Death by Engagement (Caribbean Murder Series, Book 12)

Suddenly, excited, Mattheus lifted both hands to the ceiling and turned toward Cindy.

“Enough is enough!” he burst out loudly. “We can go on talking like this forever. Stuff like this always comes up during engagements, everything gets put under a microscope. I don’t like how you brush your teeth, your mother looked at me funny. You’re wearing the wrong colored shirt again! It’s exhausting, it’s awful. People forget that they love and trust each other. Once I heard someone say that if you can survive an engagement, you can survive anything!”

Cindy smiled.

“I’ve got a great idea.” Mattheus suddenly burst into a shining smile, his eyes twinkling with their old mischief. “Let’s just bypass the engagement completely.” His voice grew playful.

“What?” Cindy was confused.

“I love you, I adore you, and I always will.” Mattheus now looked joyous. “And you love me! I’m positive of it. At this point, I couldn’t care less about taking a wedding venue. As soon as the storm is over, let’s just elope!”

Taken aback, Cindy laughed loudly. “You have to be kidding, of course,” she breathed.

“I’m not kidding, not at all,” said Mattheus, fighting hard for her. “The longer an engagement goes on the more complications! I’m ready to tie the knot right now. I’m sure I want to be with you forever! Tell me this minute, do you want to be with me forever, too?”

Stunned, Cindy stared at him.

“You can’t talk, you’re in shock,” Mattheus went on happily, oblivious to Cindy’s silence. “But it doesn’t matter, I know how much you love me. Not another word then. We’ve got to act fast before another case comes in. Let’s just run away and get married.”

“Run away to where?” asked Cindy, dazed.

“It doesn’t matter,” he answered. “Let’s just do it. Let’s tie the knot.”