When the knockon her front door came, she was showered, dressed, and had already had her first cup of coffee.She was ready for him.
She opened the door with a big smile.“Hi David.It’s so nice to see you.Won’t you come on in?I’ve made coffee,” she babbled, and turning her back on his, she walked back to the kitchen.
His hand shot out and caught her arm, and the next moment he’d bent her over his arm and was kissing her thoroughly.Only when she could feel her legs turning to rubber did he lift his head, his eyes dark with desire.He pulled her up and put his hands on her hips.
“Apparently, there was one more thing I had to do.I thought you’d know, but my brothers tell me I still have to figure out how a woman’s mind works.And I wasn’t sure how to do it.I could make this grand gesture, wait for Christmas, put on a Santa suit on a hot day, take you to an island, have a plane fly over us with the question, write it on the sand at one of the beaches here in Hermanus, or I can just ask you.”
She’d stop breathing at “apparently” and realized she had to get some oxygen into her lungs.Inhaling deeply, she put her hands on his shoulders.
“Ask me what?”she said.
“If you will marry me, damn it,” he said crossly.“I assumed you’d know.I said I love you, of course I want to marry you!”he nearly shouted.
She swallowed a smile.Never again would she have this kind of upper hand.
Lifting her hand, she caressed his face.“No, I didn’t know you also wanted to marry me.You have to ask me if that’s what you want to do,” she said solemnly.
Astonished, David looked at her.“But I just asked you!”he cried out, not quite sure what was going on.But then he saw the twinkle in her eyes, and his heart that had been pumping away at a ridiculous pace settled down.
“Ask me nicely,” she commanded.
And he finally remembered all Don’s and Dale’s and his mother’s coaching.
Patting his pocket, he got down on one knee.
Dana’s eyes nearly popped out of her head.
“Dana Roux,” he said and took out a little box from his pocket, “will you please marry me?Damn it, I didn’t think it would be this difficult!”
She looked down at him, obviously stunned for a few minutes.“Why?”she asked, her eyes wide open.
And then the words were there—he knew exactly what to say.
“I’ve always followed my instincts with you.Kissing you was done on instinct, and I asked myself last night what would have happened if I’d never kissed you.I would never have known what it feels like when someone touches my essence, my core.But I listened, and now I know.And I don’t want to live without that again.I love you, Dana.And it’s a deep, irreversible, forever kind of love, so if you say yes, you’re stuck with me for life.”
And then she fell forward, into his arms, tears streaming over her face.
Alarmed, he touched her cheek.“What?”
She sniffed.“Happy tears, they’re happy tears,” she said brokenly and kissed him.“Of course I’ll marry you.But why didn’t you tell me last night?I was ready to send you away this morning.This whole process has taught me one thing—life is short and one stupid decision could change your whole life.I’ve decided I have a lot of love to give and I was going to tell you I want to get married, and if you didn’t want to, I’d have to find someone who did.”
“I didn’t have the ring last night!”he cried.“Believe me, it was the hardest thing I had to do to leave you here alone.But I still had to get the bloody ring, and I could only do that this morning.Don knows the guy.He bought Caitlin’s ring from him as well,” he said, lifting the little box again.He fell backward dragging her with him so that she was lying on top of him.
She giggled and opened the box.For long minutes she stared at the ring but didn’t say anything.
Worried, he pushed her hair out of her face.“If you don’t like it, we can return it.There is just one jewelry store in Hermanus, and this is the only one I liked.I’ll buy you a big, glittering diamond when we’re back in Cape Town.”
“I love it,” she said, her eyes glistening with tears.“It’s beautiful.”
Slowly, he took the ring out of the box and put it on her ring finger.“Just please tell me I’ve done everything I should have now?”he nearly pleaded.
Slowly, she sat back on her haunches.“I’m afraid not,” she said and lifted her top over her head.“You still have one more thing to do,” she said, shoving his T-shirt upward.
She spread her hands over his chest and lowered her head.“Or maybe two, I’m not quite sure,” she whispered against his skin.
Groaning, he lifted her up so he could claim her mouth.“Gladly.And I want to be very thorough, so this will take some time,” he whispered against her mouth.
Epilogue
