Page 171 of Slumming It

Until then, I would be a man on a mission to make damned sure that when I finally did ask, Emily would give me the answer I wanted – a big, beautiful yes.

Chapter 68

Emily

I wanted to run – notawayfrom the door, but toward it, because I already knew who was on the other side.

Reese.

Andmy family.

I wasn't even worried. Maybe I should have been. But I'd just gotten off the phone with my mom, and she had sounded perfectly happy, even if slightly impatient for me to show my face.

Now I knew why. Reese must have already been inside, sharing space with the very same people he might've called enemies just a few weeks ago.

If this wasn't a sign that things were looking up, then my name wasn't Emily, and I wasn't a Quinn.

The front door to the lake house had a nice big window, but in its reflection, I saw mostly myself, looking a whole lot happier than I'd looked in my bedroom mirror right before setting out.

In my hands, I was carrying a glass bowl filled with homemade cookies – something to help tide us over and keep my brothers out of the pie. But in my heart, I was carrying something far more important – a giddy kind of belief that my wildest dreams had finally come true, that Reese had returned, not for more payback, but for me.

With my pulse jumping, I bounded up the front steps, but then stopped short on the welcome mat as I realized that I would need to set down the cookies to reach for the door.

Or so I thought.

Just then, the door swung open, and my own reflection was replaced by a sight that nearly melted my heart. It was Reese standing just inside the open doorway with a breathtaking smileon his gorgeous face as my brothers and parents grinned in the background.

The silence hung for a long, crazy moment until Dean yelled out, "Surprise!" Almost as one, the rest of my family turned to look. A few of them laughed, but not Reese.

Reese didn't laughorlook. He kept his eyes trained on me. His gaze warmed as he said in a much softer voice, "Surprise."

I couldn't help but laugh. Iwassurprised – not only at the sight of the guy I'd been missing for weeks, but also at the realization that he had obviously gone to some serious effort to bring all of us together in a single, wonderful place.

With a swarm of butterflies wreaking havoc in my stomach, I rushed through the open doorway and fell into his arms, recalling far too late that I was still holding the bowl of cookies.

It was a good thing I'd wrapped them nice and tight with cellophane, because when Reese pulled me close, all I could think about was him. Not oatmeal cookies. Not any of the heartache I'd been feeling for weeks. Not the tears on my pillow or the emptiness of my bed.Just him.

We stood that way for a long, wonderous moment as I soaked up the feel of him, the scent of him, and the knowledge that only one thing could've inspired such a perfect surprise.

Love.

By the time we pulled away, my family had magically disappeared, leaving just me and Reese in the luxurious space.

At the feel of cold air nipping at my back, I let out a sheepish laugh. "I guess I should've closed the door first, huh?"

But when I turned to look, the door was already closed – probably by one of my parents or Dean who was more responsible than most.

When I looked back to Reese, he was still smiling. I set the cookies on a nearby side table and fell once again into his arms.With my heart brimming with hope, I spoke softly against his chest. "You're back."

"The best part of me never left."

I could hardly believe it. "But you're here," I breathed. "With my family and everything. It's the perfect surprise."

His tone grew teasing. "You know, it could've been even better."

I didn't believe this for one minute. "Oh, yeah? How?"

He chuckled into my hair. "I could've hidden under your bed."