Her steps came to an abrupt halt. She stared, open mouthed, at the sight before her.
With her brothers’ help, I’d replicated the balloon wall from our first unofficial date in Bushwick.
We woke up at the crack of dawn that morning to set it up, but it was worth it for the shock on her face.
“How did you do this?” Isabella breathed.
“With an overabundance of caffeine and assistance from your brothers,” I said. “I figured everyone should experience this at least once in their lives. Also, Gabriel is a big Princess Diaries 2 fan.”
He glared at me from his spot next to the darts. “I’m not a fan,” he said. “I enjoy the storyline.
That’s all.”
Our rocky relationship had smoothed since he confronted me in the hotel bar two years ago, but we were too similar in too many ways to ever be best friends.
“Sure.” Romero smirked. “That’s why you make us rewatch it every Christmas.”
“I don’t make you do anything,” Gabriel snapped. “I don’t have time for this foolishness. Lola needs my help.” He spun on his heel and marched stiffly to where Isabella’s grandmother was trying to open a jar of salsa.
“It’s not CBNYP if Gabe doesn’t get pissy over something,” Isabella said with a laugh. She went on her tiptoes and pressed a quick kiss on my mouth. “Thank you for putting up with my family. I know they can be a lot sometimes.”
“I like them. They’re entertaining.” I looped an arm around her waist and grinned down at her.
“Besides, you put up with my parents’ vow renewal, so I owe you.”
We both shuddered at the memory.
My parents officially renewed their vows seven months ago in a lavish ceremony on Jade Cay. The ceremony itself had been beautiful; the preparations leading up to it had not. My mother had roped Isabella into helping her and Abigail plan the event, which meant I’d been roped into helping with the event. I still had nightmares about tulle and floral designs.
“Quit the PDA. It’s sickening.” Miguel shoved a dart in each of our hands. “C’mon. Let’s get this show going. The sun is about to set.”
Isabella had gotten better at darts, but her aim was still fifty-fifty. I was counting on her skills to fall on the worse end of the spectrum today.
Nerves played beneath my skin as she shifted her stance and drew her arm up. The late afternoon sunlight found her, spinning purple-black silk with gold and etching shadows across her bronzed skin.
Her brows furrowed, and despite my anxiety, I couldn’t help but smile at her concentration.
We’d been together for two years, but I would never get over the fact that she was mine.
The dart whizzed through the air and bounced harmlessly off the wall.
Relief wisped through me, followed by a second barrage of nerves.
“Dammit.” Isabella huffed, seemingly oblivious to my inner turmoil and the way her family slipped back inside the house. “I appreciate you taking the time to set this up. I really do. But next year, you have to choose something I’m good at, like a timed shopping spree or reading marathon.”
“I’ll keep that in mind.” I fished a folded scrap of paper from the jar and handed it to her. A tiny blue dot marked the corner. “In the meantime, here’s your question.”
She sighed and unfolded the slip. “I swear, if I have to talk about my biggest fear again…” Her sentence trailed off.
I’d written what I wanted to say before I said it, and when she looked up from the note, her eyes glossy and mouth trembling, I was already on one knee. A dazzling diamond glittered in the open ring box in my hand.
We’d had to face plenty of tough questions to get to where we were today, but my next question was the hardest and easiest one of all.
“Isabella Valencia, will you marry me?”
Thank you for reading King of Pride! If you enjoyed this book, I would be grateful if you could leave a review on the platform(s) of your choice.
Reviews are like tips for author, and every one helps!
Much love,
Ana
For bonus Kai & Isabella content, visit anahuang.com/bonus-scenes
He had her, he lost her… and he’ll do anything to win her back.
Order King of Greed now for Dominic and Alessandra’s story.
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Acknowledgments
Becca—My brainstorm buddy, cheerleader, and fellow sushi lover. You go above and beyond and I am so grateful to have you in my life. One day, I’ll finish clearing the coffee cups from my desk, and we can celebrate with more hand rolls :)
Brittney, Salma, Rebecca, Sarah, and Aishah—We’ve been through so many books together, and I couldn’t have asked for better alpha/beta readers. Thank you so much for your constant support and feedback!
Cait—Your enthusiasm for my couples always makes me smile. Seeing you react to Kai and Isa was one of my favorite parts of the process, and I can’t thank you enough for sharing your knowledge and insights into Filipino culture. The Valencias wouldn’t be the same without you.
Theresa—Your ability to provide thoughtful notes with such a tight turnaround is incredible, so thank you!
Amy and Britt—Working with you is a joy. Thank you for your attention to detail and for making my stories shine.
Cat—You’re a genius. That’s all.
Kimberly—My agent extraordinaire. Thank you for all you do.
To Christa, Pam, and the Bloom Books team—Thank you for the love and attention you show my books. It’s truly a dream come true seeing them in bookstores across the US & Canada.
To Ellie and the Piatkus team—Thank you for sharing my stories with the world. Seeing my books in so many countries is an incredible experience, and I can’t wait to meet and celebrate with some of you in person soon.
Nina and the Valentine PR family—You make my book releases such a breeze, and I appreciate you to the moon and back.
Finally, to my wonderful readers—You are the best part of being an author. I couldn’t do this without you, so thank you for always making my day brighter.
xo, Ana