He kissed her forehead. “You’re welcome. Oh, and I got you something.” With a shy little grin, he added, “A housewarming gift, I guess.”
“A house isn’t enough?”
“Not for you.” He carefully set the baby’s carrier on the floor at their feet and paused to gaze at their son. “Why doesn’t he sleep like this at night?”
“No kidding.”
Chuckling, he gave the baby one more glance and then turned to Dara. “While we have a minute to ourselves…” He held up a small turquoise box wrapped in white ribbon.
She smiled as she took it from him. “The people at Tiffany’s must know you by name by now.”
Matt chuckled, blushing adorably. “Only the best for you.”
“You don’t have to—”
“I want to.” He nodded toward the little box. “Open it.”
She slipped the white ribbon off the box and lifted the lid, revealing a pair of diamond stud earrings. He’d bought her an insane amount of gorgeous jewelry over the last year, but these were unbelievable. “Oh my God. These are beautiful.”
“Put them on?”
Dara grinned. “Of course.” She took them out of the box and put them on. “Do we have…” She looked around. “A mirror?”
“The one above the mantel isn’t here yet, but there’s one in the bedroom upstairs.”
“Too far away.” She laughed and fished a compact out of her purse and opened it.
As always, his taste was perfect—they weren’t too big, not too gaudy, but they were definitely eye-catching. “Matt, thank you. These are just gorgeous.”
“I thought they’d go well with this.”
She lowered the mirror.
And her heart stopped.
He went to one knee, and between his upraised fingers was the most exquisite diamond solitaire. The round stone sparkled in the warm lighting, especially since his hand wasn’t completely steady.
“Matt…” She stared at him, the ring blurring in her peripheral vision and the mirror nearly tumbling from her hand. “Are you…”
“Yes. I am.” He moistened his lips and gently took her free hand. “There’s a reason I felt like something was missing in my life for ten years. It wasn’t just because I was a workaholic or because I was lonely. I…” Clearing his throat, he shook his head. “I stupidly didn’t realize how much I missed you until the day you walked back into my life and I suddenly had my best friend back.” He paused, taking a breath as if he needed to compose himself. “When you asked me in college if I’d donate for you, I told you it was an honor to be the father of your children.” He struggled to hold her gaze. “And it would be an honor to be your husband.”
Dara glanced back and forth from the ring to his eyes, so overwhelmed she could barely make sense of what was happening.
“Dara.” He swallowed hard. “Will you marry me?”
“Yes. Of course I will.”
Matt stood, and as he slipped the ring on her hand, she wiped her eyes.
He chuckled. “Damn hormones, right?” He sniffed too.
“Yeah. What’s your excuse?” Their eyes met, and they both laughed.
He wrapped his arms around her. “I love you, Dara.”
“I love you too.” She brushed a tear off his cheek. “I don’t think we got that whole love, marriage, baby carriage thing in the right order.”
“Maybe not for everyone else.” He kissed her softly. “But I wouldn’t have had it any other way.”
Holding him close, she realized she wouldn’t have either. It had been a long, bumpy road, and two years ago, she never would’ve imagined that road would lead her here. But it had, and now she and her best friend were getting married, and they were going to raise their little boy in the most beautiful house she’d ever seen.
All they had to do now was survive a Marley-Coolidge wedding.
That thought sobered her. “You do realize a wedding means…”
He shuddered. “Oh God.”
“There’s always Vegas.”
He loosened his embrace and met her gaze. “We can do better than that, don’t you think?”
“Honestly? I don’t think it gets any better than that. I’ve already had two overpriced and overdone weddings.” She touched his face. “But I mean, if it’s what you want, I—”
“I don’t care about the wedding.” He grasped her hand gently and kissed it. “As long as I’m marrying you, nothing else matters.”
“So you don’t care about—”
“Not even a little.”