Total pages in book: 94
Estimated words: 87091 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 435(@200wpm)___ 348(@250wpm)___ 290(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 87091 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 435(@200wpm)___ 348(@250wpm)___ 290(@300wpm)
Mila gasped as he opened the box. It was obvious she hadn’t been prepared for this part. No doubt she’d planned to go shopping with Hersch, but he’d beaten her to it. Crystal only hoped he’d guessed right. Mila was notoriously picky. What if she didn’t like his choice?
The momentary silence that followed was enough to capture everyone’s attention. The room seemed to pause, as if the universe itself had momentarily shifted. Suddenly the moment turned serious.
“Mila,” Hersch began, his voice a mix of awe and nerves, “I’ve traveled across the stars, looked down on Earth, and seen things most people only dream of. But nothing compares to the feeling of being with you. I want to spend the rest of my life here on Earth, with you—right here, in the middle of all this chaos. Will you marry me?”
The family had fallen silent, eyes wide in surprise, and Crystal felt the lump return to her throat. She could tell Mila was surprised in the best and most happy of ways. She looked around at her parents, her siblings, and then back at Hersch. Her smile grew, and without a word, she nodded, tears welling up in her eyes.
“Of course I will,” she whispered, her voice barely audible over the collective gasp of joy from the family.
The table erupted into much wilder cheers and applause as Hersch slipped the ring on her finger. It was a large solitaire that glowed faintly blue.
“A blue diamond,” Betsy whispered, her voice catching.
“I chose it because it reminded me of the water, and Mila is a woman of the waves, a woman who taught me to get back into the water when I thought I wouldn’t be able to.”
Hersch had nearly drowned when his re-entry shuttle had gone astray in a storm on its return from space. Mila had worked with the traumatized astronaut until he’d overcome his fear.
Mila stared at the gorgeous ring on her hand, surprising everyone as the tears in her eyes overflowed. She was not a crier.
“It’s the most beautiful ring I’ve ever seen,” she said, staring almost in disbelief at her newly adorned hand. “I love it. And I love you.” She threw her arms around Hersch, who kissed her tenderly while the family cheered.
With a final sniff, Mila sat down at the table, her eyes shining. She looked giddy with surprise and excitement. She turned to Crystal and said, “Let me know when we can have our first wedding planning meeting, because you are the only one I trust to plan my big day.”
Crystal laughed, still amazed that the risk-taking, ocean-taming Mila was so ready to embrace being a bride. “I can’t wait!”
Chapter Seven
Following the bombshell, the family chattered happily. Everyone was in a good mood, especially Tessa, who loved a good romance story, and who had good news of her own to share. She had been invited to show her newest paintings in a group exhibition in London. Jay and Erin were still having fun working on their screenplay. Arch was excited about getting to work with his future brother-in-law. Finn was busy with work, as always.
Nick tapped the table with his fingertips, reminding Crystal of a smoker trying to quit, and then she realized he didn’t have his phone with him. She couldn’t remember the last time she’d seen Nick Davenport without it. He’d made a fortune designing apps and was always using them, checking them, or presumably designing them.
Only Damien seemed quieter than usual, lost in his own thoughts. Crystal couldn’t help seeking out his face time and again. A couple of times he caught her eye and smiled. But there was something behind that smile. She just couldn’t figure out if it was good or bad.
As soon as everyone had finished eating, Howie told them to forget about the dishes and they’d have an impromptu engagement party in the backyard.
Happy to oblige, the whole family piled out into the sun-soaked garden. The light filtered through the trees in the backyard, casting dappled shadows across the big wooden deck. Howie cranked on the music and asked his wife to dance. Soon everyone was dancing. Crys would have liked to partner with Damien, but Nick got to her first. Which was fine—she liked him. He was tall and good-looking, but she just didn’t feel the thrill in his arms that she did in his brother’s.
About half an hour in, a salsa tune came on.
Howie said, “Your mother and I used to tear up the floor with the salsa—didn’t we, Betsy? But we could use a little refresher.” He looked at Crystal now. “We heard you and Damien danced up a storm at the birthday party last week. How about giving us a demo?”
Crystal felt herself flush, though there was nothing she liked more than dancing salsa. And Damien, with his flair for all things musical and his incredible rhythm, was just about her favorite dance partner in the world.