Randomly Ever After by Julia Kent Read Free Book Online

to describe it. You are my lifeline. You are my everything. When I think I am whole I realize I’m actually half a person, a man missing half his heart. And you’re the other half.”
    I couldn’t think. I was holding my breath. If I breathed, all the love would overwhelm us both.
    “You fill the space between my silence and love, Amy. you really do.” Low and steady, his tone was rock-solid clear. He reached into the box and pulled out the ring, reaching for my trembling hand.
    “Amy, will you marry me? Will you make me the happiest man on earth? I don’t have much to offer, and I know the ring isn’t as big as it should be, but—”
    “Yes, oh, yes, Sam, oh, my God, I love you.” Electricity arced between us in a connection that charged the air, making me feel invincible. Real. Larger than life. Loved .  
    And then I tackled him with a great big whoof to give him a hug and the ring went flying in the air.
    It sailed up into the sky, lopping in a perfect arc, the gleaming gold and prismed diamond aiding our eyes as we tracked it. Like an outfielder, I lunged for it, felt the cold metal in my palm, and like a group of Quidditch players getting their Golden Snitch, I held up my hand in victory.
    My prize wrapped his hot body around mine, laughing.
    “Let’s get that on your finger where it will be safe.” Sam’s kiss was lush and joyful, his hand commanding and a bit perfunctory as he found my ring finger and slid the perfectly-sized ring on, all while kissing me under the blanket of stars, dots of light that emerged in spite of the city lights now, as if they had been called by love to stand forward and act as witnesses.  
    He pulled back and admired the ring on my finger. I admired him.
    “You two engaged yet?” shouted a voice from the rooftop door.
    Huh?
    Darla, Trevor, Joe, Liam and Charlotte emerged, clapping, Charlotte carrying a giant sheet cake with a picture of a frog playing ukelele on it. Was this a new engagement meme I’d missed?  
    “Hold up your hand!” Darla screamed, her fingers wrenching my arm as she grinned like a madwoman and examined the new rock on my hand.  
    “You said yes, right?” Joe asked, a wide smile making him look so relaxed and happy I wasn’t quite sure he was really Joe.  
    “Get out the ball and chain!” Trevor joked as he clapped Sam in a half-hug.  
    They rushed us, bottles of champagne and little plastic cups emerging, the pop! of opened bottles and the cheers of friends happy for us filling the air, blending with the traffic, the helicopters, the murmured voices below. Someone shoved a sweet cup of bubbly at me and Sam smiled, drinking the entire cup in one chug.  
    Darla produced a cake knife, plates, and forks out of thin air. “You had time to get a cake?” I marveled, giggl ing through happy tears.
    “Always time for cake,” she and Charlotte said in unison, bursting into joyous laughter.
    Sam turned to me, pulling me away from the group as they divvied up cake and champagne, making a fine noise that was the perfect soundtrack to our happily-ever-after. We looked out over the sea of lights that made up the dotted city, the view sharp and clear, life changed in the blink of an eye for me.
    In the flash of light on diamond.
    “Guess this wasn’t so private after all,” he whispered, arm around me, finger touching the ring.
    “You planned this?”
    He shook his head. “No. I think they planned it all , though.” And then he kissed me like he owned me.
    And you know what?
    He did.
     
    THE END
     
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    Enjoyed this short story? Check out the entire Random Acts series, with four full-length novels. Random Acts of Crazy is the New York Times bestseller that details how Darla, Trevor and Joe met. Random Acts of Trust is Sam and Amy’s story, while Random