Now or Never

After one last kiss, I released her. She turned back to gaze at the ocean, its waves gently caressing the legs of the deck we stood on.

I was a bundle of nerves. Why was a man like me so rattled?

I was a hardened man, capable of killing in the blink of an eye. Yet, this woman had me twisted up in ways that scared me. She had me so wrapped around her finger.

If she asked me to jump, I’d ask, “How high?”

I glanced around. The guys were standing in the doorway, grinning at me. They all nodded simultaneously. Damn them, why did they have to be so nosy?

I didn’t want to show any weakness to anyone, but this woman, who had captured my heart and mind, made me do things I’d never done before.

I took a deep breath and turned back to the woman I loved with every fiber of my being. I took her hand in mine.

“Shay, maybe one day we can come back here, if you want to,” I said, our fingers interlocking.

She turned to me, those eyes that made me fall in love with her all over again.

“I would love to. This place is so beautiful. I could come back again and again. I don’t think I’ll ever tire of it.”

“I can tell you, it’s not as beautiful as the woman standing here with me right now. You know you’re my everything, right, baby?”

Her brows furrowed as she looked down at the deck beneath our feet. Slowly, her head came back up, a smile spreading across her face.

“You always say that to me, and I never know how to respond. I’ve tried to come up with something better than ‘yes, love,’ but I never can.”

I kissed her cheek and whispered, “You don’t need to come up with a comeback for me, baby. We both know how much we love each other, and I know our child will love us just as much.”

Her eyes traveled down to where my hand rested on her stomach, and she placed her small hand over mine. Her touch still ignited a fire in me, a blaze that consumed me from the inside out.

“Our little one will be loved just as much as you’ve loved me, love, since the day you basically kidnapped me and took me back to your house.”

I laughed.

“It was either take you with us or risk them getting their hands on you. Who knows what would have happened then.

“At that time, I only had eyes for you, and only two people knew that. We did rescue a few people from the club that night, but in my mind, there was no way you were going to be left there.

“When we talked, I put on my best tough-guy act, but deep down, there was this fire, like a smoldering ember. It just kept getting hotter the more time we spent together.”

She laughed, turning back to gaze at the ocean, the moonlight dancing on the waves.

“I knew there was something different about you when I saw you in that alley. The way the shadows played on your face when I walked into work that night stirred something in me.

“Your reputation terrified me. When I found out I was the one chosen to serve you drinks, I tried to get out of it.

“I had managed to avoid you the entire time I worked there, but that night when you looked into my eyes, I knew my luck had run out. I had never seen you before, but something inside me recognized you.

“I’ll never regret that night, but it’s funny how fate brought us together. A shy, wealthy girl who always kept her head down ends up with one of the most powerful men in existence.”

I stepped back from her, fumbling in my coat pocket for a moment, then looked back at her, her hair blowing in the ocean breeze.

Taking a deep breath, I looked down at the floor, then closed my eyes for a moment to calm my nerves.

~Get it together, man. You know she loves you as much as you love her.~

Conner stepped up behind me, laying a hand on my shoulder and whispering so she couldn’t hear.

“Do it, Boss. Stop acting like a scared teenager asking a girl to a dance. You know she’ll love it and want to spend the rest of her life with you.

“Our food will be here soon. You don’t want her to eat cold food, do you?” He stepped back as the others came out to stand beside him.

Shaking my head slowly, I opened my eyes, then slowly got down on one knee. As I took her left hand in mine, she looked at me, then at the box I held open in my right hand.

Her eyes flicked back and forth between my eyes and the box.

“Shay, I’ve told you a thousand times that you’re the love of my life and that we were meant to be together.

I’ve been telling you that I love you with everything I have, so now it’s time to show you that I want to put that love into action.

“Shay, I’ve gone over this in my mind for almost this entire trip, exactly what to say when this moment came. But right now, all I want is to spend the rest of our lives together.

“Making each other happy, raising a family together, then growing old with grandkids running around our feet, begging us to pick them up to hold them close to our hearts. Shay, will you marry me?”

Her eyes welled up with tears, and her right hand flew to her mouth, covering it as I spoke.

Her eyes landed on the diamond ring nestled in the red velvet box I held out to her. It had a twisted band with two rows of diamonds wrapped halfway around it.

The main diamond was four carats. Surrounding it on both sides were twenty-eight half-carat stones, seven per twist.

She locked eyes with me. “Yes, of course, I will. I love you so much, Zane!”

I gently slid the ring out of its box and onto her finger. Rising to my feet, I drew her into a fervent kiss. Our tongues twirled in a dance that seemed to last an eternity, while our friends cheered us on from behind.

Forest approached us once we finally broke apart, enveloping her in a bear hug.

“I’m so thrilled for you two,” he said. “This guy has shown time and time again just how much he loves you. I hope you find everything you’ve ever wanted in life with him.”

She returned his hug, then planted a kiss on his cheek. “I think he’s proven to both of us that he’s capable of that. We’re going to be so happy together, and I hope you’ll stick around to share in that happiness.”

He laughed, hugging her once more. “I’m not going anywhere. You’re stuck with me for life.”

The rest of the guys came over to congratulate us, shaking my hand and hugging her. We then made our way back to our table in the restaurant.

Max had stayed behind to keep an eye on our drinks, ensuring no one tampered with them. His eyes sparkled as they landed on her hand, and he gave me a nod of approval as I helped her back into her seat.

“Nice rock, dude. You did well with that one.” His grin seemed to light up the entire room.

“Only the best for the love of my life,” I responded, a smirk playing on my lips.

Soon after we’d all settled back down, our food arrived for us to savor.