Chapter 68
Meredith was shocked she could even speak, let alone pose such a crucial question.
But it was the devilish grin on Garrett’s ruggedly handsome face that had her prompting him.
The man had just slid a gorgeous ring on her finger and it was not of the “friendship” or the “promise” variety.
It was a fucking breath-stealing engagement ring.
Or, at least, she assumed it was an engagement ring.
A real, live honest-to-God engagement ring.
Her stomach flipped and her heart truly did need a jumpstart, because it was skipping several necessary beats.
“Cowboy,” she quietly prodded as tears burned her eyes. “This is one hell of a birthday present.”
“I figured you could handle it,” he said with a wink. “Just like I can. As much as I can. Because, let’s face facts…Once you told me you loved me, Meredith Jane…I knew I was in this for the long haul. Hell…Chances are damn good I knew it before that declaration on either of our parts.”
She tried with all her might to fight the emotion building within her, to keep it from cresting and the tears from spilling.
They were in public, after all.
And yet…
They were with their friends.
So Meredith stopped fighting so damn hard. And just let everything she was feeling for Garrett flow through her body, ribbon around her heart, caress her very soul.
As his hands cupped her face and his thumbs whisked away the fat drops as they fell, she said, “I officially proclaim that I will no longer be squeamish in this romantic scenario.”
He grinned. “That’s nice to hear, darlin’.” His head dipped and he kissed her forehead, then the tip of her nose.
As his warm lips grazed hers, he murmured, “Because I’m asking you to marry me, Meredith Jane. I’m telling you that I want you and you alone. No other woman will ever do for me what you do. I don’t have an ounce of doubt or a moment’s hesitation when I say that you are my soul mate, you are the one I’m destined for—and for the first time since I left my parents’ overrun house and swore I’d never get trapped or stifled and would never put down roots…”
He took a deep breath, his own eyes misted.
He confessed, “I’ve realized that life is what you make of it, darlin’. And with you…I know for a fact we can make our life together precisely what we want it to be. However we want it to be. Because the only people we answer to, Meredith Jane, are God, ourselves and each other. That’s how it’s been for us from the very beginning.”
She threw her arms around him. He held her tight.
Meredith never would have taken him for a grand speech-giver when she’d first met him, but damned if her hunky cowboy didn’t have it in him every single time the situation warranted.
He whispered in her ear, “So is this a yes?”
She laughed through her tears. But didn’t let go of him.
Not for a very long time.
She knew she held everyone in suspense—including Garrett.
Even as she heard Emma setting out drinks on the tables and asking, “Why so quiet, y’all?”—because she didn’t know Garrett had just proposed—Meredith couldn’t collect herself enough to step out of his embrace and face everyone.
To give that one affirmation that was wedged within her, because she wanted to savor it just a while longer.
And Garrett didn’t seem to be in any particular hurry to release her.
Until Genevieve’s voice pierced the silence as she rushed into the beer garden.
“Omigod, y’all!” she cried. “Omigod, omigod, omigod!”
The shrill tone alone had Meredith instantly coming to her senses.
She recognized that note of pure excitement in her friend’s voice. And it drew closer and closer to Meredith.
Who semi-unraveled from Garrett and stared at the perky blonde, weaving her way through the crowd to get to Meredith and her group.
All the while, waving an envelope in her hand.
That envelope drew Meredith’s full attention. She stepped away from Garrett as Genevieve approached and said, once more, “Oh. My. Fucking. God. Here it is, Meredith. Your future!”
She thrust the padded packet toward Meredith, but Meredith didn’t accept it.
Genevieve impatiently—and breathlessly—exclaimed, “It’s from the contest organizers, Mere! It’s the results. Omigod, it’s the fucking results!”
Meredith’s knees all-but gave out and she slumped against Garrett, who still had his arms wrapped loosely around her.
He murmured, “Think positive, Meredith Jane. You have every chance in the world to win this contest. You deserve it as much as anyone else. Don’t you doubt it for a second, honey.”
Meredith drew in a shaky breath. Held a trembling hand out to accept the packet. But then promptly passed it to Lacey, who now stood by her side.
“I can’t open that,” Meredith said as more emotion burned up her throat and tinged her eyes.
Lacey took the envelope from her. Chase handed over his pocket knife and she cleanly sliced through the clear tape sealing the contents.
The security tape that actually declared “Security Tape” so that breaking the seal would indicate tampering.
Tampering.
Why the fuck was security tape so damn important here?
Unless…
Meredith eased away from Garrett.
Lacey extracted the documents from inside, and started with the letter, formally addressed to one Meredith Jane Carlisle.
“Thank you for participating in our global contest…” Lacey began. “Yadda, yadda, yadda…” She hastily skimmed over the pleasantries, and Meredith adored her even more for it.
Talk about being held in suspense!
Lacey apparently tried to spare Meredith.
She mumbled a bit, then got to it, her eyes lighting up as she said, “We are very pleased to inform you—”
“Holy shit!” Meredith practically shrieked—then pressed her trembling fingers to her quivering mouth.
She was perfectly aware of what those six fantastically wonderful words meant: She’d stared at them for hours on end when she’d been accepted into the college of her dreams.
“May I see it?” Meredith demanded at the same moment she snatched the slip of paper from Lacey’s hand.
She skimmed even faster.
And then…
Her hand dropped to her side.
She gazed at everyone gathered, staring back at her with intense curiosity, hopeful expressions and bated breath.
Meredith announced to the entire congregation in the beer garden of the First Annual Wildfire Street Festival:
“I won.”
Tears filled her eyes.
“I fucking won. I won the whole damn thing. First prize! The grand prize! I won!”
The entire crowd erupted in applause and screamed, “Congratulations!”
To her.
For her.
Meredith Jane Carlisle.
More tears flooded her eyes and she turned into Garrett, throwing her arms around him and letting him squeeze her so damn fiercely, she felt every ounce of pride and delight he had for her.
And goddamn it…Meredith was proud of herself, too.
But Lacey wasn’t quite done.
Meredith heard her shuffling through all the papers. Then she gasped.
And said, “Meredith, there’s more. There’s so much more. The grand prize is…well, good Lord. It’s damn hefty. As in, you could build your own chem lab if you wanted to—state of the art, no less. But there are also legitimate organizations interested in purchasing your rights to Wildflower Passion or mass producing it. All fully vetted from the contest organizers, all documented with legal standings and specific contract obligations and…Meredith,” she said. “Winning the competition is only the beginning. You just became a very worthwhile and lucrative professional—not to mention, global—entity. You won’t even believe the exposure the three contestants will receive. This is…Sensational.”
Meredith worked her way out of Garrett’s embrace once more, though he still didn’t relinquish his hold on her completely.
Lacey’s striking face held an endless amount of joy and heart- and soul-felt commendation as she said, “You did it, Mere. You created the perfect scent, a fabulous line of products that women love. That magazine editors and beauty professionals—experts, Mere—chose as the very best. And if that doesn’t tell you how amazing you are, how successful and how well-deserved you are of everything that comes your way…”
Lacey’s voice fractured. She took a long breath as Chase stood and rested a hand on her shoulder to steady her.
With watery eyes locked on Meredith, Lacey said, “I just don’t know what else could possibly convince you. Because Garrett is certainly doing his best. And all these people are as thrilled for you as I am. There’s just no stopping you, Meredith. Not anymore. As long as you believe it in your heart…And how can you not?”
She spread her arms wide and Meredith walked into them.
Lacey said, “I told you there was nothing you couldn’t achieve. And everything that seemed impossible…Is now yours.”
Meredith hugged her tight.
Then she pulled away, glanced back at Garrett and said, “You already know the answer to your question. But if you have to hear me say, in front of all of these people, that I’ll marry you, then fine. I will say yes a hundred times over to you, Garrett Slater. A million, even.”
He held his hand out to her and she took it, letting him pull her back to him.
“Happy twenty-first birthday to me!” she added.
The sound of corks popping in the background suddenly rose above the din and Emma and the other servers started passing out clear plastic cups full of champagne.
Maybe it wasn’t the classiest of celebrations.
But it was certainly the most heartwarming.
And just when things were really getting lively, the most curious of occurrences took center stage.
“Well, hell, boy. So this is why you wouldn’t come to Georgia to train my horses.”
The booming voice wafted on the air.
All eyes turned in its direction.
Garrett snickered. “Gage Halston, you son of a bitch. What the hell are you doing here?”
“Well…If you won’t come to my horses because you’ve got your own pretty filly you can’t part with, then I have no choice but to bring my horses to you. I already made the arrangements with Chase. And I’ll tell you both, for the fucking money I’m paying the two of you, I want a Win and a Place in the Derby. And I fucking want a Triple Crown championship to boot.”
Standing next to Meredith and Lacey, Emma gaped for all of two seconds. Then quietly demanded, “My God…Who is he? Because he is head to toe gorgeous and he is definitely not from around here.”
An even more curious thing happened.
Tristan said, “Emma, why don’t you come pour some more champagne.”
Meredith and Lacey exchanged a look.
Lacey and Chase exchanged a look.
Meredith and Garrett exchanged a look.
But it was Genevieve Langston who said, “Did y’all just hear how jealous that man sounded? Like…Maybe Tristan Laughton just staked a claim…On Emma Yates?”