Page 109 of She Was Made for Me

I swallow. “It’s a… pre-proposal. For someday.”

Her eyes shimmer with an excitement that sends my pulse skyrocketing. She leans in to brush her lips against my earlobe, whispering, “Then I pre-accept.”

My self-restraint weakens and I turn my head to take her mouth in a soft kiss, sliding my hands into her hair.

She wants to marry me. Not now, at least that’s not what I asked, but she sure seems happy about doing it one day.

Fuck.

The sound of Rich clearing his throat makes me reluctantly pull away from Violet’s lips. I look back at him, grimacing at the uncomfortable chuckle he emits.

“Sorry, Rich. I shouldn’t—”

He holds up a hand. “You should. I don’t know how I missed it before, but you’re obviously very much in love. I’m happy for you. We both are.” He pauses to glance at Diana, who vigorously nods her agreement. “It’s going to take me some time to get used to seeing… this.” He motions to us vaguely, his nose wrinkled in an awkward smile. “But that’s my issue.”

“We’ll try to go easy on you,” Violet teases, squeezing my hand.

“But we can’t accept the house,” I add. “It’s too much.”

Rich shakes his head, guilt shadowing his eyes. “It’s the least I can do after the way I spoke to you, Kyle. After I came between the two of you.”

I open and close my mouth, unsure of what to say. He didn’t come between us, not really, but I know my friend, and I know he won’t let this go. So instead, I say, “I have another idea. I want to buy the house from you.”

Violet grabs my arm, mouth open in shock. “Do you have that kind of money?”

“Not yet.” I turn back to Rich. “I’ll need some time. A few years, at least.” Laughing, I look back at Vi. “This business is going to do well, especially with you running things. I can feel it.”

She laughs too, her face lit with love. “I think so too.”

“Okay,” Rich says, bringing my attention back to him. “But I’ll cover what would have been the down payment. We can work out the details later.”

Violet shakes her head in disbelief. “Are you sure, Dad?”

He reaches across the coffee table to squeeze her hand. “I’m sure, Vi. I’m thrilled to see you two in that house. Seems like the right thing after the hard work you put into it.”

She looks at me, speechless, and I grin back. “You want to live there, sweetheart?”

“Yes,” she breathes. “I want to live there with you.” The love in her voice makes my heart glow hot in my chest, and her eyes grow darker as she holds my gaze. I force myself to look away, mentally counting the minutes until we’re alone again.

“Tell me more about this business idea,” Diana says. “You’re going to restore old buildings in the city, is that right?”

Violet nods. “We want to keep the history of the buildings but make them work for the modern homeowner, like we did on Fruit Street.”

“I’ll get started tomorrow,” I say decisively. “I need to contact the crew and see if they’re still interested. We can draw up a business plan, and—”

Violet puts a finger to my lips. “That sounds good. Great, even. But first, can we take a few days off? You and me?”

My eyebrows spring up. “Seriously?”

“I want us to spend a little time together before we jump into all that.”

“Youwant to take time off work?” My mouth pulls into a teasing smile and she pinches me on the arm.

“Is that so hard to believe?”

I lean closer. “What do you want to do?”

She arches a brow that suggests she can’t say in front of present company, then adds, “We might want to purchase some items for the house, pick up some of your stuff from the cabin. We can walk through the Heights and enjoy the weather. We can meet Sadie and Tim for dinner. Go to a museum, or something. We can just… spend time hanging out.”

I release my breath in a long, steady sigh. I’ve never felt prouder of her than I do in this moment, actively taking time off work to live her life, to relax, to do what makes her feel good. And I know there will be many more moments in our future where I’ll feel proud of her, that I’ll never stop feeling proud of her.

“That sounds perfect, Vi.” My voice is scratchy with emotion, and I take a long sip of beer to pull myself together. How did I end up here? I have my best friend across from me, the woman I love beside me, and a future I’ve never been more excited for stretching out in front of me. I’m not worried about the challenges that will come my way, because with her by my side I can handle them. With Violet in my life, anything feels possible.

I pull her close and kiss her temple.She’sthe reason life feels good, and that’s how I know.

How I know she was made for me.