“Thank you for making me feel safe,” I said as we drove up to the house. It didn’t sound glamorous, but it was a sincere compliment.
“I always want you to feel safe. I know what it feels like to be unsafe.”
After his childhood, he understood the importance of security.
“I want to check my messages, return a few calls,” he said. “Meet in an hour?”
“Perfect.” I wrapped my arms around him, kissed him. “Thanks for a lovely vacation.”
He smiled. “Don’t drown.”
He winked as I dumped my suitcase in the bedroom and fished out my latest romance novel. My soak was everything I’d wanted, and I got out when my timer went. I didn’t like to make Christopher wait.
Christopher called down the hall into the bedroom where I was putting on lounging pajamas.
“Buffy and ice cream?”
“Sounds perfect,”I sent. I wasn’t up to yelling or even regular speaking volume yet, but it wouldn’t be long. Walking into the living room a minute later, I felt underdressed. Christopher wore a pale blue dress shirt that matched his eyes and his good jeans. He must have showered upstairs. He was so gorgeous he took my breath away.
“Want me to change?” I glanced down at my comfy pajamas and bit my lip.
“Never,” he said with a flash of his dimple.
“Are you dressed up because it’s New Year’s? I can put on a dress.”
He smiled and his eyes scorched me with their heat.
“I love your kitty pajamas. Go sit, I’ll get dessert.”
I sat on the couch, grabbed the remote, and pulled up our show while he dished up our favorite salted caramel gelato. My mouth watered at the thought. Dinner had been excellent, but I’d saved room for a treat.
Christopher carried in two bowls of dessert in his fancy dishes. The blue glass ones from the china cabinet in the other room that his mother had collected but left behind. He set his down on the coffee table before he got down on one knee.
At first, I didn’t understand what was going on. My hand flew to my mouth. Tears flooded my eyes and my heart skipped several beats. An engagement ring stuck out of the top of my ice cream, which he held before him like an offering. He smiled while I took it all in, but his eyes were vulnerable, begging me not to stomp on his heart. My pulse raced erratically, like my heart had forgotten how to behave, and my hands trembled.
“Lizzie, you mean more to me than I ever imagined anyone could. You fill a void in my soul. You’re my other half. Since we’ve been together, even if there have been some rough experiences, this has been the best time of my life, and I owe it to you.”
My heart thumped so hard against my ribs, I worried it would jump out. I hadn’t expected his proposal and was floored.
“Will you marry me?”
Overwhelmed with joy, I tried to express what I wanted to say. Even whispers eluded me and my mind was swept blank.
Christopher misinterpreted my silence and set the ice cream down on the coffee table.
“You don’t need to decide right away. I just want you to know how much you mean.”
I couldn’t bear the thought that he might doubt my answer, and it prodded me into action. I slid onto the floor in front of him and plucked the icy ring from the ice cream and sucked off the ice cream while my eyes didn’t leave his. His sudden grin told me I’d done the right thing. I warmed the white gold in my mouth and passed it to him.
Like all my important declarations, I answered, my lips against his. “See if it fits.”
The cold band slid onto my finger as though made for me. Christopher took my face in his hands, reducing my insides to jelly. His thumb stroked my jaw, sending currents through me everywhere. His lips were gentle as we kissed. My heart might burst. I’d never been more in love.
“Tell me again,” he said, leaning back, so I saw his entire face.
“I love you.” I had no doubts.
This time, our kiss led to more than kissing.
