And in the middle of it all is a pergola with green lanterns hanging in the corners and plush furniture with deep cushions. There’s a bucket of champagne at one side of the sofa, with two flutes sitting on the coffee table.
“What is all of this?” she asks, and I glance down to find her wide gaze on me.
“This is for you.” I shove my free hand in my pocket and fiddle with the ring there. “You like flowers.”
“Iloveflowers.” She swallows and clears her throat. “Can I tend to this garden?”
“If you want to. If you just want to look at it, I have people who can take care of it.”
She tugs her lower lip between her teeth, and her eyes go glassy with tears.
“I can help,” she whispers. “Thank you.”
“Oh, this isn’t even the best part.” I grin and lead her to the sofa, and we sit together, cuddled up. She doesn’t hesitate to practically climb in my lap and nuzzle her face in my neck.
“We’ve come a long way since that night that Iallegedlyput something in your drink,” she says softly, making me snort.
“Admit it. You like me.”
She takes a breath and then says, “I love you.”
And just like that, my heart stops.
“I love you more than anything,” she continues. “And I don’t honestly know what I ever did right to get to be friends with all of the people in your family, but I’d do it over and over again if I could. Because now that I have you all in my life, I can’t imagine going back to anything else.”
I tip her chin up so I can see her face and lower my lips to hers.
“You fit so damn well,” I inform her. “You’re everything I didn’t know was missing from my life.”
“What, sarcasm and roofies?”
“That, and sweetness and fire. Your backbone, the way you care about people. You make me want to be a better person, and that’sneverhappened before.”
Her lips tip up into a smile.
“There is nothing more important than you, Savage. I’d give everything up for you. I’d—well, I’d doanythingfor you. Because I’m so in love with you that I don’t even recognize myself anymore, in the best possible way. Before you, I would have sworn that I don’t have a heart, and now it’s like it’s come back to life and aches at the thought of ever losing you.”
“You’re a goddamn poet,” she whispers, making me bark out a laugh.
“And yeah, I do love this sassy fucking mouth.” I bite her lower lip and then slip out from under her and onto one knee in front of her, and her eyebrows lower.
“What are you doing?”
I pull the ring that I had Julian get for me out of my pocket. I knew what I wanted, and Julian’s stones are the best, so Iworked with him to have a one-of-a-kind engagement ring made for my girl.
It shimmers in the low light as I hold it up to her.
“I’m not asking you,” I inform her. “Because no isn’t an option.”
“That’ssoyou,” she says, shaking her head.
“Marry me, Violet.”
“I love it when you say my name like that.”
I smile as she reaches out and cups my cheek. Turning my face, I kiss her palm and then keep talking.
“I need you to marry me and live this crazy life with me. It won’t be easy. In fact, it probably won’t be easy most of the time.”
