Brian’s face looked weighted down by concern. “That doesn’t sound very good. What do you think she means? She’d rather be anywhere but there?”
“I don’t know.” Carmen shrugged and read through the message again. “You think she’s in some kind of trouble?”
“Or maybe she’s just a kid who thinks her hometown is lame. We shouldn’t jump to conclusions. Maybe just give her a call.”
“My parents don’t even talk about me?” Carmen twisted her face up. Part anger. Part confusion. “That’s really shitty. My sisters don’t even know the whole story. They spent all that time thinking I just bailed on them.”
“You can talk to them now. You’ll have plenty of time to make it all right. And there are a lot of reasons people don’t talk about things anymore. Most of the time it’s because it hurts too much to bring up. They may be riddled with regret and just can’t bring themselves to deal with it.”
“Or they still think they were right and they are digging in.”
“They know what he went on to do after he hurt you. There is no way they think you were wrong in the situation. You fled for your life. You gave up everything.”
“And I did it knowing my parents weren’t in my corner. That was the hardest part. Realizing the people who were supposed to love you the most, completely unconditionally, didn’t support me. I’m still pissed.”
“You should be.” Brian didn’t offer any other platitudes or advice, and she was grateful for that.
“I want to know what’s going on with Nora. I need to know she’s all right.”
“I agree.” Brian rubbed Carmen’s back gently. “We’ll deal with it no matter what it is. We’ll do it together.”
“You really think you’re going to want to stick around for whatever drama I’m about to get into with my family? You have no way to know how good or bad it might get with my parents. You might want to reconsider.”
“There’s a problem there.”
“What’s that.”
Brian reached into his pocket and pulled out a small jewelry box. Her mind went to the charm bracelet he’d bought her. The perfection of it. The thought behind it. He could never top that gift. Perhaps another charm.
“You see,” he said taking a knee, “I already bought this ring.” He flipped open the box and turned it to her. It was a diamond ring. Her mind was slow to process. What was that supposed to represent? There was no patron saint of diamond rings, right? Then all at once it hit her.
An engagement ring.
“What?” She gasped and covered her mouth with her hand. “What are you doing?”
“I’m telling you, with this very beautiful ring, that I don’t care how dramatic things get with your parents. They’ll be my in laws and I’ll be right there in the front row for all of it. We both have complicated families. We both have things we’re still figuring out. But what if we promise to do those things together. No matter what.”
Brian knelt there, looking up at her on the couch with a wide smile and emotion in his eyes. She had no words. He’d said them all so perfectly.
“It’s your turn to decide,” Brian whispered. “I already made my decision.”
She nodded vigorously and tried again to find her voice. “I— yes.”
Brian came up from his knee and pulled her into his arms. “You’re mine now, Carmen. I’m yours. Whatever crazy schemes, epic family fights, or new career paths that come our way. It’s us against the world.”
Nothing she’d heard in her life ever sounded that good before. Having a partner, a loyal and fierce one, made anything seem possible. Sliding the ring onto her finger, she could feel the sincerity of his promises. She could feel the depth of his love. There would be nothing she couldn’t do, with him by her side.
The End
Books in the Barrington Billionaire Synchronized World
By Danielle Stewart:
Fierce Love
Wild Eyes
Crazy Nights
Loyal Hearts
Untamed Devotion
Stormy Attraction
Surprising Destiny
Lovely Dreams
Perfect Homecoming
You can now download all the Barrington Billionaire books by Danielle Stewart in a “Sweet” version. Enjoy the clean and wholesome version, same story without the spice. If you prefer the hotter version be sure to download the original.
The Sweet version still contains adult situations and relationships.
Fierce Love - Sweet Version
Wild Eyes - Sweet Version
Crazy Nights - Sweet Version
Loyal Hearts - Sweet Version
Untamed Devotion - Sweet Version
Stormy Attraction - Sweet Version
Foolish Temptations - Sweet Version - Coming Soon
Also by Danielle Stewart
Missing Pieces Series:
Book 1: The Bend in Redwood Road
Book 2: The Pier at Jasmine Lake
Book 3: The Bridge in Sunset Park
Piper Anderson Series:
Book 1: Chasing Justice
Book 2: Cutting Ties
Book 3: Changing Fate
Book 4: Finding Freedom
Book 5: Settling Scores
Book 6: Battling Destiny
Book 7: Unearthing Truth
Book 8: Defending Innocence
Book 9: Saving Love(includes excerpts from Betty’s Journal)
Edenville Series – A Piper Anderson Spin Off:
Book 1: Flowers in the Snow
Book 2: Kiss in the Wind
Book 3: Stars in a Bottle
Book 4: Fire in the Heart
Piper Anderson Legacy Mystery Series:
Book 1: Three Seconds To Rush
Book 2: Just for a Heartbeat
Book 3: Not Just an Echo
The Clover Series:
Hearts of Clover - Novella & Book 2: (Half My Heart & Change My Heart)
Book 3: All My Heart
Over the Edge Series:
Book 1: Facing Home
Book 2: Crashing Down
Midnight Magic Series:
Amelia
Rough Waters Series:
Book 1: The Goodbye Storm
Book 2: The Runaway Storm
Book 3: The Rising Storm
Stand Alones:
Running From Shadows
Yours for the Taking
Love in a Paper Garden
*****************************************************
Multi-Author Series including books by Danielle Stewart
All are stand alone reads and can be enjoyed in any order.
Indigo Bay Series:
A multi-author sweet romance series
Sweet Dreams - Stacy Claflin
Sweet Matchmaker - Jean Oram
Sweet Sunrise - Kay Correll
Sweet Illusions - Jeanette Lewis
Sweet Regrets - Jennifer Peel
Sweet Rendezvous - Danielle Stewart
Short Holiday Stories in Indigo Bay:
Sweet Holiday Wishes - Melissa McClone
Sweet Holiday Surprise - Jean Oram
Sweet Holiday Memories - Kay Correll
Sweet Holiday Traditions - Danielle Stewart
Foreign Editions
The following books are currently available in foreign translations
German Translation:
Fierce Love
Ungezügelte Leidenschaft
Wild Eyes
Glühend heiße Blicke
Crazy Nights
Nächte, wild und unvergessen
Loyal Hearts
Herzen, treu und ehrlich
***
French Translation:
Flowers in the Snow
Fleurs Des Neiges
Newsletter Sign-up
If you’d like to stay up to date on the latest Dan
ielle Stewart news Click Here.
Author Contact Information
Website: AuthorDanielleStewart.com
Email: AuthorDanielleStewart@Gmail.com
Bookbub: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/danielle-stewart
Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Danielle-Stewart/e/B00CCOYB3O
Twitter: @DStewartAuthor