Chapter 38: Hidden Heir: Chapter 38

“What have you got up your sleeve?” I settle back into the passenger seat, eyeing Leon as he drives with a broad smile that’s been on his face ever since we left the estate.

“What do you mean?” he asks innocently.

“You. You’re up to something.”

“Am I?” He glances at me and shrugs. “I’m just in a good mood.”

“No, I know your good mood smile. That is more of an ‘I’m up to something smile.’” I gently prod at his arm.

“I’m not going to ruin the surprise.”

“I knew it!” A bubble of excitement makes me sit up a little straighter. “You are up to something!”

“Of course I am.” Leon’s grin widens. “But I’m not telling you what it is until we get there.”

I kick my feet a little and press back into my seat, unable to stop smiling. If he’s being this secretive, it has to be something good. I just can’t think of what.

I’ve been riding a happy high since Tiffany’s birthday party. Work is going really well. We finally have a foothold in the pharmaceutical drug market with connections to several hospitals—including the one that nursed Leon and me back to health—and the Irish have been using their extensive contacts to help me get into real estate. It’s much easier to house victims when I have a handle on the very market designed to keep them out.

Overall, things have been going amazing, so I can’t think of anything else that could be putting Leon in such a good mood. We drive for approximately ten minutes before Leon pulls up to a curb and hands me a blindfold.

“Are you serious?” I eye the dark fabric with mild suspicion. “What is going on?”

“Trust me,” is all he says.

I do. Completely. With a deep breath, I slide the blindfold over my eyes and knot it gently at the back of my head. Only then does the car set off once again and Leon drives for another couple of minutes. This time when we stop, he climbs out of the car immediately. I track the sound of his footsteps before my door opens and his hand slides into mine.

“Come with me, darling.”

I oblige, sliding from the car onto unsteady heels as I gain my balance in darkness. Clutching at his wrist and hand, I cling to him as we walk a few steps then Leon clears his throat.

“Okay, you can take it off now.”

“Really? No more suspense?”

Leon’s lips brush softly against my cheek. “You can stay blindfolded if you’d like,” he murmurs. “It’s kind of sexy.”

“You’re so bad,” I smirk. I remove the blindfold, blinking several times to adjust to the sunlight. “Oh. Oh my god.”

In front of us is a flower shop, the windows filled with colorful plants and flowers. Above the door is a sign with the words Brooke’s Blooms in black and gold lettering. A couple of hanging baskets drift slightly in the breeze on either side of the door. At a glance, I recognize every single flower, and an old affection stirs deep within my heart. It’s been so long since I thought about flowers. Ever since my shop was burned down and Hannah was killed, I’d written off ever returning to my passion, but here it was laid out in front of me.

“What is this?” I whisper, barely able to get my voice to work.

“Do you want to see inside?” Leon lifts his hand, a set of keys dangling from his fingers. All I can do is nod. Remaining clutched at his side, I follow him into the shop as he unlocks the door and leads the way in. The glorious scent of strong florals, soil, and fertilizer immediately hits me. There’s something so achingly comforting about the smell that tears immediately spring into my eyes.

“When you were in the hospital,” Leon begins quietly, “Selina told me about your flower shop designs. She told me how much passion you had, how gorgeous and creative your designs were. I’d heard that passion for myself whenever you talked about your old place. So I hunted high and low for the perfect little shop that you could call your own. Even Ronan helped. It turns out he’s got a bit of a green thumb too, so he helped pick out a lot of the plants you see. The rest I chose because they reminded me of you. Pretty, vibrant, and strong.”

We wander around together and I scan every small plant and sapling that sits cozy in a pot, happily growing away.

“If you don’t like the name, we can change it. We can change anything you want to. I just want you to have the freedom to do what you love,” Leon says. “You’ve done so much for me, so much for all the people we’ve rescued. You deserve this. You deserve to flourish as much as the people you’ve helped rescue.”

I have no words. It feels like a dream. Everything is so beautiful and perfect. I can’t bring myself to blink because I’m scared that if I do, this wonderful place might vanish.

“And everything is in your name, right down to the deed. This place is one hundred percent yours. So, what do you think?”

“I love it.” My voice cracks, tears spilling down my cheeks as I turn to Leon. “This is so thoughtful, thank you so much!” I throw my arms around him and kiss him repeatedly, salty tears mingling between our lips. He holds me close then cups the side of my neck and caresses my jaw.

“There’s one more thing.”

Taking my hand, Leon leads me into a small corridor that opens out into a large greenhouse filled with even more vibrant plants. There’s a large table at the far end, fully set up for photography. I can barely believe my eyes and the tears well up once more. I glance down and realize we’re walking on rose petals. As Leon takes my hand suddenly the air grows warmer.

There are golden lights wrapped around several of the supporting beams. Leon lets go of my hand to pluck a single pink rose that he then offers to me.

“What is this?” I ask softly, my heart beginning to race.

“This is just the beginning.” Leon smiles, a hint of nervousness in his eyes. “I plan to spend the rest of my life doing everything I can to make you feel like a princess. This place is all set up and ready to open. As you can see over there, the cameras are set up for you to rebuild your socials, which I believe Selina has already started doing for you. She has a knack for outreach.”

“A multi-talented assassin,” I chuckle, spinning the rose between my fingers.

“Exactly.” Leon walks closer. “Brooke, you should know that I’ve been in love with you since the day we met in that club. It was so long ago and hardly compares to how life has treated us these past eight months, but I want you to know that I have always loved you. You captured me the moment I laid eyes on you, and the years we spent apart only made my love for you stronger. I didn’t acknowledge or understand how until you were back in my life.”

He’s giving me a speech. Why is he giving me a speech?

Is he…? My heart skips a beat.

The rose petals on the floor. The golden lights. The rose. Is he going to propose?

“Things weren’t easy, I know that. You showed admirable strength in making tough choices to keep Tiffany safe. Even to protect your brother, a man who only cared about you when it suited him. And still, you showed him incredible loyalty. You have a heart of gold and I don’t deserve it. I know I didn’t show you all of me at first, and there were aspects that made my family unsafe for you and Tiffany. But together, we’ve changed that. Never in all my years did I think I would have the strength to stand up to my father about how we run things.”

Leon tenderly takes my hand in his.

“You’ve brought such a unique passion and love into my life. You provide clarity and an unwavering strength that I strive to meet every day. You’ve found friends where I thought there were none and provided safety nets to those with nothing. Even with your drug incentive, you’re doing it to help people. You are a phenomenal woman and I want to spend every day, for the rest of my life, proving that I deserve to be with you.”

Slowly, he gets down on one knee and my heart leaps up into my throat. Given how his knee still gives him problems, it means a lot that he’s doing this the traditional way.

“I love you, Brooke.” Leon fishes into his pocket and pulls out a sparkling platinum ring. The diamond is shaped like a rose and twinkles a thousand different colors. It’s absolutely gorgeous and my breath catches in my throat.

“Will you do me the incredible honor of becoming my wife? Will you let me love and adore you from this day until the day we die? Will you build a family with me and help me give Tiffany a sibling? Will you be mine, in every way that I will be yours?”

I’m completely and utterly floored. Not only has he given me my passion back, but he kneels before me with an outpouring of love that’s so strong I almost fear I don’t deserve it.

He echoes a lot of my own feelings back at me and as I stare at him, the unshed tears in my eyes make the ring blur until it looks like Leon is offering me a star straight out of the sky.

“You want all of that?” I whisper. “You want to marry me? And to have another baby?”

“Yes,” Leon says earnestly. “I want everything with you. I want the craziness that will bring and I want to be married and raising children. I want it all. I want every second with you, no matter how boring or insane. I want it.”

“Then… yes!” I laugh and the tears fall. “Yes, a thousand times yes, I will marry you!”

I tremble as he takes my hand. He slides the ring on my finger and it nestles there perfectly, like it was created to be there. Then he surges upward and wraps me in a tight embrace, spinning me around as he kisses me deeply. I laugh when we break for air then take his face in my hands so I can kiss him again.

Married. I’m going to be married.

“I love you,” Leon whispers against my lips.

“I love you too!”

Tiffany is going to grow up with everything she needs. I finally have a family that loves and adores me.

What more could a girl ask for?

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