Page 71 of Honey Bun

And Arman.I wanted to say his name. Though he wasn’t there, I could feel him in my heart.

I met with the funeral home, paid the bill, and signed the agreement. The process took five minutes.

Then I was free. I stepped out into the frigid air that had soaked into my bones for years and headed to the car with my mom. All my life, I’d never thought freedom was possible. Now, I had a town car, Arman, Aurora, and my mom.

We slipped in, and our driver took off. As the funeral home became a distant visual behind us, I said, “You were great with Evelyn.”

She shook her head. “I wish I’d said something like that to your father when he wanted to marry you off.”

I guess we all have regrets.I refused to let the past decide my future, though. “I wish you could see how wonderful a good guy in your life can be. Arman doesn’t try to control me at all. He only tries to help.”

“I’m happy for you. I want you to have everything you ever want.” She settled into her seat.

Now that I had my life on track and everything that happened was my choice, life was better. And Arman made me happy just thinking about him. Nothing stood in our way now.

Maddie

Evening was descending on New York when we arrived. My mom had decided to join Roxanne and take the vacation. Apparently, Fred—the gardener—and my mom were both eager to learn from the botanist and looking forward to the two-week course. This meant I headed home to Arman and Aurora by myself.

Traffic was slow, but finally, I stepped out of the car and ran into the building. Aurora and Arman were upstairs in his penthouse, so I took the elevator there.

Aurora answered the door, but she immediately mumbled something and rushed off.

I headed into the kitchen, and Arman’s warm, inviting brown eyes captured my attention. I hugged him. “Thank you for today with my mom.”

Then he kissed me, and I forgot the world. I was with the one man I loved. When the kiss ended, he showed me that dinner was set for us. “I hope your mom enjoys riding back in the helicopter with my mom.”

While I hadn’t eaten much that day, I wasn’t hungry. I cupped his face. “Her being here gave me closure, but being with you makes everything better.”

His muscles tensed as I let him go. “I don’t want to go another night without you at my side.”

Perfect.We were on the same page. It was time I spoke up.

I took a deep breath. “Me too, Arman. It’s why I’m hoping we can move in together.”

He flinched as if I’d slapped him. My heart pounded. I would never push him.

He took my hand in his. “I’m hoping for something else.”

I’d gone too far. I rocked on my heels and then decided that whatever he said, my answer would be yes. “Oh well. That’s okay. What is it?”

His entire body tensed. “I want… no hope… no. I shouldn’t start the sentence with ‘I.’”

Then he froze.

My lips quirked. “Are you nervous? I’ve never seen that in you.”

He went down on one knee. I grew excited as he took out a ring from his back pocket. “I’m not. Marry me, Maddie. I’ve loved you all my life, and I don’t just want to live together. I want us to be a family.”

Tears formed in my eyes as I took the box from his hand. “Yes.”

He stood up. “Yes?”

The simple diamond was perfect for me. I hated pretentious jewelry. I slipped it on my finger. “I’ll marry you. We have to talk to Aurora, but I think she’ll be happy.”

His face brightened. “She helped me pick the ring.”

I hadn’t expected that. I tilted my head. “You talked to her?”