Chapter 35: Chapter Thirty-five

RILEY

The next morning, I woke up to the bright sunlight streaming in through the window. I squinted and pulled the duvet over my head, reaching out for Tristan. But he wasn’t there.

Suddenly, I was wide awake, wrapping the duvet around me. Memories of last night flooded back, and I couldn’t help but smile.

I’d never been happier. Being with him felt so right.

If this was what I was signing up for, I wanted to be with him forever. I’d already made up my mind.

I was ready to leave Phoenix with Abby for him. That is, if we were going to talk about the future.

I spotted my phone on the bedside table and picked it up. It was seven in the morning. I sighed softly.

~Where is he?~

“Morning, sunshine,” Tristan’s deep, husky voice echoed from the bathroom. I turned to see him standing there, wearing nothing but a towel that hung low on his hips.

His hair was wet from the shower, and the scent of his aftershave filled the room before he even got close.

I licked my lips, my eyes taking in his body.

~God, he’s turned me into a sex maniac.~

~I can’t believe a guy who looks like that wants a girl like me.~

“Hi,” I replied, my voice shy. I cleared my throat as he jumped onto the bed, pulling me closer. I giggled and pushed him down on the bed.

“Sleep well?” he asked, taking my hand and kissing it. I nodded, biting my lip.

“Would have been better if you’d asked me to join you in the shower.” I smirked, running my fingers through his wet hair.

Tristan raised his eyebrows. “I could always take another shower. A hot one.” He grinned and I kissed him passionately.

“Thank you so much for last night. It was the best night of my life,” I sighed contentedly; he just smiled at me.

“Although, I did think you were going to propose to me or something, when you went down on one knee,” I laughed, thinking about last night.

He froze, then sat up straight on the bed. I tried not to get distracted by his bare chest.

“I…um…did you want me to?” he asked, chuckling nervously.

I looked at him, confused.

~Do I want him to propose?~

Yes. I wanted to spend the rest of my life with him. I wouldn’t have said no if he had asked, obviously.

“I mean, I wouldn’t have turned you down. I... I love you so much, Tristan,” I said, my voice choked with emotion. I gently touched his face.

He looked into my eyes, and a tear rolled down his cheek. My heart ached at the sight of him crying, and I wiped it away.

“Hey... what is it?” I asked, my voice barely above a whisper. He closed his eyes, struggling to hold back his tears.

“The first time you told me you loved me was when we broke up that day, in front of my house five years ago.”

He looked down at our entwined fingers. “I just... I never thought I would hear you say that to me ever again,” he finished.

The pain in his eyes brought tears to mine. I wiped my cheeks.

“Tristan…”

“Shhh... don’t say anything. Let me take in this moment,” he sighed, resting his forehead against mine.

We stayed like that for a while. Then I wrapped my arms around his neck and climbed onto his lap, not caring that the sheets were no longer covering my body.

“You should know that I will always love you, no matter what happens. Even if you break me to pieces, my heart will always belong to you,” I whispered.

Tristan smiled, running his fingers along my bare back, sending shivers down my spine.

“I know, babycakes. I’m just glad that we found our way back to each other again.”

“That we did.” I smiled and kissed his nose. I felt his hands on my sides, caressing my breasts, and jerked back a little. He swallowed hard and looked down at my naked body.

“Fuck, I don’t think I will ever get tired of seeing you naked,” he groaned, gripping my waist tighter. I could feel him getting hard underneath me.

I brushed my ass against his cock, teasing him.

“Woah! Okay, before we end up having sex, open that drawer on the left.” Tristan pointed at the table next to the bed.

“Why?”

“For once, do something without questioning, woman. Trust me, Abby gets that from you,” he chuckled, but quickly shut up when I glared at him.

I reached over to open the drawer, and he smacked my ass.

“Hey!” I exclaimed, turning around with a grumpy look on my face—even though I’d kinda liked it. He just laughed, rubbing my ass soothingly.

“Sorry, baby. Couldn’t help it.”

I rolled my eyes, then opened the drawer to find a small velvet box. My eyes widened in shock. I already knew what it was.

~He already got me a ring.~

~Oh my God!~

“Tristan, when did you—” I started to ask, turning around with the velvet box in my hand, but he cut me off by putting a finger to my lips.

“I brought this ring with me when we left New York. I’ve been wanting to propose to you since then. I was ready to do it last night.”

He smirked. “I even got your dad’s permission; that’s why he forgave me and why he was so happy with the news.”

Everything made sense now.

“You sneaky little... oh my God…” I started to laugh as my eyes filled with tears. “Wait, why didn’t you propose to me then?” I asked, confused.

Tristan sighed heavily. “I was afraid you might turn me down. I mean, you and Abby have your lives here. And I thought you might think I only wanted to marry you because of Abby.”

He rubbed the back of his neck, looking a little sheepish. “I... I was getting cold feet.”

My heart softened at the sight of him.

~He’s so damn cute.~

“Tristan, I would have said yes in a heartbeat. I want to spend the rest of my life with you. I’m ready to move back to New York with Abby,” I told him.

Tristan looked stunned. “Riley... I was thinking about moving here with you. I can’t ask you to move back to New York. You have your family and your job here.”

“But your life isn’t here. I don’t want you to uproot your life, Tristan. At first, I didn’t want to leave Phoenix either, but the more I thought about it, I was raised in New York my whole life.”

I smiled at him. “It’s my home and everything started there. It’s only fair that we raise our daughter in a place that we both consider home,” I added.

Tristan was quiet, mulling over what I had said.

“What about your job and your family?”

“I can get a transfer or something. I’ll figure it out, and my dad will be happy. He won’t leave his mom, obviously, so it’ll just be me and Abby. We could all live in my old house, as a family, together.”

He still seemed unsure. “Are you sure, baby? I don’t want you to do anything just for me.”

I nodded, feeling confident. “I’m one hundred percent sure about my decision. I’m doing this for both of us.” I hugged him tightly and he hugged me back, kissing my bare shoulder.

“Thank you so much. We can always move back to Phoenix if it doesn’t work out,” he murmured against my skin.

I just hummed in response, feeling content and happy in his arms.

“Wait, so that’s it? Is that a yes?” Tristan asked, pulling back in confusion.

I laughed at his adorable expression. “Ask me again, properly.”

“Alright.” He cleared his throat and took the velvet box from my hands.

“Riley Adams, you are the best thing that has happened to me so far in my life. I love you with all my heart, and I swear I will never, ever make you cry. Will you please marry me, babycakes?” he asked.

His face lit up with a beautiful smile, his eyes sparkling with excitement as he opened the box. My heart swelled with happiness, and I looked down at the ring.

It was a stunning pink-diamond ring with small white diamonds encircling the center stone.

“Tristan, it’s so fucking beautiful. Wow, it must have cost you a fortune,” I said, frowning.

“It was my mom’s,” he said.

I looked up to meet his gaze. “It’s gorgeous.”

“Just like my girl,” he said, kissing my forehead. I blushed, continuing to admire the ring. He cleared his throat, and I realized that I hadn’t responded to his proposal yet.

“Oh, right. Of course, I’ll marry you, jerk,” I giggled, kissing him. He took the ring from the box and slid it onto my finger.

“I know this isn’t the most romantic proposal, or even the one you deserve, but we can have a beautiful engagement party with friends and family real soon.”

He smiled, brushing a few strands of hair from my forehead.

“Are you kidding me? This is exactly what I wanted. We are both naked—well, I am naked, you’re almost naked.”

I smirked. “And given the fact that I just got engaged, I can easily fuck you right now, instead of waiting until we are alone, like if you had proposed to me in a fancy way. Saves us a lot of time and energy, you see.” I teased.

Tristan laughed heartily and pushed me down on the bed.

“Man, this is one of the many reasons why I fell in love with you and want to marry you, Mrs. Harris.”

I grinned widely at his last words. “Riley Harris. Does it sound good?”

“Well, Adams has always been my favorite. How about Riley Adams-Harris?” he suggested, kissing my neck. His fingers had already disappeared between my legs.

“Oh wow! Yeah…sounds good.” I arched my back, giving him better access.

“Perfect. Now, moan for me, darling.” He smirked as he went down on me.

~Oh, I will.~

I laughed and started to squirm as he began to kiss my inner thighs. I closed my eyes and ran my fingers through his damp hair, completely lost in him.

~I am engaged.~

~Tristan Harris is my fiancé.~

I was going to marry my high school sweetheart.

Well, more like my high school enemy.

How many people get that chance? One in a million, maybe.

I guess I was one in that million, but let me tell you this—it wasn’t easy.

Love in general is never easy. But if it feels right, it will happen.

~Maybe not now.~

~But one day for sure.~

^~The End~^