Page 104 of Twice as Tempting

“Here looks good,” Damian said, and then he helped Kelly spread out their oversized beach towel that was big enough for two.

Damian sat down first and then patted the space between his legs for Kelly to sit between. He wrapped his arms around her waist from behind and tucked her in close. People were still walking by, but they were far enough away to afford Kelly and Damian some privacy.

Kelly was so enraptured by the colors of the setting sun—the reds, oranges, and yellows—as it descended over the vast expanse of ocean that the sound of Damian’s voice almost startled her.

“So, I told your dad about the house,” Damian began.

“Oh yeah? What did he have to say?”

“He said he’d like to help me work on it in the spring if your mom lets him.”

Kelly laughed. “Ever since Dad had that health scare last fall, she’s been worried about him. What else did you two talk about?”

“You. Us.”

Kelly twisted her head around to study his expression and asked, “What about us?”

Damian pointed at the sun and said, “Turn back around, or you’ll miss it.”

She reluctantly did as he directed, and they both watched as the sun slipped into the ocean, leaving them in the purplish dusk. She then turned back around to face him. “Why did you talk to my dad about us?”

Damian inhaled deeply and gazed at her intently, and Kelly sensed that he was on the cusp of revealing something big. “What is it, Damian? Tell me.”

“I asked your dad for permission to marry you.”

Kelly’s hands flew to her mouth. Did he just say what I think he said? “Could you repeat that please?”

Damian threw his head back and chuckled. “I told your dad that I loved you and that I wanted to ask you to marry me, but I wanted his permission first.”

Kelly’s head felt like it was going to explode. Shock, joy, elation, and a thousand other emotions flooded her body, and for a moment, she was tongue-tied.

“The thing is…I don’t have a ring. I didn’t even know until we got here that I was going to propose. I was going to wait until after Zack’s wedding.”

Kelly was still trying to find her voice, but Damian, for once, was doing all the talking.

“And then I figured that you might want a say in what your ring looks like. You’ll have to wear it for the rest of your life after all.” He reached out and pried her hands away from her mouth to hold them firmly in his.

“I’m doing this all wrong. I didn’t have it all planned out, but Kelly, will you do me the honor of becoming my wife?”

The tears came then, and she shook her head back and forth because she still couldn’t believe it.

Unfortunately, Damian misread the gesture and said, “No? Is it too soon? Should I have had the ring first?”

Kelly shook her head even harder, and then she finally spat out the words. “No, it’s not too soon! It’s perfect timing!”

“So, no really meant yes?”

Kelly flung her arms around him then and tackled him to the ground. “Yes, yes, a thousand times yes!”

And then he kissed her.

Later that night, after they had made love, Kelly and Damian made a plan.

“I don’t want to upstage Zack’s wedding,” Damian said. “I’ll never hear the end of it.”

“I agree. We’ll tell everybody at Christmastime.”

Damian pulled her close and ran his fingers down her naked back. “We can set the wedding date for whenever you want, but I have one request.”

“Anything,” she said, idly tracing his tattoo.

“Remember when I agreed to wear the Batman costume and you said you’d owe me a big favor?”

Kelly halted her movements and swallowed nervously. “Yes…”

“Well, I’m going to call in my favor. For our honeymoon, I want to go somewhere where we can go hiking.”

“Like Alaska?”

“No. We’ll work up to that. I was thinking about renting a cabin in the Smoky Mountains.”

“Hmm…I like the sound of that. You and me, alone in the mountains. I can handle that.”

“So, it’s a plan, then?”

“It’s the best plan ever,” Kelly said.