Page 101 of When Nothing Else Matters

“You’re not? I mean…I knew that. We’re careful.” He runs his hand through his hair and silently sighs.

I can’t stop the laugh his reaction brings as I jump into his lap, brushing his lips with mine. “You are one hell of a guy, Dylan Mathers,” I say when I finally break away.

“And I’m all yours.” He winks.

“Always.” I smile. “Now, while I’m not pregnant, I am still changing our future plans a little.” I look into his crystal-blue eyes and can almost see that future staring back at me.

Dylan’s brows furrow in confusion, but his gaze never leaves mine.

“I’m graduating early. I’m finishing up my final subjects as we speak and then I’m officially done.”

His eyes widen in a mixture of shock and awe. “Seriously?”

“Yes.” I laugh. “Seriously. So…I’m thinking about moving to Denver. Do you know anyone that needs a roomie?”

As soon as the words are out of my mouth, Dylan flips me on to my back and kisses me with everything that he has. “Fuck, I love you,” he says between kisses, before pulling away and staring down into my soul.

“Marry me.”

“W…What?” I stammer and my heart rate spikes.

He doesn’t answer me but instead pulls us both up until we’re standing and then drops down on one knee. “I was going to wait and do this on New Year’s Eve. I don’t even have the ring, but right now it feels even more perfect. Summer, I knew there was something about you the second I laid eyes on you. I had this intense need to protect you and I never even knew who you were. When I met you again over two years ago, I had the strongest feeling of déjà vu, like we’d met before, and an even stronger desire to never let you go. I may have fought it, but deep down my heart knew it was you. You were the one.

“I used to think that becoming your fake best friend was the best thing to ever happen to me, but now that I’m on one knee, looking into your eyes and seeing our future, I know that the best is yet to come. Every day with you is better than the last. Summer, I love you. Will you marry me?”

My pulse quickens and my heart almost beats out of my chest because…Holy shit!If you’d asked me six months ago if I thought I’d get engaged this year I would have said absolutely not. Hell, I’d have said that yesterday. But now…now that Dylan’s asking me, I suddenly want nothing more. We’ve been through so much, and I know he’s my end game. We might still be young, but why does it matter when you know it’s going to happen at some point, probably soon. I love this man with all my heart.

“Yes!” I cry, dropping down onto my knees in front of him. My arms wrap around his neck as his own hands hold my face. “You just made a ten-year-old me very happy. How many people get to marry their first crush?” I say with a wink.

Dylan’s eyes light up and he laughs before pulling my face to his and smothering me in a bruising kiss.

And just like that, I’m engaged to my best friend, and there is nothing fake about it.