Stefanie London

Sweet on You - bonus epilogue

Zoey and Mack’s two-year anniversary

Mack had so much excited energy in his system he had no idea how he was going to get through the two-hour drive to Yarra Valley. He’d booked a luxurious Airbnb place for his and Zoey’s anniversary, nestled in the heart of one of Australia’s most famous wine regions. He planned to spend the next three days drinking, eating and making love to Zoey.

Well, there was one more thing on his list.

He flipped open a green velvet box and stared at the ring inside. It had a white gold band with a round diamond in the centre, which was flanked with two small stones on either side. Amethyst, peridot, aquamarine and morganite—purple, green, blue and pink.

Because his Zoey loved a rainbow colour-scheme.

The ring had been made by a jeweller in Sorrento, a bigger town further along the coast. He’d faked have some “site inspections” on the three occasions he’d visited the jeweller—one to initiate the transaction, one to see the design sketches and loose stones, and the final one to pick up the completed ring.

It was perfect.

He was going to propose tonight after dinner. Zoey was really excited about the trip and she’d been as giddy as a kid on her way to Disneyland all week long. Seeing her so happy made his heart incredibly full.

Everything about her made his heart incredibly full.

Seeing the bright colours of her hair streaked like rainbow ribbons over her pillow in the morning. Feeling her snuggle into him at night. The fact that she got up early every single day to make him one of her amazing coffees for his trip to work. The way she loved so openly and so freely and without reservation.

He wanted, more than anything in the world, to marry her.

It was going to take gargantuan willpower to keep the ring hidden away until after dinner, because he’d been itching to put it on her finger from the second he’d picked it up.

But he would, as always, stick to the plan.

The sound of the front door opening made his heart kick up a notch. He stashed the ring in the side pocket of his overnight bag and zipped it closed. Looking at the two bags on the bed made him laugh. Mack’s was sturdy and practical—all black with silver zippers and his initials monogrammed on the leather strap—while Zoey’s bag was hot pink and had watermelon slices printed all over it.

“Mack?” Her voice floated through the house.

“In the bedroom.”

“I have snacks,” she announced as she walked through the door. “Gwen gave me some of her cookie dough bites and I picked up a jumbo bag of Allen’s Party Mix from the supermarket. Do you want me to make you a latte before we head off?”

Instead of responding, Mack only stared at her. How on earth did he end up lucky enough to have someone like Zoey in his life?

It was hot out and her hair was swept up into a plump bun on top of her head. Dangly earring—his Christmas present from last year—twinkled in the light.

“Mack?” She cocked her head. “Everything okay?”

“Everything is absolutely bloody perfect.” He walked toward her and coaxed the bag of snacks from her hand, setting it down on the bed. Then he pulled her toward him, dipping his head toward hers. “I love you so much.”

The way she stared up at him made him feel like a god. Or a king. Or both of those things.

He was going to spend the rest of his life being the best husband he could be.

*

Zoey angled her head up and sighed as Mack’s hungry kiss enveloped her. Kissing him was her favourite hobby. He crushed her to him, one arm snaking around her shoulders so that there was nothing between them but the clothes on their bodies.

But even that felt like too much.

A groan passed between them as their tongue met, and she melted against his hard chest. How she adored this man. This sexy, good-hearted, prince of a man. She tilted her head back and invited him in. Invited him to capture her. His fingers wrapped around the back of her neck, holding her in place and she almost went weak at the knees.

Did they really have to leave right now? Maybe they could sweep the bags off the bed and get under the covers for a bit before they left. Or over the covers. She wasn’t fussy when it came to loving Mack. However she could have him, she would.

And tonight, she was going to make it official.

It was their two-year anniversary and Zoey was going to ask Mack to marry her. Sure, maybe it wasn’t the traditional way of doing things, but traditional wasn’t Zoey’s style. If she wanted something, she went after it! Marriage, included.

Why did the responsibility always fall to the guy?

Zoey had faked a “girl’s trip” away a few weekends ago so she could head to the city and pick out a ring. Most guys didn’t wear an engagement ring, but she figured Mack could put it on his other hand. The band she’d chosen was a simple white gold with an etched design that looked like waves. It reminded her of the beach—of all the times they’d kissed in the shallows and strolled along the wet, firmly-packed sand. Of all the times they’d watched the sun set together.

Mack had been there for Zoey in her darkest days and she would never forget it. She would never stop being grateful that he stepped up when Sean needed a break from their dysfunctional family. She would never stop treasuring that act of absolute kindness.

Just thinking about it made tears well in her eyes. Mack was the perfect guy for her and she wanted him to know that she was in it for the long-haul.

When she pulled back and look up into his dark eyes, seeing the love shining out of them, she couldn’t take it a moment longer. Why wait a second more? She wanted to do this right now!

She went straight to her pink overnight bag.

“What are you doing?” he asked, looking at her with an adorably confused expression. “Did you forget to pack something?”

She grabbed ring out of the box and enclosed it in her hand. “No, I didn’t forget something. But there is something I want to say.”

“Okay.” His eyes tracked her movement as she walked back around the bed and stood in front of him. “Shoot.”

Adrenaline shot through her system, setting off a cacophony of butterflies. Oh gosh. She was nervous. And excited. And… everything!

“Mack, you know I love you a lot, right?”

“Yeah.” His frown deepened.

“Um…” Take a deep breath. You can do this. “But I want more. I want more with you, in fact.”

“Zoey…” His eyes widened.

“Will you marry me?” She opened her palm and showed him the ring.

It felt a little weird to put it on for him, and she wasn’t sure if she should get down on one knee. That definitely worked better when the guy did the proposing, because there was already a height differential and if Zoey got down on the ground—

“Bloody hell, Zoey.” He raked a hand through his hair. He didn’t look pleased.

Uh oh.

Had she totally misjudged the situation? What if he didn’t want to get married? He’d definitely seemed open to it on the times where the topic had come up, but they hadn’t set any plans in stone.

He turned away from her.

Oh no.

Her eyes welled with tears. Was this a grave mistake? The beginning of the end? She wasn’t sure she could take it if Mack walked away now, because he was it for her. She would never love anyone as much as she loved him.

But when he turned back around, after reaching into his overnight bag, he had a small velvet box in his hand. A box that look suspiciously like…

“No!”

“That’s definitely not the answer I was hoping for,” he groused.

“Not no, no.” She shook her head. A laugh bubbled up inside her and she pressed a hand to her chest. “Mack!”

“You totally cut my lunch.” He made a gruff sound. “I had everything planned. We’ve got dinner at that place you really wanted to try tonight and then I asked the Airbnb people to put some champagne in the fridge. I was going to propose as soon as we got back and then I was going to take you bed and make you scream the whole night long.”

He looked so disgruntled that she couldn’t help but laugh. More tears gathered in her eyes—happy tears, this time. “Can I at least see the ring?”

He opened the box and Zoey gasped. The ring was…perfect. It was colourful, yet simple. Glittery and fun. It was like no other engagement ring she’d ever seen, and she could tell it was custom designed just for her.

“You had to go and be impatient, didn’t you?” he said, though his tone was soft now and there was a look of indulgence in his eyes. He could tell she loved the ring.

“Excuse me. If I waited as long for you to propose as I did for you to notice I wasn’t a child anymore, then we wouldn’t have been married until I was an old lady.” She huffed. “And I don’t want to wait that long.”

“So how are we going to do this, then?” Mack chuckled. “Ladies first?”

“Such a gentleman.”

She toyed with his ring in her hand. The design was so masculine and traditional in shape, yet the etched waves gave a modern and emotional touch. It reminded her of him. In many ways he favoured tradition and security and rules. But over the last two years, she’d seen him loosen up. She’d seen his humour blossom. She’d seen him slowly learn to embrace forgiveness and the grey areas of life.

“Mack,” she said, swallowing. “I knew I loved you a long time ago. You’ve been part of my life since I was a kid and I can’t imagine a world where we’re not together. I was this to be forever. I want us to last forever. And I know I don’t do too many things by the book, but I want to stand up in front of our family and friends and commit to you. I love you so much and I want it to be official.”

The beaming grin on his face was so bright Zoey wondered if another sun had appeared in the sky.

“You have to ask the question,” he whispered.

“Oh yeah!” She flushed. “Will you marry me?”

“I couldn’t think of anything better, Zo. Yes, you have my heart forever.”

Suddenly feeling a little shy, she handed over the ring and he slipped it on. It was a perfect fit.

“My turn now?” he asked, and she nodded. “Zoey Hutcherson, I have loved you for a long time, too. It took me a while to be okay with how I felt about you, and I appreciate that you knocked down every obstacle I put between us. You’re ferocious and you inspire me. I want to spend the rest of my life building you up and making you see how incredible you are.”

“Oh Mack.” She blinked, her eyes watery again.

“It would make me the happiest man alive if you’d be my wife. Will you marry me?”

“Of course!” She stuck her hand out so enthusiastically that he laughed.

When he slipped the ring onto her finger, it felt like something clicked inside her. Like one last piece of the puzzle of life was locked into place. Her future was laid out in front of her, more beautiful and sparkling than ever.

Mack pulled her in close as he tossed the ring box aside. “I can’t believe you tried to upstage me.”

“I can’t believe you tried to upstage me.” She giggled. “Show off.”

“We should get going,” he said, but his husky tone suggested otherwise. “We don’t want to be late checking in.”

“Or…” She tugged him toward the bed. “We could not leave right now and celebrate our engagement first.”

The fire in his eyes set her soul ablaze. As he followed her to the bed, with hunger and love radiating from him in equal measure, Zoey knew she would treasure this moment forever.

Want more Patterson’s Bluff? Get the next book in the series, A Merry Aussie Christmas!