Her brows drew in. “You insisted I keep it when I told you to return it. You claimed it could be my birthday gift, but it’s a bit extravagant for that.”
Reese swallowed the lump in his throat. “It’s not extravagant if it’s a real engagement ring,” he suggested. “Keep it, keep me. Let’s do this, Jo.”
Her eyes widened on her gasp and she jerked her hands from his. “Do this? You mean, stay engaged?”
His delivery and proposal really needed work, but he was so damn nervous he hadn’t really prepared his exact words.
“When we were talking the other night, it occurred to me that maybe we hadn’t found the right people because we are the right people.”
Josie continued to stare at him like he’d lost his mind, and maybe he had, but he still had to take this chance.
“Think about it,” he went on. “We have always been there for each other. No matter what has happened, good or bad, we have each other’s backs. Right? We trust each other. We’re a hell of a team in bed and out.”
“But you’re my best friend,” she countered, her voice holding no conviction. “We agreed...”
He took a step closer. “That was before everything changed. I love you, Josie.”
“I love you, too,” she said. “As my best friend. We can’t do this, Reese. Just because we grew intimate doesn’t mean we can build a life together.”
“Your fear is showing,” he murmured. “We’ve already built a life together.”
“My fear?” she questioned. “It’s common sense. We wouldn’t know how to live together, to really forge our lives together like a husband and wife. Have you really thought about this or did you just get caught up in the role?”
“The only thing I’ve gotten caught up in is you. You can’t believe I would ask if I wasn’t serious. I want to try this with you.”
Her eyes misted as she took another step back. “Trying leaves room for failure, and I love you too much to lose you as my friend, Reese. I’m sorry.”
She turned and walked toward the back of the restaurant, leaving him completely confused and shattered.
He’d known before he’d asked that she’d be scared, but he’d had no clue she would completely shut him down. Did she really believe he’d let her get hurt? Didn’t she trust him, trust them, more than that?
Chatter from the front doors pulled his attention back to the moment. Nick, Silvia, Sam and Maty were all smiles as they were the first to arrive. Right behind them, his parents.
This was his family. All of these people right here were here to support him on the most important night of his life.
Josie might have had to put distance between them, and that was fine, but he would regroup and stick around.
He wasn’t going anywhere now that he knew exactly what he wanted...who he wanted.
* * *
Josie smiled and nodded, she shook hands and answered questions. Nobody knew the truth, that her insides were shaking, that her head was ready to explode with all the thoughts ramming together in there, and her heart was aching in a way she’d never known.
How dare Reese spring that on her? A real engagement? Was he out of his ever-loving mind?
“You look absolutely stunning.”
Josie turned to see Silvia and Maty. The two women were beaming, which lightened Josie’s mood somewhat. She needed a distraction and perhaps these were just the ladies she needed to chat with.
“I know you always wear black for your column and appearances,” Maty stated, “but that red is gorgeous with your dark hair and skin tone.”
“Thank you,” Josie said, sipping her champagne. “I was worried it was too over-the-top, but I wanted to do something special for Reese. He’s always on me about stepping out of my comfort zone.”
Is that why he’d proposed for real? To get her out of that comfort zone? Because that wasn’t just stepping out, that was jumping off a cliff without a parachute.
“I just saw the blog right before we came in.” Silvia clutched her glass of sparkling water and leaned in to Josie. “Girl, you two are so adorably in love. I can’t wait to see your journey to the aisle.”
“I still can’t believe we’re all getting married,” Maty said with a wide grin. “It’s such an exciting time.”