I shook my head.
“You’ll win.” I lifted my hands. “You’ll leave the earth undisputed if I have anything to do with it.”
There it was again. That smile of hers.
“But answer me, my baby.”
“Yes. If there’s anyone I’m shooting, I’d want it to be you.” She sighed. “Deal?”
I couldn’t help it. She was magnetic. She was magic. She was mystical. She’d shot me right in the heart with her bow and I didn’t have the strength to remove it.
“I want you to be my wife, Royce.”
I watched her chest swell with air.
“Ish.”
“It doesn’t have to be today. It doesn’t have to be tomorrow. But, I’m warning you now. I will ask. And, it won’t be about me and what I want or what I think you want. I’d rather you tell me.”
She paused, plopping down on the bed. Her feet touched the floor. Her body lifted. Each step she took brought her closer to me.
“Privacy.”
“Private proposal, it is.”
“And for the ring,” she paused, lowering her naked body onto me, “I want a band of diamonds. Not two. A single band. And, one diamond in the center. No halo. No diamonds around it. A single stone. A blinding stone. Nothing too large. Something that reeks of elegance and charm.”
“Simple?”
She kissed my lips.
“Simple.”
I lifted slightly, pushing my pants down far enough to give my baby what she’d come for. Her eyes lit up at the sight of him. My heart expanded at the thought of her.
And the ring.
And the wedding.
And the stability.
And the safety.
And the security.
And the longevity.
And the lifetime.
FIFTEEN
I was beginningto wonder if regal could perfectly describe him anymore. His hair was freshly cut. His line seemed to have been marked by a scientist who’d done extensive research and took new measurements every three business days to ensure accuracy.
He rubbed his hand down his beard. His fingers tapped against the screen of his iPad. He was fighting the urge to unlock the screen and respond to the emails flooding his inbox. Apprehension plagued him.
I stretched an arm across my body, hooking my fingers on my shoulder. The air was rigid in the cabin. Fine bumps raised my skin.
“Come ‘er, my baby.”
