by L. M. Reid
Epilogue
Mia
The Onyx and the Scarlet Room opened six months ago. Since then? Life has been bliss. Hectic, stressful, crazy bliss. The best part of it all? The sexy as hell man in his gray floral trunks that sets the perfect scenery for this beach trip.
Walking into my office last week I checked through the mail that Shauna left on my desk. A large unmarked envelope sat amongst everything else. Pulling the contents from it, I nearly squealed. Two plane tickets. A private, romantic getaway. Just what we need.
Despite my excitement, poor Cooper really had to persuade me. The Onyx, it was still so new. I wasn’t quite ready to walk away and leave it in anyone’s hands. Cooper wasn’t worried in the slightest. Not about the hotel, or the restaurant, or really anything. He assured me we deserved this. He assured me that we hired amazing people who will be able to handle everything.
The control freak in me? Still not convinced.
Looking at him now, though? I’m slowly coming around. Enough that the only thoughts I’ve had today have been of him, naked in the ocean.
Standing up, I toss the book I had been reading to the side.
He looks at me over his sunglasses, “Where are you going?”
“For a swim,” I reply, my arms stretching above my head. “Wanna come?”
His glasses fly to the side as he springs from his lounge chair. His hands are on me and hoisting me over his shoulder.
Submerged in the crystal-clear water, I wrap my legs around his waist. His hand dips into the space where our bodies meet, his fingers moving the fabric of my bikini bottoms to the side as they run along me.
“Do you like when I touch you, Mia?”
“Mm…” My tongue darting out of my mouth to lick my lips.
His finger slides into me, the salt-water doing nothing to negate the hot wet heat that fills me.
“More,” I plead needing more than his fingers.
My hand sinks beneath the water freeing the one thing my body is aching for. He presses our bodies together as he lines himself at my entrance. One swift motion and he’s inside me.
No one has ever made me feel the way Cooper Williams does. No one has ever captured my heart and my body. No one else ever could.
When I got out of the bathroom, Cooper was nowhere to be found. I thought it a little odd he hadn’t tried to join me as he has the entire time we’ve been here. Still, I didn’t put too much thought into it. Standing in the empty room, fear settles in my stomach. What if he changed his mind? What if this is all too much?
Glancing down at the bed, I notice it’s made. It certainly wasn’t before I went in the shower. I’m certain, we made a mess of that thing. But now, it’s pristine and there is a white sheet of paper in the center of it.
Had to take care of something. Meet me in the lobby. Love, Coop
Seeing the word love, knowing he wrote it sends a pitter-patter through my heart. It’s a common word. One that people tend to throw around recklessly. Not Cooper though. He never in his life intended to say it. Now that he has though, I know he means it. I know it isn’t something he throws around lightly – he means it.
Stepping out of the elevator, I glance around the lobby. It’s quiet, nearly empty. Except for the man standing by the windows that overlook the beach. His hands are tucked into his gray slacks, his body slightly rigid. The worry his note settled re-emerges. Is it us? The hotel? My life, it’s imperfectly perfect. And I’m terrified of losing it.
My heels click on the floor as I rush to him. When he turns to face me, I stop. The smile on his face intoxicating. There’s no worry, no fear, just happiness.
“What are you up to?” I ask him suspiciously.
“Not a thing,” he tells me with a wink. “After you.” He gestures for me to walk through the nearby doors.
Biting my lip, I contemplate if I should trust him. He’s setting me up, of that I’m certain. I’m just not sure for what.
“As amazing as you look in those heels, you might want to take them off,” he tells me. “I don’t think they’re going to work well in sand.”
“Sand? Aren’t we a little overdressed for the beach?”
“Don’t you trust me, Mia?” he asks. That boyish grin of his makes his look more suspicious than sweet in this instant.
“Not at all,” I laugh as I take the hand, he’s extended to me.
We walk down the beach in silence. Off in the distance there is a pier that extends slightly into the ocean. It’s lit with lights that seem to twinkle as though the stars above had fallen and landed on it just for us.
“Is that where we’re going?” I ask.
With a nod of his head, we continue to walk.
“You didn’t have to go to all this trouble,” I say squeezing his hand.
When we reach the white wood of the pier, he hands me my shoes back. I slip them on then stare back up at him. His expression is unreadable, and his silence is unnerving me. What is he up to?
Hand in hand we continue down the pier to the gazebo that too is illuminated with soft lights.
The table is set with snacks and mini cheesecakes. Admittedly I’ve become a snob. “Did you make these?” I ask.
He picks one up from the table and brings it to my lips. “You think I would ever let you eat anyone else’s cheesecake again?” he teases.
I bite into the creamy dessert and a moan escapes. Everything about this man is perfection, even his desserts.
“What is all this?” I ask him when I’ve finished the last bite of the petite dessert.
“I just wanted to do something nice for you,” he says innocently.
“I call bullshit.”
Cooper shoots me a quick smile before walking to the edge of the gazebo. His hands rest on the railing as he overlooks the ocean beyond.
“I’ve messed up a lot of things with us,” he says.
“Baby, we’re past all that,” I tell him.
“I’m not.” He turns to me, his hands still on the railing. “I lost you twice because I was an idiot. Then I nearly lost you because…” he shakes his head. We still don’t talk about that day. He won’t. I hope one day he opens up to me, but even so, I know what it did to him. How it made him feel.
“None of that matters anymore. All that matters is the here and now,” I assure him.
He nods his head in agreement. “The thing is, we never talked about where we’re going to go from here.”
“Since when do you worry about the future?” I ask. I walk toward him, my hands resting on his strong chest.
“Since I realized that I don’t want to live one that doesn’t include you.”
“I’m not going anywhere.”
“I need to be certain,” he tells me.
“I don’t know what else I can do to prove it to you.”
He shrugs his shoulders. “You could say yes.”
“Yes, to what?”
Cooper drops down on one knee before me. “Will you marry me, Mia?”
My hand flies to my mouth as he opens a small red velvet box in his hands.
“The only thing I’m afraid of anymore is not spending every minute I can with you. Marry me, Mia.”
There’s no hesitation. No fear. Only us. And there is only one thing left to say…
“Can I think about it?” I ask unable to help myself.
“Mia,” he scolds.
“Yes, the answer is yes!”