Page 243 of You've Got Hate Mail
“I love your laugh. I love your dedication.”
“You saved me.”
“You brought me back to life.”
“And I?—”
He silences me with a kiss.
With aneverythingkiss.
Reverent and desperate. Gentle and demanding at the same time.
His arms circle me, pulling me tighter against his solid chest, saying with his kiss everything that I feel about him too.
I love you.
I want you.
You make life better.
You make me better.
“Ew,” Lav mutters.
“So gross,” Pip agrees.
I start giggling.
Heath chuckles.
We break the kiss and stare into each other’s eyes, both of us smiling, both of us with wet eyes and cheeks.
“I love you so much,” I tell him.
“I want to grow old with you,” he murmurs back.
“I want to help you stay young as we do.”
He holds me close, tucking my head under his chin and dropping kisses to my hair. “I was going to do this under the stars.”
“Youaremy star, and no matter how you ask, where you ask, when you ask, the answer will always be yes. Always yes for you.”
“Every day, I think I can’t possibly love you more, and then I do.”
He releases me, drops to one knee, and pulls the black velvet box out of his pocket, opening it to reveal a teardrop diamond ring set in a whimsical pattern of ruby, emerald, and sapphire chips. “Cricket, will you?—”
“Fluffy, no!” Lav shrieks.
The cat comes out of nowhere, moving faster than I’ve ever seen her move, jumping higher too, as she yowls a war cry, leaping onto Heath’s thigh and attacking the ring box.
Heath yelps and drops the box.
Lav dives for the cat at the same time I do, and we bonk heads.
“No wine for you!” Pip shrieks. “Bad cat!Bad cat!”
Just as quickly as she appeared, Fluffy dashes under the nearest wine barrels.
