Page 58 of Off Limits

He turned to the room of mostly women and offered a sheepish grin. “I hope everything you heard was good.”

One of the women raised an eyebrow with a playful shrug, prompting a wave of laughter. Another nodded.

“She said you were handsome,” an older woman said from the back. “That was an understatement.”

Jane laughed. Brady’s ears flushed pink. Compliments still made him uncomfortable.

“Have you done yoga before?” one of the women asked.

He shook his head. “Nope. This is a first.”

He moved to the space directly in front of Jane and knelt, unrolling the mat slowly and deliberately.

“Are you sure you want to do this?” Jane asked him.

He stared up at her. Her blonde ponytail swayed with her movements, and her green eyes sparkled with something that always made his heart skip a beat. She was his home.

“I’ve never been surer about anything in my life.”

With a flick of his wrist, the mat snapped fully open. In bold white lettering across the black mat: Princess, marry me.

For a beat, the room went silent.

She gasped. Her eyes went wide. Her hand flew to her mouth, trembling. “Oh, my God.”

Kerri squealed from the doorway. Murmurs wafted from the others in class. But he couldn’t take his eyes off her.

“I am so madly in love with you, Jane Bancroft.” His voice was steady. He reached into the pocket of his shorts and pulled out a small velvet box. He flipped it open to reveal a princess-cut diamond that glittered in the soft light of the studio. “Will you marry me?”

Tears welled in her eyes. One slipped down her cheek as she clutched a fist to her chest. But her head nodded—once, then more firmly a second time.

He rose, searching her face. “Is that a ‘yes’?”

A watery laugh escaped her. “Yes.” Her grin broke wide. “Yes!”

Relief and joy surged through him as he took her hand and gently slid the ring onto her finger, his own hands trembling as he did so. His heart thudded in his chest so hard his ribs might crack.

She held out her hand for a second, admiring the sparkle, then she launched into arms, wrapping herself around him. She buried her face in his neck as the room behind erupted into applause and cheers.

And just like that, in the middle of yoga mats and sunlit bamboo floors, his entire world said “yes.”

The End