“What do you want me to say?”

“I want you to tell me why you went all quiet on me when I made a joke about our engagement party.”

“You need me to tell you why? Really?” The comment was testier than she’d intended, but honestly, how obtuse could he be?

“Yeah, I guess I do.”

“For someone so smart, you can be rather dense at times.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

“Nothing. Never mind.”

“Abby… Come on. This isn’t how we roll. We air it out. Don’t we?”

She wanted to be cool and calm and collected, but this was too important, and she’d already been burned twice before by long romances that didn’t work out in the end. If that happened this time…

“Baby, why are you crying?”

Abby hated herself for the tears that came despite her ardent desire to be unemotional and pragmatic about broaching this subject with him. She forced herself to look at the face she loved above all others. “I want to get married, Adam,” she said softly, “and we never, ever talk about that. Which leads me to wonder if that’s what you want, too.”

“It is what I want.”

“Then what’re we waiting for?”

“The right moment.”

“For what?”

“For this.” Before she knew it, he was on his knees in front of her. “Abigail Callahan, I love you more than anything in this world. You’ve changed my life in every possible way, and I want to be with you forever. Will you do me the great honor of becoming my wife?”

She was crying so hard that she could barely hear him over the sound of her own sobs, but his words registered just the same, as did the slide of the ring over the third finger on her left hand.

“Where… What… How long…”

“On the mainland, two carats and about three months ago now. Any other questions before you answer mine?”

She gazed down at him and then at the exquisite ring and shook her head.

“You aren’t saying no, are you?”

“I’m not saying no.” She cupped his cheek and leaned in to kiss him. “I’m definitely not saying no.”

“A double negative is hardly what a guy is looking for when he asks the most important question of his life.”

“How about a triple positive, then? Yes.” She kissed him. “Yes.” She kissed him again. “Yes.” She kissed him a third time and stayed there when his arm encircled her neck, keeping her trapped against him.

“I like triple positives,” he said, coming up for air after kids walking by on the street yelled at them to get a room.

“Did you say that about engagement parties on purpose?”

“Maybe. I’ve been waiting for an opening.”