“Didn’t you eat with Victoria?”
“Victoria’s at Josh’s tonight.” I slid my hands along the curve of her hip and pulled her closer. “Tonight, it’s just you and me. I haven’t seen much of you this week.”
Her confused gaze faded into a contrite wince. “I know, I’m sorry, baby. George and Aida have been really great, but I can’t refuse if I have to stay.”
“Don’t apologize, Gorgeous.” I pressed a light kiss to her lips. “I wanted to do something for you since you’ve been working so hard. Sit.”
The corners of her mouth curved before she framed my face and planted a lingering kiss on my lips, then another, then one tiny peck before her tongue glided along my bottom lip.
“Oh, no,” I groaned. “I worked too hard on this dinner. Plenty of time for that later.” I peeled her hands off my cheeks and nodded to the table.
“Fine.” She sighed as she plopped into one of our dining room chairs. She cut into the steak and brought a tiny piece to her mouth. “Wow, this is good, Drew. You sure you made this?” Her mouth tipped up in a smirk around the rim of her wine glass.
“Yes, I’m sure.” I glared at her from across the table. “Wasn’t all that hard.” I shrugged before digging my knife in my own steak.
“Did you call your mom for help?”
I sneered back without answering.
We ate in silence the next few minutes. Sara happily devoured her dinner, but I only picked at my not-so-bad attempt at an edible meal. My eyes glossed over the chocolate brown eyes that changed to almost black when she was pissed off or turned on, the long chestnut hair kissing the tops of her breasts, and the way her tongue darted out to lick her bottom lip between bites. There was no one else for me and there never would be. She owned me, and if she said yes tonight, I was tempted to head to city hall as soon as it opened on Monday morning. I exhaled a tense gust of air as I leaned back in my chair.
“You’re weirding me out, Kostas.” She lifted an eyebrow as she took another sip of wine. “What’s with the staring?”
“You’re gorgeous,” I rasped as I set my fork down. “Sofucking gorgeous.”
A blush tinted her cheeks as she rose from her chair. She climbed into my lap and looped her arms around my neck. “So are you.” Her hand feathered down my cheek. “I was only teasing you. Dinner was perfect—”
“Marry me,” I pleaded in an almost guttural whisper.
“Drew . . . I . . .” Sara stammered, causing my heart to race in a panic. Talk about fucking it all up in the execution. Shock was not the emotion I wanted reflected back at me. I had an entire speech planned, but having her in my arms, so content and full of love, I blurted it out without thinking.
“I love you more than you could begin to imagine. I want to spend the rest of my life with you and make you mine in every possible way. Make us forever and tell the whole world.” Her bottom lip quivered as I tucked a stray lock of hair behind her ear.
“Caveman,” she teased as her eyes welled up.
“When it comes to you, you better believe it. Wait, stand up. I need to do this right.” Patting her thigh before I lifted her off my lap, I knelt down on one knee as tear after tear snaked down her face.
After digging the two-carat platinum ring I’d been paying off since my first paycheck out of my pocket, I took in a deep breath to calm my compounding nerves.
“I had a whole speech planned but screwed it up.” I gave her a crooked grin. “All I have left is: Sara, will you marry me?”
She gulped as she brought her eyes to the ceiling. Her chin quivered, her face was soaked, and I had zero clue how to read any of it.
“Sara,” I pressed, now scared to death she was thinking of a way to turn me down.
“Yes. Of course, yes. You really thought I would say no?” She shook her head at me. “You . . . you’re my everything.” She threaded her fingers through my hair. “My reason and my purpose along with Victoria. You made the impossible possible. You changed my life and gave me a better one than I ever could have imagined. So yes, I’ll marry you.” She wiped a tear away with her knuckle.
I slipped the ring on her finger before I stood and took her mouth in a hungry, brutal, and relieved-as-fuck kiss.
“Can we do this soon?” I murmured as she backed me out of the kitchen and toward the hallway leading into our bedroom. “I can’t wait that long.”
She pulled back, a wide smile lighting up her entire face; the smile that captured me and never let me go.
“Monday too soon?”
Sara ~ Five years later
“THIS PLACE ISpacked!” Aida gushed as we stole a glance out of the tiny glass window on the kitchen door.
