Reaching my left hand out, I started giggling when I saw how bad I was shaking. Emmit slipped the ring on my finger and then kissed the back of my hand. It fit perfectly.
The moment Emmit stood up, I launched myself into his arms, causing him to stumble back. It didn’t take long for me to realize he was about to go right into the lake. Grabbing onto me, Emmit pulled me into the lake with him as we both started laughing.
I wrapped my arms around Emmit’s neck as I bit down gently on his lower lip. “God, I’ve never in my life felt so happy before.”
Emmit’s gray eyes went dark as he searched my face. “I swear if we weren’t at my mother’s place right now, I’d take you right here and now.”
Butterflies danced in my stomach as I lifted my eyebrows. “Sex in the lake. I like the sound of that.”
“Oh, yeah?” Emmit asked as his eyes danced with excitement. “I think I can arrange that.”
Laughing, I pressed my lips to Emmit’s and poured as much love into the kiss as possible.
“What in the world are you two doing in the lake?” Candace asked as Emmit and I both glanced up at her.
“Addie wanted to go for a quick swim.”
Splashing Emmit, I swam back over to the dock. The second I got out of the water and stood up, Candace grabbed my left hand and screamed. I couldn’t help but chuckle. Emmit’s mother looked lovingly at her son as she said, “Oh, Emmit. Darling, it’s beautiful.”
As I looked back down at the ring, I was so thankful Emmit had bought it before he really started making money. The last thing I would want is a two and half carat diamond on my finger. “It’s perfect,” I said as I stared at the ring on my finger.
“Come on, you two. Let’s get you inside and dried off,” Candace said as she motioned for Emmit and I to head back to the house.
We walked hand in hand as water dripped off us both, I couldn’t think of a better way for Emmit to ask me to marry him. It felt as if I was walking on cloud nine.
I never wanted this feeling to end.
I let out a contented sigh as I got lost in the story I was reading. I had made Emmit a list of things we needed from the store for dinner tonight, and he insisted I stay behind and relax while he ran in to the store.
I placed my Kindle in my lap as I stopped and listened. Was that a doorbell I just heard?
I had been so lost in my story; I thought I heard someone at the door. With a shrug of my shoulders, I went back to reading.
Then I heard someone walking across the kitchen floor in heels. As I jumped up, my Kindle fell to the hardwood floor.
“Emmit? Sweetie, are you here?”
Sweetie?
I reached down for my Kindle and grabbed it as I quickly made my way into the kitchen. Stephanie was standing there unpacking bags of food.
“What are you doing here?” I asked. Stephanie jumped and let out a scream. I hadn’t meant to sound like a bitch, but I had to admit, her calling Emmit sweetie took me by surprise.
Stephanie’s hand went over her chest as she dragged in a few breaths. “Holy fucking shit, you scared the living piss out of me, Adaline.”
Nice mouth.
Giving her a slight smile, I said, “Sorry, I could say the same but I won’t.”
Her face turned red as she shook her head to clear her thoughts. “Oh . . . um . . . well I knew Emmit would be back home with no race this week. I usually bring him some food. I wasn’t able to get over here until now.”
Leaning against the counter, I held my Kindle in front of me. Stephanie glanced down and did a double take at the ring on my finger. She frowned before she quickly replaced it with a smile.
Stephanie’s hand went over her mouth as she did this weird little jump. “Oh, my gosh! Is that what I think it is?”
I lifted my left hand and smiled. “Yes. Emmit asked me to marry him earlier today.”
Stephanie walked over to me and took my hand as she studied the ring. “It’s so . . . simple.”
She did not.
My mouth dropped open as I narrowed my eyes at her.
“Oh no wait, I didn’t mean that the way it sounded. I just would have thought Emmit would have put a huge rock on your finger.” Letting out a quick chuckle, she looked back down at the ring before looking at me again.
“I think it’s perfect and it’s the same ring Emmit used to ask me to marry him a few years ago.”
Something passed over Stephanie’s face, but before I could read it, it was gone. “Well, I’m so happy for you both. We’ll have to throw you an engagement party.”
With a quick shake of my head, I lifted my hands. “No, no I don’t want anything like that.”
Spinning on her five-inch heels, Stephanie lifted her hand up and waved me off. It was like my mother all over again. “Nonsense. It will be wonderful PR for Emmit. NASCAR’s most-eligible bachelor off the market . . . I can see the headlines now.”
Her happiness seemed sincere, but there was something about Stephanie that had me on guard.
“Um, so listen, we should probably talk about you just walking into the house.”
Stephanie put the last of the food in the refrigerator and said, “Right. Of course. I realize now that you are back in the picture, I’ll need to be more mindful of Emmit’s privacy.”
Back in the picture? Why did the way she said that bother me so much?
“Were you not before?” I asked before I could stop myself.
Stephanie’s head popped back in surprise. “Of course I was. But I mean, Emmit was a single guy living in this giant house. He would often call me to come over and keep him company.”
A tinge of jealousy ripped through me as I looked Stephanie up and down. “I bet it did get lonely.”
Stephanie shrugged as she said, “Yeah. I used to feel really bad for him but we had a lot of fun together so it was okay. My husband used to play Texas Hold ‘em a lot with Emmit.”
The mention of her husband seemed to put the water on my jealousy. I instantly relaxed.
“Well, maybe a phone call first before you pop over,” I said as I tried not to seem like I was being a bitch.
Stephanie grabbed her purse and smiled. “Of course. Do me a favor, when you see Emmit let him know I have that date and time set up with the family from Dallas. I sent it over in an email. He also has an interview tomorrow morning, I’ll get with him later about that.”
I pushed off the counter and followed Stephanie to the door. Emmit walked in and almost ran into Stephanie.
“Hey, Steph. What are you doing here?” Emmit asked as he walked by her and straight into the kitchen.
“Afternoon, Emmit. I just dropped off some things for you. I wasn’t aware Ms. Morgan was here. I need to run, but I’ll call you later about your interview tomorrow.”
Emmit stopped and turned to Stephanie. He looked confused for a second before he said, “Cancel the interview.”
Stephanie stopped walking and slowly turned around. “Excuse me?”
The bags of groceries were set down on the counter as Emmit looked back at Stephanie. “Cancel it. Or if they want to do a Skype interview, we can do that.”
I’d never seen someone wear such a deer in the headlight look before like Stephanie was. “May I ask why you’re changing it, Emmit?”
Emmit glanced over to me and gave me a wink. “I’m flying to Texas tomorrow with my fiancé. I’m sure they’ll understand.”
“Texas?” Stephanie and I both said at the same time.
“Yep. Texas. Oh, and if you need anything else for the rest of the day, just text, Steph. I don’t want any calls unless it’s an emergency.”
The look that passed over Stephanie’s face was one of pure shock. I’m guessing she was used to twenty-four-seven access to Emmit, and this no calling rule put her off.
“Emmit, I mean, we need to talk about a few things.”
Walking toward Stephanie, he took her elbow and guided her toward the front door. “We can talk tomorrow. Today I want my own time. Also, I think it’s best if you give me your key to the house. With Addie moving in and all, I think it’s for the best.”