Page 62 of Fear of Love (Falling #3)

We were practically glued to each other these days.

When neither of us were working, we were together.

He pretty much moved into my apartment, and if one of us came home late after work, the other already had dinner started.

Having Landon at home waiting for me, I stopped staying at the office so late.

My workaholic tendencies got a tiny bit better these last few months.

The fear of Landon leaving was long gone. I wasn’t scared he’d one day up and leave me. Part of that had to do with going to therapy and learning how to trust again. I spent three months knocking down my walls and learning healthy ways to cope with the past and my fear of abandonment.

I started to feel better since going. I was finally moving forward and letting go of my past. After one session two weeks ago, I came home, went over to my dresser, and opened a drawer I avoided for the last six years.

When I moved into my apartment, I shoved my old engagement ring in a random drawer and never looked back. Until then.

Before, the sight of the ring would have made me want to curl into a ball, but that day when I pulled it out, I felt…

nothing. There was no anger, hurt, or sadness.

It was just a ring. I ended up taking it to a jeweler and got money for it.

There was no point in keeping it, and I never wanted to see it again.

“You almost look giddy,” Landon remarked, pulling back to look at my face.

“One of my best friends is about to be engaged. Of course I’m giddy.”

His eyes narrowed a little as if he didn’t believe me. “There’s something else,” he accused.

“Nope.” It was a small white lie. I was excited about Bryton and Mila, but I also had something planned later for Landon and me. He was going to be in for a treat of a lifetime.

Thankfully, before he could question me further, Josie, Tasha, Evelyn, and Mila came out into the backyard. I could see the wheels turning in his head as I sent him an innocent smile and walked over to my girls.

We spent the next fifteen minutes talking about the gorgeous backyard.

There was a huge outdoor pool that had a built-in bar next to it.

There was a beautiful garden off to the side with a huge tree.

Hanging from it was one of those cute wicker chairs.

The patio was just as pretty with tons of seating.

When my phone buzzed in my pocket, I knew it was time. Mateo was here. Looking over, I caught Tasha’s eyes and gave her a little nod. One by one, everyone but Mila got the signal. Trying not to draw attention, we all fanned out, pulling our phones out as we did.

Bryton was busy keeping Mila distracted as we all moved to our spots, making sure we could get every angle for what was about to happen.

Right on cue, the sound of the glass door opened, followed by a little jingle. I quickly pressed record on my phone and held it up.

Mila turned to see a black sixteen-week-old puppy trotting through the back doors.

The pup came from an animal rescue we’d been featuring in the magazine each month.

It was part of a small litter that had been abandoned on the side of the road a few weeks ago.

Thankfully, someone found them and brought them to the rescue, where they’ve been cared for until they were ready for their forever homes.

For months, Mila has gone on about getting a dog, and as soon as Josie brought it up to Bryton, he knew it would be perfect. With our help, we were able to keep it a secret. We all bought tons of doggy toys and things he’d need and kept them at our places so Mila wouldn’t find out.

Because it would be suspicious for one of us to be gone today, we made it so Mateo would be the one to go pick up the pup and bring him here.

“A puppy!” Mila’s voice went high as she saw the little guy stumbling toward her. She instantly got down on her knees and started cooing. “Come here little baby.”

While she was so focused on the puppy in front of her, she didn’t notice Bryton slowly getting down on one knee behind her. All of us watched, phones recording as the puppy reached Mila.

It was the cutest sight, seeing the way the dog put his paws on Mila’s legs and started licking her face. From where I was standing, I could see tears filling her eyes as she moved to pick him up.

“Bryton, look.” Mila stood up and turned around with the puppy in her arms but froze as her eyes landed on Bryton kneeling.

“Mila,” Bryton started, his voice a little wobbly. “When I met you three years ago, I knew you were my future wife. It only took a few days for me to fall for you, and every day since, I’ve fallen even more in love.”

Tears streamed down Mila’s face as she clenched the wiggling puppy in her arms, staring down at her boyfriend. Behind them, Mateo slipped out the door and quietly came to stand by us to watch.

“If it weren’t for you, I’d be walking around aimlessly wishing I had you. You’re my rock and my lifeline. I don’t want to live life without you. So,” reaching into his pocket he pulled out a little black box, “would you, Mila Roberts, marry me?”

There was only a split second of silence before Mila sobbed out a, “Yes.” The biggest smile I’ve ever seen appeared on Bryton’s face as he reached for Mila’s hand, sliding the ring on.

Cheers erupted all around with whistles coming from the guys as Bryton stood and pulled Mila into a kiss. The puppy squirmed in her arms, forcing them to break it off with a laugh.

“And a puppy?” she choked out.

“You always said you wanted one,” came his simple answer.

They kissed again before their attention turned to the pup. We all stopped recording and went over to congratulate the couple. Mila couldn’t contain the smile on her face as she stared down at the ring on her finger and then the puppy in her arms.

“You guys had this all planned out, didn’t you?” she choked out as she stared at all three of us girls.

“Of course we did.” Tasha grinned. “Although, it was Josie’s idea to get a puppy.”

“Selfishly, though, because I will gladly babysit this little guy,” Josie all but cooed as she scratched the puppy’s face. “Welcome to the family.”

“Congratulations, Mila.” I pulled her into a side hug. It only lasted for a second before Mateo was shoving his way through, reaching for the pup.

“Quit hogging him.” Before Mila could respond, he scooped the puppy up and practically ran off with him.

“He might actually steal him,” I said, watching Mateo carry the pup over to the grass so he could sit him down. The little guy took off after him, happily chasing Mateo as he ran in circles.

“Should probably check him before he leaves,” Tasha joked.

Mila didn’t say anything for a moment as she stared down at her hand, her ring flashing in the light.

“I’m engaged.” She said it in a daze as if she couldn’t believe it. The three of us stood there grinning at her like fools. It was about time the two got engaged.

For the next little bit, we all gushed over the ring and the pup. The little guy was having a field day with everyone doting on him as he ran around the backyard.

I stood off to the side, a soft smile playing on my lips as I watched everyone. Landon moved in behind me, his arms wrapping around my waist. He rested his chin on my shoulder, quietly taking in the moment with me.

I thought back to the house warming party at Mila’s ages ago. I had no clue things would change after that night. Not once did I think I’d be standing here today with Landon wrapped around me.

A lot has changed in these last seven months.

The magazine was stronger than ever, each issue surpassing the previous one.

By this time next year, it was set to triple in size, and I could bring on more employees.

Landon’s hockey rink, Hockey Haven, was thriving, too, with the Junior League reaching the finals.

Josie and Wyatt got married and were now starting a new chapter in their life with a new home.

Mila and Bryton were engaged with a new addition to the family.

Any day now, Tasha and Trevor were going to follow suit.

Evelyn and Steven were happily together and going strong.

Things were still up in the air about Mateo, but no matter what, we could always count on him to make things interesting.

And then there was Landon and me. What started as mutual dislike grew into something more incredible than I ever expected. I never imagined I’d be this happy or find someone who would make me feel complete.

Landon was everything I needed but didn’t know I could have.

The same went with my friends. For years, I kept my distance from everyone, but time after time, Josie, Tasha, and Mila showed up and continued to be there. I honestly didn’t know what my life would look like without them in it. I’ve never been more grateful for a group of people.

We weren’t all related by blood, and we were a bit dysfunctional at times, but we were still a family.

Standing here, wrapped around Landon, I knew this was where I truly belonged.