The Proposal Read Online Free

way.
    What was Tyler
really up to?

Chapter Three
    Maybe kissing
Jacqueline on her hand and cheek had been stupid, Tyler thought as he
savored the last bite of lasagna. She’d definitely looked
surprised. What should he try next? He had to up his romancing here
because Brad could be giving Jacqueline a ring for her birthday. All
of Brad’s previous and few romances had been brief, so he could be
serious this time. But they were not engaged yet so he had to make
another move now.
    Celebrating
Thanksgiving at his parents’ house might be miserable. If Brad
proposed, Jacqueline would be ecstatic. But he’d have a hard time
pretending to be thrilled with their news. I want Jacqueline to be
happy…but not with Brad. She’d loved him enough once to pour
her heart out to him. That love had to still exist somewhere for him.
If buried deep in her heart, he needed to get her past love for him
to surface again.
    Jacqueline walked into
the kitchen and asked, “How about ice cream for dessert?”
    He patted his stomach.
“I guess I have room for a small dish of ice cream. Don’t tell my
mom but your lasagna’s even better than hers.”
    “That’s quite a
compliment because everything your mother makes is delicious.” She
smiled at him. “I just had a thought. Would you like to come here
for lasagna on Christmas Eve, and go to Mass with us? We can go to
the five o’clock service and eat here afterwards.”
    “I like that.
Midnight Mass is too crowded. When’s Brad coming for Christmas?”
    “He’s not sure
yet.” She opened the dishwasher and pulled a tray out. She sighed.
“The dishes are clean in here. Alex never emptied it. He can
remember to ask me fifty times a day if he can drive, but he can’t
remember to do his chores.”
    He carried his plate to
the counter, then watched Jacqueline lean against the refrigerator.
She wore a black sweater with her tight fitting jeans. At the gleam
in her brown eyes, he tugged her into his arms. Her breathing became
uneven but she only squirmed slightly. He felt relief that she didn’t
break his embrace. His pulse quickened with her warm body against
him. She looked too adorable not to kiss. His lips pressed against
hers, and she wrapped her arms around his neck. She returned his kiss
with sweet passion. She wasn’t kissing him like his best friend but
a lover.
    Suddenly her body
stiffened and she looked up at him. “Tyler, what’s going on?”
    “I had to kiss you.
It’s not my fault you look so sexy in that black sweater.” He saw
her frown so continued, “Hey, you waited to get the ice cream. Then
you gave me a look like you wanted me to kiss you.”
    “I did no such thing.
I was just waiting for you to say what kind of ice cream you wanted.”
    He chuckled. What a
liar she was. She wanted him to kiss her, but he wasn’t about to
mention that fact again to her. “How could I tell you that when I
don’t know what you have?”
    She grinned. “Okay,
smart guy. I have pumpkin ice cream, Dutch chocolate almond, and
butter pecan.”
    “Pumpkin sounds good.
I hope you’re still making those pumpkin bars I like for
Thanksgiving.”
    “I’ll be sure to
make the bars.” She turned to open the freezer door and removed a
carton. “I appreciate your mom inviting us for the holiday. And
Grandma and Brad too. It’s going to be hard the first holiday
without Mom and Dad.”
    That could be another
reason Jacqueline talked about getting engaged to Brad. It was a
diversion for her to focus on something positive in her life instead
of dwelling on what she lost when her parents had died. “I’m
sorry. I miss your parents too. The first year they’re gone will be
especially difficult. Mom misses her best friend a lot.”
    She sniffled while
scooping out ice cream. “Our mothers were so close. And your mom
has always been like a second mother to me.”
    “She loves you like a
daughter.” He didn’t add that his mom would be tickled if
Jacqueline became her