“I love you, too, Lieutenant Kim.”
My heart actually skipped a beat when she used my new title. Though I wanted to wait a little longer to do this, I trusted my instincts and decided that moment was the right time to do what I’ve been waiting to do all day.
I took a step back, one hand falling from her waist to reach into my right pocket.
“How much do you love me?” I asked.
A bark of laughter exploded from my mouth when she said, “Enough to shut down my bar on one of the busiest days of the week to accommodate your friends and family for your celebration party. If it werejustfor Sean, he would’ve had to wait until a Monday night. But don’t tell him I said that,” she whispered the last part.
“Your secret’s safe with me.”
“I know it is,” a sincere note hit her voice as she stared up at me.
“What if I told you I loved you enough to spend the rest of my life with you and make you the mother of my children?”
“You tell me that at least once a day.”
“True.” I nodded. “But what if this time I told you with a ring?” I asked at the same time I sank down to one knee, opening the small black box, exposing the Valencia one karat diamond ring.
Angela’s jaw dropped, and her eyelids rose, surprise and shock written all over her beautiful face. I put this moment off long enough, not wanting to propose on Christmas or New Year's or anything cliché like that. Instead, I wanted to do it on a day I knew I’d remember forever, and what better day than when I got promoted?
“Angela Marie Moore, my Angel, will you marry me?” Simple and sweet. I didn’t use a bunch of flowery words to convey what I felt. Didn’t need to. Action always appealed to me more than words. The black tears from her mascara streaming down Angela’s face told me she knew exactly how I felt. The room around us seemed to go silent, but I wasn’t focused on anyone but the beauty in front of me.
“Y-yess,” she cried, bending down low to wrap her arms around me.
I stood, so she didn’t have to bend too low. She pulled me in so tight, I struggled to pull back to be able to put the ring on her finger. Another round of applause sounded around the room when Angela held up her hand, now with the ring on it, waving it around for the crowd to see.
“That’s how you do it!”
“Look at that ring!”
“Congrats, Harvard!”
Amongst the shouts and cheers, I recognized Don, Corey, and Carter’s voices. Captain Waverly had made his way over to us, first pulling Angela in for a brief hug and word of congratulations before squeezing me by the shoulder to show his affection. Next came my parents, my father welcoming Angela into the family, followed by my mother. Despite the rather rocky way they started off, my mother and Angela had developed a decent relationship over the last few months. Even with all the different people around tugging at us, I kept a firm grip on Angela’s hand, refusing to surrender her to anyone. I figured we’d have to keep up this public appearance for at least another two hours before I could get her behind closed doors, and do things that would have half the people in this room blushing. I sighed, as I discreetly adjusted myself in my pants, my cock swelling a little at just the thoughts of what I’d planned for that evening.
“What was that sigh about?” Angela whispered in my ear.
“There’s too many minutes between now and when I get to have you naked underneath me.” My Angel grinned and tipped her head. I decided to press on, whispering in her ear all the ways I planned on having her that night.
“Hey, cut that shit out,” Sean’s gruff voice interrupted the shortly-lived alone moment we were having.
“You really should get your own woman,” I told him, pulling Angela’s back into my chest.
“I’ll think about that,” he answered sarcastically. “Look, I just wanted to say congratulations to you two and welcome to the family, Harvard.”
I raised my hand, taking the hand that he proffered. We gave each other one shoulder hug before Angela moved into his embrace, wrapping her arms around his neck.
“Thanks, Sean! I love you sooo much!”
Jeremiah wedged his little body in between the two of them, first hugging Angela, before coming over to me. He and I had gained a relationship over the last few months as well. Being around him had made me excited to have my own kids one day.
Chapter Nineteen
Eric
Two Months Later
“Icannotbelieve your mother is so insistent on those white rose bouquets as the centerpieces. I mean, they were beautiful, but come on white roses? I much prefer the purple and white lilies. After all, that matches the color scheme of the wedding perfectly, but she is so insistent.”
