“Mine?” she asked him, and he grinned and nodded with so much enthusiasm, it looked like it hurt his neck. “Sit down and help me.”
Charlie sat, but kept his hands to himself as she tore off the paper. In it, she found a framed photo of the article—okay, more of an opinion piece—she’d written after her interview with Trey and Cassie had hit mainstream media. The video had gone viral in under forty-eight hours, with networks calling to beg her for additional unedited versions or asking her to comment on the situation as she’d seen it. She’d declined, though she offered her services freelance, and was making a decent living shuttling herself to and from Phoenix for interviews with the Suns’ head coach and players. She’d written an opinion piece though, which the New York Times had printed.
She’d cried the morning it ran.
“Oh, it’s beautiful.” The heavy silver frame and thick cream mat surrounding the article made her want to cry all over again. “You guys.” She held out an arm to Charlie, who sat back and shook his head. Stunned, she looked to Killian. “What’s wrong?”
“Not quite done. But why don’t you see how it’ll look next to the photo of your parents?” he prodded gently, pointing to the wall where she’d hung the photo from her old studio apartment. It was then she realized he’d shifted the framed photograph of her parents over a few inches to make room for her newly framed article.
She stood and held up the frame, frowning when it clinked. “Something’s loose, I think.” She rotated the frame and found a ring dangling from a ribbon attached to the back of the photo.
Eyes watering, she turned to Killian, who was down on his knees. He took her free hand.
“I know I love you,” he said, reminding her of their words not so long ago. “I know it’s early, but I know you’re the best woman for me. And I know we’ll be happy together. So, marry me?”
“And me!” Charlie shrieked, bouncing on the couch. “You marry us both!”
Carefully, so she didn’t injure the frame, she placed it on the ground by her feet. Then she leaned forward and kissed his lips softly. “You know I’m going to say yes.”