Page 108 of Only You

Staring at Jack, Kayla felt dizzy, and he must have sensed it. “Let’s sit down,” he suggested.

Between Tiffany’s and Nordstrom was a small seating area with a decorated Christmas tree in the center of it. An older woman sat there surrounded by shopping bags, but it was otherwise empty. Jack led Kayla to the couch opposite the woman and they sat down. For a moment, they gazed at each other without speaking.

Then, Kayla noticed he was dressed up too, wearing a charcoal gray suit and red tie. “What is going on, Jack?”

“I missed you so much,” he said in a rush.

She narrowed her eyes at him. “You had Ryan bring me here to tell me that?”

“I was afraid you wouldn’t come otherwise.”

“So, you and Ryan cooked this whole thing up?” She felt shaky, adrenaline pumping through her veins.

“I had to talk to you,” Jack said.

Kayla glanced at the woman seated across from them, who was pretending not to listen. “But why here?”

“You were right when you told Ryan I was a jerk. Asking you to leave was the stupidest thing I’ve ever done.”

“Besides pretending to be in love with me?”

“I wasn’t pretending.”

“Why should I believe you, especially when you kicked me out of the house?”

The woman across from them coughed loudly.

Jack glanced at the stranger and lowered his voice. “I wasn’t thinking clearly.”

“So that’s it. That’s your big apology?”

“Wait. There’s more.” Jack eyed her intently and swallowed hard. Then he swiftly moved off the couch and went down on one knee.

Kayla’s eyes widened to mammoth proportions as their witness leaned forward in her seat. “Oh my God, Jack. What are you doing?”

“I’m so sorry for hurting you, Kayla. I love you so much, and I want to spend the rest of my life proving it to you … If you’ll let me.” Jack reached into his suit jacket pocket and pulled out a robin’s egg blue box with a white bow atop it.

Kayla and the woman both gasped.

Jack held up the box and slowly opened the lid. “Kayla Green, will you marry me?”

Kayla gaped at the perfect round diamond glistening on a white gold band. Then she raised her gaze to Jack’s face and saw his hopeful expression. The ache in her chest eased, but her heart still pounded rapidly.

Jack eyed her with concern. “Kayla?”

Behind him, the woman had leaned so far forward it looked like she might fall out of her seat.

“Do you promise never to kick me out of the house again?” Kayla finally said.

“I promise.”

“You can’t just walk away when things get tough. That’s not the way love works.”

She wasn’t making this easy for him, but he deserved it. Gazing directly into her eyes, he said, “I learned my lesson. I promise.”

Kayla let out a big breath and smiled fully for the first time in several days. “Yes, Jack. I’ll marry you.”

Suddenly, Jack lifted her off the couch and into his arms. He swung her around before setting her on her feet. Kayla clamped onto his forearms to steady herself. Then he leaned in and kissed her.