“Uh...what is that for?” I asked, looking at the bandana.
Steven smiled and leaned into the car, placing the cloth over my eyes.
“It’s so you can’t cheat,” he said. “I don’t want you to know where we are going until we get there.”
He tied a knot in the bandana, securing it to my head. My vision became enshrouded in darkness.
“You’re insane,” I said, jokingly.
I listened as Steven closed the passenger door and then got back in on his side. Then he put the car in reverse and finished backing out of the driveway.
“Are you excited?” he asked.
I shrugged my shoulders.
“I’m not really sure,” I responded. “I’m excited and kind of nervous. You’ve never gone to these extremes to surprise me before.”
Steven laughed and I felt as he placed his hand on my knee, like he always did when we drove. I relaxed into the seat and took a deep breath.
What a day it’s been!
The morning started with Steven and I coming clean to our parents, where the news was taken surprisingly well. Then we had an afternoon filled with amazing sex. And then it was going to be finished off with one of Steven’s crazy surprises for me. A smile crossed my face as I thought about the day and how quickly life can turn around for the better. At the exact moment that I thought everything was falling apart, was when it all started to come together.
Chapter 24
“Baby, we’re here,” Steven said.
I felt the car pull to a stop. It had been at least a half an hour drive, maybe more. I had no clue as to where Steven had taken me. I spent the entire car ride trying to figure it out, but couldn’t. I thought that maybe he was taking me to a fancy restaurant, or a nice bar on the beach or even to the airport to go on a vacation. I had no idea what was up his sleeve.
“Keep your bandana on,” he said.
I listened as he got out of the driver’s seat and closed the door. A moment later, he opened my door and grabbed my hand.
“Come on,” he said. “It’s just a short walk from here, then you can look. No peeking, though.”
He helped me out of the car and then we walked hand in hand. I held on tight, for fear of falling in my high heels. I tried to listen as carefully as I could, attempting to find a clue as to where we were. In the distance, I heard the sound of evening crickets making their noise. And even further away, was the sound of a stream or a river.
Where are we?
We walked for a few minutes and then Steven said, “Okay, watch your step. We’re about to step off of the sidewalk and onto some grass.”
I squeezed his hand, as we stepped onto the grass.
“Where are we, baby?” I asked.
“We’re almost there,” Steven said. “Just a few more feet and then you can take the bandana off.”
We walked in silence for just a couple more minutes. Then finally, Steven stopped. I listened as he took a contented sigh.
“Alright,” he said. “I’ll untie your bandana.”
Excitement burst through me, and a smile crossed my face.
Finally!
Steven stepped behind me and I felt as he worked at the knot that held the bandana over my eyes. Butterflies began to fly in my stomach as the anticipation overwhelmed me.
“Okay, you ready?” Steven asked.
I nodded my head.
Of course I’m ready! I thought.
Steven finished untying the knot and then he let the bandana drop. It took a second for my eyes to adjust to the light, but as soon as they did, I instantly knew where we were.
The rolling green hills, the river in the background, the beautiful setting sun. It was a place that I knew all too well and brought back a memory that I had cherished so much.
“Steven,” I said, smiling as I turned toward him. “You took me to where William and Mom got married?”
Steven smiled proudly and nodded his head.
“Ah, but it’s not just where our parents got married,” he said.
I cocked my head to the side, shrugging my shoulders.
“What do you mean?” I asked.
Steven approached me, wrapping an arm over my shoulder and holding me close.
“You see, this place represents so much more than just our parent’s marriage,” he said. “In fact, to me, it’s far more valuable than that.”
We began to walk across the grass, making our way to the exact location that my parents had gotten married months before, atop one of the beautiful, grassy hills.
Steven continued speaking as we walked. “You see, Kelsey, this location will always have a special place in my heart. It was because of this place that my entire life changed forever. It was because of this place that everything in my world turned upside down, but in all the best ways. It was because of this place that I met the most beautiful girl in the world. I’ll always love this area because of that.”
My eyes lit up and I felt my heart leap out of my chest.
“Oh, my God, Steven,” I said. “I had forgotten that this is where we first met!”
Steven nodded, and kept his arm around me as we approached the location of our parent’s marriage. Sitting atop the hill, in the exact spot that William and my mom tied the knot, there was a beautiful picnic set up, including an old-school picnic basket and two bottles of sparkling water sticking out of the top. I immediately looked to Steven, a shocked expression on my face.
“Did you set that up?” I asked.
Steven looked at me and responded, “Well, sort of. I had my friend set it up for me because I didn’t have a chance to sneak over here today.”
I brought my gaze back to the picnic and as we got closer, I noticed that there was a large, wool blanket spread out on the grass. Two wine glasses were set out also, and in the center there was a candle with a lighter next to it.
“What do you think?” Steven asked.
I didn’t even know what to say. I was rendered completely speechless. Not only was I surprised but his thoughtful actions had also caused me to immediately fall deeper in love him. I didn’t even realize that I could love him more than I already did. But nobody had ever done anything like that for me before in my life. So much thought and so much love had gone into it. All I could do was to stand there and attempt to hold back the tears.
“Don’t cry, baby,” Steven said, as he held me close. “Unless they’re tears of joy, those are okay.”
I chuckled through the tears and then used the back of my hand to wipe them away.
“Yes, they’re tears of joy,” I responded. “I just can’t believe how sweet you are sometimes.”
We both took a seat on the blanket and Steven started to open one of the bottles of sparkling water. Steven was even thoughtful enough to bring sparkling water instead of wine, knowing that I couldn’t drink because of my pregnancy.
I drew in a deep breath, looking around and taking the view in. The sun was beginning to sink over the horizon, giving the sky a beautiful, orange glow.
“I remember so vividly the first time that I met you,” I said, as I kept my gaze upward, watching the clouds turn orange from the sunset. “I can remember it like it was yesterday. Remember, Steven? You remember the moment we first came into each other’s lives? I do. I recall it perfectly.”
The memory of our first encounter flashed through my mind like a movie as Steven poured the sparking water into our glasses. The memory went something like this:
This is crazy...my mother is getting married today. I hope I don’t cry.
I turned back around in my seat, facing the flowery gazebo in which my mother and William were about to become married. I had always imagined weddings happening inside of a church, but I really liked the setting they had picked out. It was a beautiful park on the outskirts of town. You could hear the small creek nearby and birds chirping playfully in the trees. It was pretty serene, almost like something from a dream. It was beautiful and I felt like I could have sat there for h
ours just taking it all in.
“Is this seat taken?” I heard a man’s voice ask.
It shook me from my daydreaming and I jumped a little out of surprise. I turned to look, but the sun hit me right in the eyes.
“Uh, no,” I said. “I don’t think anybody is sitting there yet.”
The man stepped in front of me, temporarily blocking the sun. I brought my gaze up his body, which was adorned in a tailored black suit.
“Sorry if I surprised you there,” he said, looking down at me.
I looked up to his face and immediately felt my lips part slightly from shock.
“Oh, no problem,” I said. “But yeah, I think that seat is open.”
Holy shit. He’s gorgeous.
I had no idea who this man was. I had only laid eyes on him for a brief moment, but the image of his handsome face was burned into my mind. He had black hair that was combed to the side, complimented by a thick but perfectly trimmed beard. His smile was wide and contagious and the tone of his voice deep and sexy. But none of these things mesmerized me the way that his baby blue eyes did. They were gorgeous and so bright that they were almost fluorescent.
He’s perfect. I thought to myself.
The man sat down in the chair to my right and I glanced over at him. He looked back in an instant and smiled.
“I’m Steven,” he said, holding out his hand.
Out of habit, I glanced down, checking to see if he had a ring on his ring finger. I didn’t have any intentions at that point, but I figured it would be good to know if he was married or not. Luckily, though, there was no ring.
“I’m Kelsey,” I responded, shaking his hand.
Steven nodded slowly and looked me over. I immediately got lost in his eyes, hypnotized by the exotic color.
“You’re very pretty. I really like that dress,” Steven replied.
I cocked my head to the side and smiled coyly.
“Thank you. The groom bought it for me,” I explained. “Speaking of which, who are you here with? Do you know the bride, also known as my mom, or do you know William?”
Steven smiled and chuckled quietly, shaking his head.
“Of course,” he said. “Of course. This is the way things always work out, isn’t it? I meet the most beautiful girl and I’m lucky enough to get to sit next to her. Then I find out that she’s the daughter of the woman that’s marrying my dad.”
“Babe!!” Steven said loudly, immediately shaking me from the memory.
I opened my eyes. The sun was still sinking over the horizon. I looked toward Steven who was sitting on the opposite side of the picnic basket. He was holding a glass of sparkling water.
“What are you thinking about?” he asked. “I said your name three times before you opened your eyes.”
A smile crossed my face as I took the glass from him. I brought it to my lips, taking a quick sip. Then I responded, “I was just thinking about how I met you. I remember when you first walked up and took that seat next to me. I also remember how upset you were when you found out that it was my mom that your dad was marrying.”
Steven smiled as he scooted closer to me, wrapping an arm around my waist.
“Well, I liked you from the first moment that we met,” he said. “So when I found out that you were going to be my little sister, I was immediately disappointed. I didn’t think it could ever work out between us for that very reason. It turns out, though, that I was wrong.”
I leaned my head onto Steven’s shoulder, closing my eyes and breathing in the sweet scent of his cologne.
“You know, it’s kind of crazy, isn’t it?” I said. “I’ve said it before, but it always blows my mind how things work out in life. It seems like just yesterday we were sitting here, watching my mom and William get married. I feel like I’ve changed so much in such a short amount of time. I’m not the same person that I was back then.”
Steven kissed me on the top of the head, then said, “I don’t think either of us are the same. So much has changed in the past year. But I can safely say that all of it has been for the better, wouldn’t you agree?”
I looked toward him, smiling.
“Of course,” I said. “I can’t imagine a life without you now. I didn’t even know what happiness was until I met you.”
Steven sipped his sparkling water and then set it down on the grass next to the blanket.
“I couldn’t agree more,” he responded. “I used to really believe that I knew what happiness was. I thought that my money could buy me everything that I needed or wanted in life. I was convinced that money was the end and the beginning of happiness.”
He paused as he shook his head. After a moment, he continued.
“Money can’t buy you anything that really matters in this world, though,” he said. “Anything that money can buy will eventually fall apart. The mansion, the grand piano, my car...all of these things will crumble to the ground some day. And for most of my life, these material things were all that mattered to me. If only I had known that the only thing I needed in my life was you, Kelsey. You’re all that I ever needed. Everything else was just filling a hole in my life.”
I hung onto every word as he spoke. He had opened up to me before, but not like this. His sincerity was pure, each word striking another chord in my heart.
“You’ve taught me more about life in the past year than in all of the rest of my years on this earth,” Steven continued. “You showed me how it feels to love someone. You taught me patience and treated me with a warmth that I hadn’t felt before. You gave my soul a home.”
Tears began to well up in my eyes as I watched him speak. His words were so beautiful, almost poetic. I didn’t want him to stop.
Steven looked into my eyes and then leaned toward me, kissing me gently on the lips. My entire body tingled and the sensation took my breath away. Everything he did caused me to fall deeper in love with him. As he pulled away, he took a long sigh, gazing into my eyes at the same time.
“Life’s crazy, isn’t it?” he asked.
“So crazy,” I responded. “But wouldn’t it be boring if it wasn’t?”
Steven smiled and looked around the park.
“So, do you know the exact spot that we sat when your parents got married?” he asked.
I took a look around and then shook my head.
“No, not exactly,” I said. “We are currently sitting where my mom and William said their vows. So, if I remember correctly, we sat right over there, in the front row.”
I pointed to an area in the grass. There weren’t any chairs set up like there were on our parent’s wedding, but I was pretty sure the location was about right.
Steven nodded his head.
“Ah, yes,” he said. “How could I forget? I think you’re right. We first met right over here.”
Then he stood up from the blanket, grabbing my hand.
“Come on, let’s go to the exact spot that we first met,” he said, as he helped me up to my feet.
He led me the short distance to the area on the grass where we had been seated during our parent’s wedding. The memory was so clear that it felt like it was yesterday.
“I have one other thing that I wanted to surprise you with,” Steven said, as we stood there on the grass, looking into each other’s eyes.
I smiled coyly then responded, “Steven, you’ve already done so much to set up this romantic evening. You don’t have to do anything else.”
Steven kept his eyes locked with mine.
“Yes, I do,” he said.
I watched as he drew in a long breath and then slowly exhaled.
“Kelsey,” he continued. “In the past year, you’ve become my entire world. You’re everything to me and I wouldn’t trade a single thing for the time that we’ve spent together. I love you more than life itself.”
I placed my hands onto Steven’s forearms as he spoke.
“I love you, too, baby,” I said. “You’re my world.”
Steven looked at the ground, then
back up to me. He suddenly seemed nervous as he spoke. I could hear the change in his tone almost immediately.
“Oh, God,” he said. “I just can’t even put it into words, Kelsey. I could stand here and tell you how much I love you all night, or remind you how happy you’ve made me and how much better my life is because of you. But none of that would fully express the way that I feel.”
I stayed silent, listening intently as Steven spoke.
“Kelsey...” he said.
Then he paused. There was silence all around us as I waited for him to continue. The only noise was coming from the crickets and the stream nearby.
“What is it, baby?” I asked.
Steven looked at me with those beautiful, baby blue eyes of his. A second later, he dropped to one knee on the ground in front of me. At the same time, he reached into his front pocket and pulled out a small, black box.
My jaw dropped and a wave of emotion coursed through me, rendering me speechless.
Oh, my God. Oh, my God.
“Baby,” Steven said, as he opened the box, exposing the most beautiful diamond ring I had ever seen in my life. “Will you marry me?”
Oh, my God...Steven...yes...yes...I thought
Tears of joy burst from my eyes in an instant. I didn’t even know what to say. I brought my hand to my mouth in shock as I began to nod my head eagerly. The emotion inside of me was overwhelming.
I can’t believe this. He’s proposing to me!
After a few seconds of me standing there, trying to come to my senses, I managed to speak.
“Yes,” I said, in between sobs. “Yes, of course, I’ll marry you, baby.”
Tear slid down my cheeks as Steven gently took my left hand. He then slid the diamond ring over my ring finger, holding my hand for a moment as he looked at me. There was a smile on his face unlike any I had seen up that that point. And tears began to fill his eyes as well.
“She said yes!” Steven screamed suddenly, his joyous voice echoing throughout the park. “She said yes!!!”
Then he stood up from the ground, grabbing me by the waist and lifting me up into the air, twirling me around.
“My baby girl said yes!” he cried.
His energy was contagious and I smiled through the tears. Steven held me in the air, his powerful arms carrying me with ease. After a moment, he set me back on the ground. Then he brought his hands to my waist, pulling my body into his.
Steven: A Billionaire Stepbrother Romance Novel Page 17