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  To humor everyone, British let her family take pictures. Even Will was there and took photos. “I get why your family is here,” Donovan whispered as they posed in front of the mantel, “but I don’t get why Will has to be here.”

  “I thought he went back to Miami,” British said, “but what would I know? I love how close we’ve been but you’ve kept me away from the world.”

  “I didn’t want any distractions. I needed you to heal.”

  “Donovan, there’s no proof that social media distractions hinder body repair.”

  Donovan turned British around by the hips and dipped his head low for a kiss, making any science, technology, engineering and math leave her mind. Satisfied his kiss left her dumbfounded, Donovan took her by the hand and bid everyone goodbye. For whatever good that did because they all followed them outside, where a man wearing a long-tailed overcoat and top hat stood by a two-horse-drawn carriage. A dark plaid blanket hung on the leather seat for cushion or a breeze.

  The weather was perfect for a ride, perhaps a bit cold, but with Donovan’s arm around her shoulders she didn’t mind.

  “This is a bit over the top,” British said, “don’t you think?”

  “I don’t know,” Donovan said with a shrug. “I’ve never really done the dating thing. This is how it’s done in the movies I watched with my nieces.”

  The two white horses began to move through the streets of Southwood. “By any chance, were these movies cartoons?”

  “Probably. Why? Is this not right?”

  British snuggled against his arm. “It’s perfect.”

  People on the streets stopped and waved at them as they rode by. British felt like a princess. It was silly, she knew, but it was fun. They passed city hall and headed down the street toward the middle school but kept going. British gave Donovan a sideways glance. His wink told her not to worry.

  Instead of the school’s dance traditionally being held in the gymnasium, it was being held at the old beauty school, Mas. Familiar parents’ and teachers’ cars were parked in the newly paved parking lot.

  Zoe met the carriage at the red carpet. Music blared from inside the double doors. She wore a Bluetooth clipped to her ear and had a clipboard propped on her hip. Donovan stepped off first and turned to help British climb down. When she couldn’t maneuver with her skirt, he simply lifted her into his arms and set her down in front of his sister-in-law.

  “Glad you could make it,” Zoe said, giving British a hug. “I haven’t seen you since, well, you know.”

  Donovan followed up the rear and possessively placed his hand on British’s lower back when two beefy assistants came to help. “I got this,” he told them. “Is everything ready?”

  “Five more minutes.”

  British cocked a look at her date. “What’s going on?”

  “Let’s go in and see.”

  Inside, the chatter stopped and the live DJ cut the music. The former lunchroom area for the old school had been reconfigured into a winter wonderland. Giant balls of fake snow dangled from the ceiling in a mixture of silver and gold clouds. Her students were so adorable in their formal wear. The young men wore suits and ties and were clean-cut. Her girls all looked like angels. Donovan made everyone back up to give her some room.

  Once British finished greeting all the parents and students, Donovan made her sit at the elevated table, where a makeshift Mr. and Mrs. Claus cozy scene was displayed. Instead of the black chairs used at the winter carnival, their chairs were teal and silver, and extremely comfy. She hadn’t realized how winded she’d be after saying all her hellos. The GRITS team oddly gathered below and looked to Donovan for approval. Instead of the music cuing back up, a screen lowered from the ceiling.

  “Ms. B,” Kathleen said, clearing her throat. She held on to a set of note cards. “We wanted to tell you just how much we’ve missed you since you’ve been gone.”

  Natasha stepped forward and started tearing up before she started to speak. Her mother shouted from the back with an encouraging word. Kimber Reyes tiptoed over to hand the girl a tissue. “Okay, whew.”

  British began to tear up.

  “When we thought we’d lost you, we comforted ourselves with the memory of your laughter.”

  “And filled our playlists with your New Edition music,” Lacey interjected.

  Stephanie stepped forward. “And while we appreciate everything you’ve taught us in the STEM world, we also dug back into your old roots when you came back to Southwood to teach home ec.”

  The girls took a drastic pause and all turned toward Cam Beasley, lurking in the corner by a snowman.

  “Anyway,” Stephanie said, clicking her tongue against the roof of her mouth. “We know you incorporated science in our daily lives, like making slime with baking soda or how we learned we use physics in roller skating, or even like recycling old cans and turning them into a grill if we’re ever lost in the woods, you know, like, teaching impressionable young students how to be self-sufficient.”

  “And bake peach pies,” someone called out.

  British craned her neck and was saluted with a plate of pie by Jessilyn. She realized the silver stand between her and Donovan contained a tray of desserts. She made a mental note to taste them later. The lights dimmed.

  “So in honor of you,” Stephanie said, flicking her braids off her shoulder, “we want to share our STEM challenge for you.”

  The screen in front came to life with a faux 8 mm film. A New Edition song played in the background as Mrs. Fitzhugh showed up in the hallway of Magnolia Palace the day British arrived. She’d been scared by the girls, which apparently had sparked an idea for them to set up the motion sensor to jingle a set of twinkle lights. The next scene was of a famous rabbit and duck arguing and then tire streaks in the road. A set of numbers counted upward and various signs of deer crossings flashed as the numbers rose. Then the screen went blank. Confused, British glanced over at Donovan. A set of twinkle lights caught her attention and the lights showed a deer in the woods along County Road 17.

  “Every time a deer comes close to the country roads where most of them live, it will trigger a set of lights. Sure there are signs that say ‘deer crossing’ but we never know when, and some of us drive too fast along the roads. So since we cannot predict where or when each deer will cross, the lights will twinkle and signal to the driver that an actual deer is near and he or she can drive with extreme caution,” said Stephanie.

  “And since the lights are solar,” added Natasha, “we won’t have to continue changing out batteries.”

  Mayor-elect Ramon Torres appeared on the screen. “This STEM project is useful and saves lives.”

  That part garnered a giggle from the girls. “That’s my man,” Kenzie said dreamily.

  When did she get here? British turned in her seat to find her friend. Not only was Kenzie in the back with her husband, so were the rest of the Woodburys.

  British’s heart started to beat erratically. Her commitment-phobic boyfriend was going to propose. Her hands began to shake. Distracted with thoughts of what kind of dress she’d want and her bridesmaids, she didn’t hear the part when Superintendent Herbert Locke appeared on the screen and announced the winner of the Four Points District STEM Challenge. Everyone at the dance exploded with applause.

  British did a double take. Forgetting her banged-up leg, she jumped out of her seat to reach the girls, but Kimber flagged her hands back and forth in warning, so she sat back down. “Oh my God,” she cried, “you guys! Is this what you’ve been keeping from me?” She turned to face Donovan and found him sitting there with his hands outstretched, palms facing upward and a rectangular black-velvet box in his hands.

  This was it.

  The room grew quiet.

  British’s hands shook. “Is this...?” She paused, worried she’d ruined the surprise for herself by already guessing what he was
up to.

  “British,” Donovan said with a gulp, “I promise I’ve never been this serious about a life choice and I know I cannot take the next step without you.”

  Anticipation got the best of her. British bobbed up and down, then remembered the swelling. She sat down and took the box from his hands. Her polished nails pushed into the lining of the lid and flipped it open.

  Hmm, she thought with confusion. Instead of some fabulous diamond she’d expected, she found an old-fashioned silver key. Blinking, she looked into Donovan’s smiling eyes and tried to figure out how to get over her disappointment. Instead of asking her to marry him, he was asking her to...shack up?

  “This isn’t just any key, British,” Donovan said softly. “This is the key to the Mas Beauty School. I’m turning part of the building into a satellite office so I can run Ravens Cosmetics and be here with you. I know that with the girls winning the challenge you get more time in the lab at the school but I want you to have your own new fully equipped lab here for experiments for your after-school teams, or you can use it as your own STEM shop if you want.”

  Her own lab? Any other day she would kill for an opportunity like this, she reminded herself. This was a major step for Donovan, her perpetual bachelor. Keeping that in mind, British palmed the key and opened her arms. “This is wonderful, Donovan.”

  “So we’re doing it?” he asked, pleased as punch.

  “We’re doing it,” British squealed in delight.

  Donovan pulled her into his arms. “What I want to do to you is highly inappropriate right now,” he whispered in her ear. “But we have prying eyes.”

  Electricity jolted through her. Everything else was forgotten. “Let’s get out of here.”

  “Perfect.”

  Everyone seemed to accept the excuse of British being tired. Donovan led her to the horse-drawn carriage again. A car would have been quicker. There was a high probability she and Donovan might do a few naughty things under the heavy plaid blanket.

  “So do you promise you like the idea of working together?”

  Did it make her a bad person for wanting more this evening? A chance encounter with death had made British realize she wanted Donovan for more than a temporary fling. She loved him with every ounce of breath she had left in her and wanted to spend every moment with him—in matrimony. “I love it. Wait—I can still teach, right?”

  Donovan laughed. His arm wrapped around her shoulder felt so natural. “Of course you can. Did I ever tell you about how my grandmother used to work so much that my grandfather, instead of demanding her to stay home more, built a desk next to hers so they could spend more time together?”

  “That’s so sweet,” British cooed. She waved at some of the people on the streets out for an evening walk. Nothing could really get any better than this. She was in a horse-drawn carriage in the town she loved with the man she loved even more. “I’m not sure I can sit next to you all day long, though.”

  “Don’t worry, I wouldn’t make you. Besides, I’m not always going to be home.”

  British sat up. “What?”

  “Ravens Cosmetics is based in Miami, so of course I’ll have to fly down.”

  She missed him already. British tried to smile. She fiddled with her bare fingers. “Maybe we can fly together.”

  “Oh, we’re definitely going to travel sooner than later, especially with the holidays in a few days.”

  Nodding, British understood. The Ravens Cosmetics ad wasn’t going to go off like Will had planned. Thanks to taking time away from the company to nurse her back to health, Donovan had never found a replacement model for the job that Tracy girl wanted.

  The carriage stopped at the dangling light on Main Street. They were not far from the bakery. British was mad for knowing that. “I’m sorry you never found your perfect girl.”

  “I found my perfect girl.”

  “Ha, ha.” British wrinkled her nose at him. “You’re funny.”

  “No. Seriously, I found the perfect person for the new line. C’mon and I’ll show you. Driver, will you stop here?”

  The chauffeur pulled the reins. Donovan got out first then helped British by holding her in his arms again. She half smiled and half bit her lip, knowing she could stay like this forever.

  “Look.” Donovan pointed to the storefront at Grits and Glam Gowns. The interior lights were off, as expected for a Friday night. The glow of a streetlamp shone on a sprig of mistletoe hanging from the canopy of the doorway. British made a mental note to make him honor the kissing tradition. Donovan snapped his fingers and a set of lights flickered on to shine on a poster-sized advertisement on an easel inside the store. British tiptoed under the awning for a better look. The lavender letters, outlined in gold, gave the name of the product.

  “Generations?” British said aloud.

  Her eyes focused on the familiar faces staring back at her. Her grandmother, her mom, her sisters and her nieces were all seated together on a long white couch. Their dark hair and beauty popped off the print.

  British’s eyes roamed quickly, scanning and taking in every inch of the beauty ad. Everyone was so beautiful. Her heart filled with pride. When her eyes roamed for the third time, she caught a glimpse of the carriage behind her in the oval shape of the window. She spun around to find out where Donovan had gone off to and found him on bended knee.

  “British,” Donovan said, opening a box. “There’s one more thing I needed to ask you this evening.”

  She was stunned; it took the beating of her heart to get her to realize this was actually it. She opened her mouth and, for the second time since meeting Donovan and looking into his deep, dreamy eyes, she was speechless.

  “I’ve spoken with your father and he has given me permission to take your hand in marriage. Isn’t that right, Levi?”

  Levi came out of nowhere, probably from right around the corner. “That’s right.”

  Donovan nodded. “I even asked your siblings.”

  Finn, Cree, Scots, Irish and her sister-in-law Tiffani stepped out next to Levi. “We agree,” they chorused.

  “And I even asked your moms.”

  Joan and Vonna appeared. Both ladies were already crying—nodding, but crying just the same.

  “So with all this family support, from yours and mine...” Donovan paused for a moment while a group of people she’d only seen on television stepped out of the coffee shop next door. “I am here, on bended knee, asking you to share your life with me. British, will you marry me?”

  British was pretty sure she heard New Edition playing somewhere in the background and not just from an MP3 player or CD, but she ignored it and focused on the only thing that mattered—saying yes, which she did, over and over again. Completely forgetting the pain, she dropped to the ground and knelt with him. Both their hands shook as he placed the ring on her finger.

  As he placed gentle kisses all over her hands and face. British glanced up and nodded her head at the hanging mistletoe.

  “Look, we’re following tradition,” she said, kissing his chin when he tilted his head upward.

  Donovan pulled British into a hug and whispered against her ear, “I love you, babe, and I can’t wait to follow more traditions with you while we’re creating the next generation together.”

  * * * * *

  Keep reading for an excerpt from Bachelor Unbound by Brenda Jackson.

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  Bachelor Unbound

  by Brenda Jackson

  Chapter 1

  Los Angeles, California

  “Where the hell are you, Z?”

  Zion Blackstone waited in Baggage Claim for his luggage to appear on the conveyor belt. Once his flight from Rome had landed, getting through Customs had been a monumental nightmare. “I’m in the States.”

  “I know that. But where?” York Ellis asked in a tone that suggested he had every right to know Zion’s whereabouts.

  “Just landed in LA and I’m still at the airport,” Zion said, glancing around at all the travelers hurrying to and fro.

  “What are you doing in Los Angeles?”

  Zion could easily tell York that he’d gotten one question answered and not to try his luck for two, but figured it wouldn’t do any good. He had five godbrothers, and Zion was used to them trying to keep up with him. That was the price you paid when you were the youngest in the group.