Total pages in book: 122
Estimated words: 115706 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 579(@200wpm)___ 463(@250wpm)___ 386(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 115706 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 579(@200wpm)___ 463(@250wpm)___ 386(@300wpm)
When my eyes return to Caleb’s, he continues into his microphone, “Okay, now that we’ve got the auction stuff out of the way, let me tell you the other big reason, besides all of you, that Prairie Springs feels like home to me now.” He points to me. “That woman right there. The amazing, beautiful, brilliant Aubrey Capshaw. Or, as I like to call her, A-Bomb.”
I shake my head, laughing and blushing. Goddammit, Caleb. Doesn’t he know the whole town is going to start calling me that now, every bit as much as they call him C-Bomb?
Caleb chuckles at whatever he’s seeing on my face. “Aubrey, baby. My love.” His smile fades. Suddenly, he looks incredibly earnest up there. Like he’s gearing up to say something deeply important. He clears his throat. Takes a deep breath. “Aubrey, my love, you’re the great love of my life. My family, my forever, my home; and I can’t wait to spend the rest of my life with you, as your husband, if you’ll let me.”
I gasp, and the crowd goes batshit around me; and a second later, Caleb jumps off the lip of the stage and bounds toward me like a bull in a rodeo ring. When he reaches me, he kneels, raises an opened ring box to me, revealing a massive, sparkling diamond nestled in black velvet, and chokes out, “Aubrey Capshaw, will you marry me?”
I can’t function. I’m too overwhelmed. But when I realize he’s waiting for an answer before sliding that jaw-dropping rock onto my finger, I scream, “Yes, yes, yes! A thousand times, yes!”
Laughing, Caleb puts the ring on; and with the dazzling diamond on my hand, my man—my future husband—rises and wraps me in a hug that takes my breath away, while the crowd surrounding us cheers and applauds wildly.
“Ladies and gentlemen,” a booming, amplified voice says. It’s the lead singer of the band again, resuming his duties at the mic. “Before we start the auction, Caleb’s arranged a special guest performer as an engagement gift for his fiancée and daughter. Ladies and gentlemen, please, give it up for . . . Aloha Carmichael!”
“What?” I shriek. “No. What?” I’ll be damned, Aloha Carmichael herself suddenly bursts out of a makeshift tent near the stage and struts onstage to thunderous applause.
Shrieking and freaking out, I swivel my head toward Caleb, and he’s practically doubled over with laughter at my maniacal reaction. I quickly find Raine, who’s screaming and jumping up and down next to my mother, and we proceed to freak out and cry together.
Predictably, phones come out everywhere, as Aloha saunters onstage, waving and laughing as she goes. “Hello, Prairie Springs!” the world-famous pop star shouts into the microphone at center stage. “And congratulations to Caleb, Aubrey, and Raine!” She finds me in the crowd. “Caleb told me ‘Pretty Girl’ is a favorite of yours and Raine’s. So this one goes out to both of you, pretty girls.”
I blow enthusiastic kisses at Aloha, as tears stream down my face, while Raine screams and grips her little cheeks next to me, like one of those teenagers in old black and white footage of the Beatles. My god, Raine reminds me so much of her mommy in this moment, my heart physically hurts. Claudia loved music, and she absolutely reveled in being the ultimate fangirl for her favorites.
The intro to the song blares from overhead speakers, and Aloha calls out, “Sing and dance with me, Prairie Springs!”
The cue arrives for the first verse, and Aloha launches into singing it expertly. And of course, every man, woman, and child in the crowd—it’s the kind of song everyone knows, whether they like it or not—joins in singing and dancing without holding back.
A group on the dance floor spontaneously starts performing the famous choreography from the music video; so, of course, our small group, even Caleb, join in dancing, too, with varying degrees of aptitude. When the song ends, Caleb takes me into his arms and kisses me, laughing against my lips. And by the time our kiss is done, Aloha has already been quickly shuttled off-stage by a cadre of bodyguards.
“Don’t worry,” Caleb says into my ear. “You’ll get to meet Aloha at our engagement party tomorrow night. I rented out a restaurant in Billings for the occasion.”
“What? Oh my god!”
“I also rented out an entire floor of a hotel, so we can all hang out together after the dinner.”
“I can’t believe you did all this. I’m blown away.”
Caleb smirks and winks. “Orgasms and romance, baby. You said you wanted both, and your wish is my command.”
“I love you so much. Thank you.” I look at the ring on my hand. “Holy shit, Caleb.”
He laughs. “You like it? Miranda helped me pick it out.”
“I love it. It’s perfect. Beyond generous.” Tears form in my eyes, and I wipe them. “I need to sit down. I’m seriously dizzy.”