His brows drew together. “We fought hard for this. If it’s you and me for the rest of our lives, how could I ever complain? It’s exactly what I wanted.”
I threw my arms around his neck. “Oh, David,” I whispered. “Do you know how much I love you? More than the moon, the stars, the world. You’re everything I never dared to dream.”
He shuddered under my body, then pried my hands away and stepped around me to stand in front of the window. Suddenly, he was alert in a way I’d never seen—nervous even. He was big, always dark and brooding in his own way, and so incredibly gorgeous in just his underwear standing with his back to the city.
“What—”
“I want that life with you, too,” he interrupted. “Traveling, eating, making love, sleeping with you in my arms, thanking my lucky stars every night, waking up to your beautiful face every morning. That’s what I want.”
My gaze dropped to his hand, tightly curled around something. In one fluid motion, he dropped to his knee. His fingers unfurled to reveal a black velvet box.
Yes.
The word I should’ve said the morning before resounded through my head as my eyes darted between the box and his face.
“Were it anyone else, I would’ve walked away in the beginning. Were it anyone else, I would’ve fucking stayed away. But it’s not. It’s you. It always has been, and always will be, you.” David opened the box, showing me an engagement ring. “Marry me, Olivia.”
Fresh tears welled, but I inhaled them and laughed. “You saidfuckin your proposal.”
“Damn right I did.”
I took a step forward, sat on his bent knee, and wrapped my arms around his neck. I rubbed my face against his bristly cheek, and in his ear, said, “Yes. You are my love, my home.Fuckyes.”
His shoulders deflated with his exhale, and I pulled back to look at him. It was my favorite thing in the whole world, the boyish, blissful smile on his face.Pure happiness.
He caught my lips with his, both of us smiling through a series of small, sweet kisses. We both watched as, slowly, he slid the platinum ring, glinting and magnificent in the moonlight, onto my finger. The band was slight but the cushion-cut diamond was not—large, and blindingly beautiful, simple and clear.
“It’s perfect.” I shook my head in awe, unable to tear my eyes away. “How did you know?”
“Why wouldn’t I?” he asked, confused. “When I said earlier that I was looking for something, it was this. I went to every jewelry store in search of it. It took me all day, but the second I saw it, I knew it was right.”
I glanced up as his words echoed in my mind. Finally, it was right. So right.
Everything wasright.
Epilogue
As David and I waited for theWalksignal to flash so we could cross the street, I shifted a bag of groceries into one hand and squinted up at my beautiful husband.
“You’re staring,” David told me.
“Sorry,” I said but didn’t look away.
He was so damn distracting, that—
“Oh,shit,” I said and frowned. “I forgot Manchego cheese. We can’t have a Spanish feast without Manchego.”
“Certainly not,” he said with a half-smile. “I’ll run back. Wait here?”
“Where would I go?”
We’d driven into the city for one of David’s events the night before and had stayed at the penthouse. Now, we grabbed last-minute groceries before heading home to Oak Park for our impending party.
David dropped his plastic bags right there on the sidewalk. In one swoop, he embraced me, bending me backward over his arm. I squealed just as he locked his lips over mine for a passionate kiss.
“What was that for?” I asked breathlessly when he pulled away.
“Nothing, honeybee. I just couldn’t go another second without doing it.”
