• 33 •

DAISY checked her phone again as she ran down the road to her car. Liam hadn’t responded to her messages. Where was he? She had his work address, but she had never been to his apartment. Would he have gone straight to the airport? Would he have stopped at Brendan’s place to say goodbye? She knew all about his plans to fix up the distillery with Brendan and his dream of starting his own venture capital company after he turned down the Evolution partnership. Snuggled together in the dark after he’d climbed over the roof to be with her, they’d shared their hopes for the future and their regrets about the past. Would he give up his dreams to go back to New York? Maybe he’d just gone for a drink at the Rose & Thorn . . .

She reached the corner of Sheridan and Montgomery just as the heavens opened. Across from an open field, with only the grand Presidio buildings behind her, she was totally exposed. Her salwar kameez, a lavender faux georgette pantsuit with jewel-tone beadwork and an embroidered floral pattern, provided little protection from the downpour. With no umbrella and a ten-minute walk ahead of her, she wrapped her dupatta around her and raced for the nearest bus shelter to wait out the storm.

Fists clenched, fingernails biting into her palms, she paced in short spans, willing the rain to stop before it was too late. An engine rumbled in the distance. She poked her head around the glass and saw the silhouette of a motorcycle inching slowly through the rain.

Unlike Liam’s sleek and sporty XDiavel, this motorcycle was a monster, slow and steady, the mechanics encased in shiny blue, black, and chrome.

The motorcycle rumbled to an unsteady stop at the curb in front of her. She recognized Liam even before he pulled the helmet off his head. Who else would find her at a bus stop in the rain?

Her heart lifted in her chest, filling her with light, her voice with wonder. “You came.”

Liam parked the bike and joined her in the shelter, pulling her into his arms. Her light clothes were instantly soaked, but she didn’t feel anything but the warmth in Liam’s eyes.

“I hope you’re not married to Roshan because I’m going to kiss you.” His voice was rough and tender at once. “And then I’m going to challenge him to a fight. No one can beat an Irishman in a brawl.”

She drank in the slightly mussed dark hair, the clear blue eyes, the cocky smile. “I’m not married.”

“Thank God.” He let out a shuddering breath. “I’m still bruised from climbing onto your roof.” He framed her face between his warm palms and met her gaze. Everything inside her clicked into place. She was exactly where she needed to be.

“I thought I lost you once,” he said softly. “I’m not going to lose you again.”

She melted against him, her lips yielding to his passionate kiss.

“Tell me this is real,” Liam murmured, nuzzling her neck. “Did your dad say yes?”

“I don’t need anyone to tell me what I know in my heart.” She slid her hand around his nape and pulled him close. “I love you. I want you and only you. So, yes, Liam. This is real.”

Liam dropped down to one knee and clasped her hand. “From the first day we first met, I knew I needed you in my life. You took the chaos and made it calm. You lifted my heart with your smile and awed me with your brilliant mind. I kept every secret valentine, every scribbled note, your stuffed rabbit, and the answer to every math question I gave you. I hoped one day to be the kind of man you could love, a man who would hold and cherish you, a man worthy of you, and who would protect you with the sword you are going to allow him to have at our wedding.” He fumbled in his pocket. “I didn’t really plan this . . .”

Daisy laughed. “Of course not.”

“I did try, but it wasn’t me, and if I had, I would have missed this incredible opportunity to turn the ultimate cinematic symbol of uncontrollable passion upside down and make the fantasy of a love so intense that nothing else matters into something real.”

Her face softened. “You remembered all that?”

“I remember every moment I spend with you.” He pulled out a silver ring with a Sharks logo on top. “I keep my fan gear in Hamish’s warehouse. I grabbed it when I left with the bike, just in case.” He slipped the ring on her finger. “Daisy Patel, my humraaz, love of my life, will you marry me?”

Her happiness bubbled over and she punched her fist in the air. “Go Sharks!”

“Is that a yes?” He looked up, frowning. “It’s a little less romantic than I had anticipated . . .”

“Of course it’s a yes.” She pulled him up and kissed him, her body pressed against his, their hearts beating as one.

“So . . .” Liam pulled back. “Date #8. Wedding. If we want to finish the dating plan in the allotted time, we’ll need to pick up my sherwani and sword and book our flights to Vegas.”

“Is that what you want?” Plans and lists and schedules were the furthest thing from her mind now that her heart was so full.

“I want you to be happy, and if finishing the plan the way we wrote it makes you happy, then that’s what I want to do.”

“Plans can be changed.” Daisy shrugged. “Rules can be broken.”

“I think I might have proposed to the wrong woman.” His lips whispered over hers, and he followed the touch with a long, soft kiss that scrambled her brain.

“It would be a terrible waste if you only wore your expensive sherwani for a ten-minute wedding.” She ran a finger along the edge of his jaw. “And that sword. No one would see it but me and Elvis. Not even Sam.”

Liam sighed. “That would be a terrible tragedy.”

“What if we amended the plan to change the date?” She feathered kisses along his jaw. “And maybe instead of Vegas, we could have it here, and invite your family, and my family, and there would be music and dancing and lots of food.”