyes at him. “Pop-Pop? Where the hell did that come from?”

“I saw it online and thought it was cute. Isn’t it cute?” Allison laughs, rubbing a supportive hand on Ken’s bicep.

“Sure it is, Hon.”

“Are we all going back to Roman and Audra’s to celebrate?” Ravyn asks.

“No can do, I have to go tend to business,” Ares says.

I have no idea what business he’s talking about.

That is, until he lowers his voice and elaborates.

“I have to get her out of that dress,” he says holding his fist up for someone to bump it with their own.

Instead, his mom whacks him on the back of the head.

“Ew,” she says.

“In front of Mom is insane,” Roman says, shaking his head.