She pointed to the left. “There’s a cafe down the street that serves brunch.”
Even on crutches, Jordan’s pace was quick enough that Emme had to fast-walk to keep up. Until he stumbled on a crack in the sidewalk and almost fell. He caught himself, but sucked in a breath and dropped one of the crutches while holding his ribs.
“Fucking hell,” he gritted out between his teeth.
She picked up the crutch and helped him hop to the edge of the sidewalk. “What’s wrong with your ribs?”
“I fractured a couple of them.” His breathing was shallow, as if it pained him to inhale.
“How long ago?” She held out his crutch.
He leveled his stare at her. “About a month ago. The night we talked last.”
“Oh.” She looked at the crutches, then down at his leg. “Is that why you never called me back?”
“Yes.”
“What about my email?”
“I didn’t get it until a week ago. My email bounced back when I tried to reply.”
That explained the email, but nothing else. “You could have called.”
“I didn’t remember your number. Emme.” His voice held a plea and she met his gaze. His green eyes were fearful, yet hopeful. “I’ve been going crazy since I woke up, not being able to get a hold of you. I had to call Titan to get Doug’s number. He told me where to find you.” He shook his head. “I thought about calling, but I didn’t want to give you a chance to hang up on me without hearing me out. I showed up at your office on Monday, but Melody said you were in the clinic. She knew who I was and she said she’d help me and she came up with this harebrained idea to throw myself at your feet and all I wanted to do was tell you I love you.
Her heart stopped then exploded in her chest, stealing her breath. Woke up from what? Why hadn’t Doug said anything about talking to Jordan? He’d been here all week?
“You love me?”
“That’s not how I meant to tell you.” He was blushing. Jordan Grant, Army Ranger, real-life hero, was blushing.
“How did you mean to tell me?”
“Well.” He reached into his pocket and pulled out a small, square box.
Her hand flew to her mouth and she stepped back, right into a couple walking past. She spun. “I’m so sorry,” she told them.
In slow motion, she turned back to Jordan, still holding that box. He lifted the lid and revealed a pillow-cut, brilliant blue sapphire ring.
“I’d get down on one knee, but I’ve only got one at the moment.”
She shook her head, overwhelmed by everything. “Jordan, it’s too soon.”
“It’s not. You don’t have to say ‘yes’ right now. You don’t have to say ‘yes’ a year from now. What’s important is you know I’m serious about how I feel and that I will do anything to have you in my life. I may have rescued you in Mali, but you rescued me too.”
He shifted his weight. “I was going through the motions, so bogged down by all the crap that happened in the past, I couldn’t see the good in the present. You showed me it was still there with your refusal to let everything that happened to you drag you down. You find beauty in the ocean and a marble roof. You make me stronger.” He took a deep breath. “But I hope you say ‘yes’ sooner than a year from now.”
She blinked back tears. “Yes.”
He blinked. “Really?”
She laughed at the look of shock on his face. “Really.”
Closing the distance between them, she lifted to her toes and kissed him. The crutches clattered to the ground when he wrapped his arms around her. His tongue touched her bottom lip and she opened her mouth, allowing him to swoop in.
The sound of clapping penetrated her fogging brain and she pulled away, chancing a look over her shoulder. They had attracted a small crowd, who were clapping for them.
It was her turn to blush. Setting her heels on the ground, she dropped her forehead to his chest. “My apartment is close by.”
He kissed her forehead. “Lead the way.”
