Pulling him into the dining room, I ran my fingers over the wood table. It was the same one that had been there before, dark black wood with eight huge matching chairs surrounding it. “Every Christmas we would get a new board game, and that year Addison and I begged for Mall Madness. The credit card machine was new and improved from the original and we were dying to get our hands on it. Mom and Teresa spent hours in the kitchen preparing dinner while Dad and Theo suffered through three hours of Addison and I giggling and making fun of them buying all of the girly clothes.”
I took Cole through every room of the cabin and told him story after story, remembering something different in each room. By the time I’d given him the entire tour, I was sure he had relived every moment I’d spent in the cabin that Christmas.
After getting all of our bags into the house, we decided we’d call it a night and get to bed, so we’d be ready for our morning on the slopes tomorrow. Falling into bed I was knocked out in a matter of minutes, especially once Cole started rubbing my back. That night I dreamt of my parents meeting Cole and what it would have been like
.
Of course Mom loved him, Dad on the other hand was a bit harder to win over, but after spending the day with us and seeing how much he really loved me Dad was on board.
At the sun peeking through the cabin window I stretched and looked over at a sleeping Cole, smiling at the memory of last night’s dream. “Babe, wake up.” I shook his body and he jumped at the touch of my cold hands. Laughing, I apologized and I climbed out of bed and hopped into the hot shower.
Cole was all suited up in his ski gear when I closed the back door behind me, the slopes were right beyond the back yard, so we didn’t have far to go. He helped me into all of my gear, and before I knew it we were pulling our goggles down as we headed for the slopes. “You know I’m pretty good, right?” I joked with Cole as he looked me up and down.
“Oh, you may be good, but I guarantee you won’t beat me.” Laughing, I took off down the mountain, listening to him yell after me. We spent the entire day racing down all different kinds of slopes, some I’d win and some Cole would win. Although, I let him have all of the ones he won. It was a perfect day and by the time we got back to the cabin we were exhausted. We’d showered, shared a cup of hot chocolate and fell asleep on the couch in front of the blazing fire.
CHAPTER TWENTY NINE
“Do you have the champagne?” I yelled to Cole from in front of the television. We were two minutes away from midnight and the ball in Time Square was flashing as it was getting ready to begin its descent. He ran into the living room looking dashing as he insisted we dress up even though we weren’t leaving the house. He had a bottle of champagne and two flutes in tow just in time for us to start the countdown together.
Standing there dressed to the nines, Cole in a sleek black Armani tuxedo with a gold tie that matched his beautiful eyes and me in a black lace dress that had a slit from the bottom straight up the top of my thigh. Cole quickly filled our champagne flutes and we both yelled with the crowd on TV, “10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1…HAPPY NEW YEAR!” We screamed, as Cole slid his arms around my waist, pulling me in for a New Year’s kiss that had me seeing fireworks of my own.
Releasing me he whispered, “Happy New Year, baby” and lifted his champagne flute to toast with me. We clinked glasses and both lifted our flutes to our mouths. Turning to reach for the bottle that was sitting on the table behind us I filled my glass. I was turning back around to ask Cole if he’d like anymore and I gasped when I saw him down on one knee. I slowly set my champagne flute down, so I wouldn’t drop it and my hands flew straight to my face, covering my mouth that was hanging wide open. Reaching into his pocket he pulled out a black velvet box.
“Reagan Larson, I love you, everything about you, the way you giggle when something is funny, your earth shattering smile, the way your cheeks flush when you’re embarrassed, your passion for the things you care most about, your dedication, I even love your panic attacks, but mostly I love who I am when I’m with you. I can’t imagine feeling this way with any other person, Reagan. You are my world, my life, and without you I have nothing. There is nothing on this earth I’d rather have than your hand in marriage and to build a future with you.”
Opening the velvet box, I choked back tears thinking it couldn’t be true, sitting in the slit of the black box was my mother’s three carat cushion cut halo engagement ring that my father had proposed to her with. The tears that pricked my eyes began to flood down my cheeks, and Cole reached for my hand. “Reagan Larson, would you do me the greatest honor of becoming my wife?” Shaking my head yes over and over again, he slid the ring onto my finger as he stood and worked his hands up my waist, cupping my face and kissing my lips for the first time as my
fiancé
.
Looking into my eyes he smiled as he whispered, “Is that a yes? I know you shook your head, but you never said it?”
I laughed through the tears, “Yes, Cole Conrad, there is no other person I’d rather spend the rest of my life with than you.”
The End… For Now
UPCOMING BOOKS
Fighting For Her
(Cole Conrad’s Point of View – Releasing in 2014)
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
K.S. Smith is a twenty seven year old aspiring new contemporary romance author. When she is not writing you will most likely find her nose in a book, spending time with her family and friends or dedicating her time to the military through her favorite non-profit organization.
K.S. Smith was born and raised in Tampa, FL and continues to build her life there in her new home with her boyfriend of ten years who will hopefully one day put all book boyfriends to shame with an out of this world proposal.
https://www.facebook.com/kssmith23
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https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/7215509.K_S_Smith
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