Page 313 of The Romance Adventure

The next morning, Luke is up bright and early and the scent of coffee comes from downstairs.

“Da!” Luke calls.

“Okay, hold on. Let me brush my hair so I don’t scare the guy.”

Ryan leans in the doorway as if he’d been waiting for us to wake up. “The only thing that could scare me is waking up and not finding you here. Come on. I have a treat downstairs for you.”

Even without caffeine, my mind races with thoughts about our discovery last night. When we get downstairs, though, everyone involved in the hunt is gathered, but to my surprise, so are my sisters, their families, my dad, Brando, and Uncle Eddie.

“What’s going on?”

My dad takes Luke from Ryan’s arms and winks.

A huge spread of breakfast foods fills the center island, but in the middle is a pyramid of doughnuts.

“Your favorite,” Ryan says, pointing.

My gaze slides from the doughnuts to our families and friends. “What’s going on?”

“You’ll want to be sure to get the cinnamon doughnut before anyone else gets it.” Ryan points.

I blink a few times and a sparkly stone on the top comes into focus. Nestled into the doughnut hole is a diamond ring.

“Ryan?” I ask, my heart stopping.

He plucks the ring from the center of the doughnut and takes my hand in his. “Harley, I thought you and I were a once-in-a-lifetime thing. Turns out we’re twice in a lifetime. Let’s stick with that. No third or fourth times. Will you please marry me and be my always-time?”

My smile fills the room and my eyes prick with happy tears. “Yes. Yes, I will.”

Ryan slides the ring onto my finger, then everyone claps and cheers.

He picks me up in his arms and does a victory lap around the room, hooting like he won the game. But this is pure romance. No more games.

Once everything settles down and everyone digs into the breakfast spread, I have a moment alone with Ryan. “So, when are you thinking you’d like to get married?”

He glances at the clock on the wall. “In about ten hours, if that’s okay.”

I incline my head. “Huh?”

“I arranged for us to take a sunset cruise. A boat ride to the Bahamas, where weddings on ships are permitted.”

I look around the room. “All of us?”

“Again, if that’s okay.”

“Ryan, it’s wonderful! It’s a dream I didn’t realize I had. We’re really doing this?”

“No pressure. We can take the boat ride and celebrate our engagement or we can take the boat ride and take the plunge.”

I tip my head back with laughter. “I love you.”

“I love you, too.”

Pulling him into the coat closet, I take him up on that kiss from last night before we found the coral.

The day goes by in a delightful whirlwind. It’s not until we’re kissing again, as the red sky spills into the sea, and Ryan and I have said I do, that I fully appreciate what everyone did today.

My sisters supplied a white sundress and flowers.