He wags his finger. “Stop it right there, woman. You’re arguing with me in your head, and I won’t stand for it.”

“Oh, really. What are you going to do about it?”

His gaze lights on fire.

Oh my. No, I didn’t mean what I’m seeing in the blaze in his eyes. Or did I?

He slides across the bench. “I’ll prove it to you.”

My chin comes up. “This should be interesting.”

“Do I hear a challenge, darlin’?” His eyes bore like a West Texas oil rig.

I can’t look away. I feel like he sees my soul. All I want is to throw myself into his arms. Hold him. Kiss him.

On the same frequency, he lands his gaze fully on my mouth and lets it linger.

Suddenly, he blinks, puffs out a breath, and pulls back. “Whew. That was hot, Sydnee.”

And so are my cheeks.

He composes himself, but stuff is still running in the background.

I gasp like an idiot as he drops to one knee.

I look all around us. “Gray…stop!”

“Nope. Look, Sydnee. I know what I want, and I go for what I want. I don’t think and wonder and ponder. I just…go.” He frowns. “And maybe that’s a problem for you, but… “ He turns sheepish. “Maybe you think too much sometimes?”

“Excuse me?” He’s right.

“You could try my way for a minute. What do you say?” The ever-lovin’ grin has returned. He digs something from his pocket and stares at it. “Donny gave me this ring. He meant it for my mother a long time ago. It’s sat in a box for years, but I’d like to put it to good use.” He looks fully, openly, into my eyes. “I love you, Sydnee Carson, and I want to marry you.”

I can’t…breathe.

“Now, if this is too much, I get it, but I want you to know how committed I am. Call it a promise ring if it makes you feel better. I can live with that. And trust me, I love sentiment and all, but the day you say yes you’ll marry me is the day you get a rock of a ring that the tabloids are going to flash all over the place.”

He watches, eager, breath baited.

“Gray?”

“Yes?”

“You’re pushy.”

Aw, the crest of defeat is wrenching. I reach out and touch the ring. “Put it on my finger, Grayson.”

His beautiful eyes shine. “Seriously?”

I cup his face in my palms. “I love you, too, Gray Smith. And I’m tired of being afraid. Tired of hiding. Tired of going back and forth between waiting for life to start and wishing it would just leave me alone. I really do love you, Gray, and I can’t imagine you walking out of my life.”

Little boy happiness merges with grown man joy. He slips the precious ring on my finger—and pitches out the first kiss of our very own forever.

Source: www.seynovel.com