“Leesa with two e’s, you stole my heart from the moment you took my coffee and muffin.” He smiled, and her heart was beating so fast it took all her focus to remain standing. “And every day since, you’ve made me the happiest man on earth.”
“Cole—” The whisper slipped from her lips as his brothers and sisters smiled and looked on. Her hands flew to her mouth, and tears dampened her eyes.
Cole shifted a knowing gaze to Sam, then a loving gaze back to Leesa. “I’m not the kind of guy to wait around and let things happen to me. I love you, Leesa, and I would be honored if you’d let me love you for the rest of our lives, as husband and wife.”
Her limbs were trembling so badly she was afraid to move her hands from her mouth for fear of losing her footing, so she nodded—hard—over and over, as Cole rose to his feet and gathered her in his arms.
“Is that a yes?” He guided her trembling arms around his neck. “I need to hear it, angel.”
“Yes. Oh my goodness, yes. Yes. Yes.” Every word came out as a whisper, accompanied by fresh tears. Their mouths came together in a mind-numbing, forever-bonding kiss, while his family congratulated them, laughing and clapping and filling the air with their joy.
Cole set her feet back down on the ground and slid the solitaire diamond ring onto her finger. “I love you.”
Leesa pressed her palms to the cheeks she loved so much and gazed into the eyes of the man she knew she’d love for the rest of her life. In that moment she knew that what he called her didn’t matter. She could be Annalise, Leesa, or hey you. The person she was, the woman she’d become, was the woman Cole loved. And she couldn’t wait to be called the best name of all—Mrs. Cole Braden.
—The End—