by Amber Heart
“Is that even a question? This is the most amazing place I’ve ever been to! It’s just so beautiful! I feel like I’m in the ocean.” She bit her lip. She’d almost mentioned the mermaid part. She prayed that he wouldn’t pick up on that. He smiled at her, and she didn’t know if she was imagining it or if it was really happening, but he was looking at her in that way that all the men in romance movies look at the women they love. Her heart started to flutter, and it brought a little flush to her cheeks, making her eyes sparkle and her skin glow. Eric was blown away by how beautiful she was. The way that she looked at him like he was the only man in the world. That was something he’d never had before. Yes, girls had looked at him like he was the paycheck that would get them anything they wanted. He was used to that. It wasn’t what he’d wanted, though, and that was part of the reason why he’d never gotten close to the girls that his mother had paraded in front of him.
“I wanted to do this for you. To make it right.” This was how the speech started, that much he knew, but he couldn’t remember the rest of it. Her beautiful eyes were looking at him in question now, and all the words he’d been rehearsing for the last week went right out of his head. He swallowed hard. His eyes met those of the waiter over Rosalie’s head. She was still looking at him askance. He gave a curt jerk of his head, that she would have never known was a signal, and the waiter disappeared.
“What do you mean? There’s nothing to make right.” That was another thing about her. She was such an amazing person. Even if someone slighted her, she’d never bring it up. She’d forgive them wholeheartedly, and without question. Even though she’d thought he had abandoned her, had broken up with her by just stopping all communication, here she was, looking at him with such love in her eyes. He wanted that for the rest of his life. He’d known it before, but now it got to the point where he refused to live without it. He’d known that he loved her, and he’d wanted someone to look at him that way, at first it didn’t matter who. Now he knew he wanted her to look at him that way for the rest of his life. The waiter came by with two glasses of champagne. His eyes darted up at the tray, and he saw the sparkle of the ring in her glass. When they got their glasses, the waiter bowed and left, smirking a little at Eric and giving him an encouraging pat on the back.
“I want you to know that I didn’t want to hurt you at all. I wasn’t breaking up with you, and I never want you to think that I would break up with you just by not speaking to you. I have enough honor in me that I would sit down with you face to face and talk about it.” Pain flashed across her face, and he realized that he was ripping open the wound that she was trying desperately to forget. He kicked himself mentally for doing that to her.
“I’m sorry I ever thought that about you. I just hadn’t had a real relationship before, and I thought that maybe I had thrown myself into it too much and pushed you away.” The smile was gone from her face, and tears threatened. This was not working out the way he’d wanted it to at all.
“Please don’t cry, Rosalie. There’s nothing that you’ve done wrong. Nothing at all.” She looked up at him, trying to force a smile.
“Well, I think I made a mistake when I said you should wait for six months to decide if you really want to be with me.” Her gaze fell on the floor and her cheeks heated up. She was hinting that she wished that he wasn’t going to wait, and he could pick up on that. He grinned at her, but she didn’t see it. Well, that was something that they could be on the same page about.
“Nonsense. I say we drink a toast to new beginnings.” He lifted his glass, and nudged hers closer to her. She picked it up without even looking in it. She raised the glass and took a sip, eyes going wide when the ring pressed up against her lips. He smiled as he watched her pull the glass away from her mouth. She looked at him, then at the ring, then back at him. Tears started to pour down her cheeks as he slid from his chair down onto a knee. He picked up her hand from where it lay in her lap.
“Oh my god. This is really happening, isn’t it?” He was sure that the question was rhetorical, so he decided to launch right into the proposal. He didn’t know what to say, so there was no way that he could have practiced this, but he knew that he’d be able to speak right from the heart when the time came.
“Rosalie. You’re different from any woman I’ve ever met. Even when I was playing the asshole and being as bad and horrible as I could be to you, you found good qualities in me that I never even knew were there. Or if I’d had an inkling, I’d buried it so no one else could see. Something about you drew out my secret, and when I blurted out the truth, I was sure that you would tell every person you knew. But you didn’t. You kept my secret, and if I’d asked you to, you would have taken it to your grave. That’s a kind of loyalty that I’ve never gotten from anyone in my life. You support me in anything I do, and again, that’s something I’ve never had. My own parents don’t even know my hopes and dreams like you do. I can’t talk to them the way I do with you. You’re there for me no matter what. You look at me like I’m the only man in the world, and I want to be that for you. You look at me like I can do anything. It makes me feel like I’m a better person than I really am, and I want to be what you deserve. I promise you that I will spend the rest of my life proving that to you, if only you’ll let me. So, Rosalie, what I’m saying is, I love you. Will you marry me?” The soft trickle of tears now gave way to a real flood. He had to scramble to get her a napkin to wipe her face with before she could answer him. She was nodding her head, however, and that gave him hope. He didn’t realize that he’d been holding his breath.
“Of course I will! I look at you like you’re the only man in the world because you’re the only man in my world.” That simple phrase warmed his heart, and he was pretty sure that he was going to start crying himself soon. He took the ring from the glass, which wasn’t easy since he was on one knee and fishing it out with a fork. He quickly rinsed it in a glass of water, using the hem of his jacket to dry it off before slipping it on her finger. He held her hand for a moment or two more, locking this into his memory before he got up, used her hand to pull her to her feet, then wrapped her in his arms, kissing her long and slow, hoping to steal her breath away. Her arms came up and wrapped around him, pulling him closer into her softness. His eyes closed, and for a moment, he could forget where they were. He could forget that there were other people around, because in that moment, they were the only two people in the world. He could have forgotten all that, if it had been up to him, but the rest of the patrons of the restaurant were hell bent on ruining that for him. They started to clap and whoop, and both of them turned bright red as they pulled apart. The waiter stood by them, smiling. He couldn’t clap because he had a tray in his hands, which he then set down at the table.
“This is our famous dessert dish, and it’s on the house. Congratulations!” He looked like he might have had a tear in his eye, too, and that made Eric think that maybe his proposal had been ok. His biggest fear was that he would botch it up somehow. He was glad that it was over, and that she’d said yes. As they sat down again, their dinner dishes cleared away, they shared the dessert, smiling at each other like newlyweds.
Rosalie couldn’t believe it. Of course it hadn’t been six months yet, and so she should have said no, but she couldn’t. If she’d said no this time, she had nothing to guarantee that he would ask again later. This was her chance, and she wasn’t going to let him slip out of her fingers. She loved him and she wasn’t going to do anything to risk not being with him. After they’d finished the food, he took her arm, escorting her out to the front door. The valet brought the car around, and he was the perfect gentleman.
“Wait, aren’t we taking the carriage back?” She was confused. They’d come in the carriage, and it had been so romantic. She’d hoped that they would be able to go back in it.
“No, the driver had an emergency and had to cancel.” That made sense. But how had the car gotten here? He saw the question in her eyes and smiled. “My sister and her fri
end brought it by. I told them that I’d need a ride for me and my new fiancé.” Rosalie smiled. At least his sister seemed to be on board with Eric’s plans for his life, but that still left his mother. And the father that she’d never met. Well, if she had Eric on her side, then she could do anything. She’d worry about all of that later, however, because right now she was with the man she loved, and he’d put a ring on her finger.
Chapter 20
Eric was floating on a cloud. She’d said yes. He’d hoped that she would, but he’d always had that doubt in the back of his mind that he didn’t deserve her. Now the ring sparkled on her finger, and it gave him a matching sparkle in his eyes. He walked her to the door of her dorm, leaned in to kiss her, and saw the love shining out of her eyes. It melted his heart. No one had ever looked at him like that before, and he knew instantly that he wasn’t going to be able to let that go. Up until now, they had never been more intimate than a few kisses and caresses, because Rosalie wanted to wait until marriage to give herself to the man she loved. Eric respected that, and he felt honored that he was going to be that man. He’d never even spent a night with her, and he was ok with that, too. He let her set the pace for everything. She bit her lip, and he could tell that she was nervous.
“Um, would you like to come up?” Eric’s heart stopped. Was she going to break her own vow for him? He didn’t want to push her, but he might not say no if she did.
“Are you sure that’s what you want?” He did his best to control his voice, keeping it neutral. He didn’t want to guilt her into anything by showing her that he was really excited by her offer. If she wanted to go back on it, that was up to her, and he would support whatever decision she made. Rosalie bit her lip again, then gave one curt nod. He took her arm and started to walk her up to her room. They paused at her bedroom door while she fished out the key and unlocked it. Eric took a deep breath.
Rosalie was nervous about what she was doing, but she was still sticking to her guns. She hadn’t invited him up for a tryst, just to spend the night with her, sharing a bed for the first time. Once they were in her room, she was stuck. She needed to get changed, but she didn’t want to kick him out of her room. She also wasn’t going to change in front of him, not yet anyways.
“Um, would you mind standing there in the corner and face the wall while I change?” Now it was Eric’s turn to bite his lip. He had to so he wouldn’t chuckle at her modesty. He didn’t say anything, just followed her instructions. He listened while she went to the closet and started to undress. By her labored breathing, he was guessing that she was trying to hurry up and do it much quicker than usual. He got confirmation of that thought a second or two later, when he heard a bang and a curse. She must have tripped or fallen into something.
“Are you alright?” He had no intention of turning around to face her unless she said she wasn’t.
“Fine! I’m fine! Just don’t turn around.” He couldn’t hold the chuckle in this time, and he did the best he could to cover it with a cough. Luckily, she was too busy trying to get herself covered up to notice. When she finally told him that it was safe, he turned to find her in a tasteful t-shirt and sleep pants outfit, with her hair up in a messy bun. It was the most beautiful that he’d ever seen her. He wordlessly held his arms out to her, and she went into them with a smile. She tilted her face up for him and he kissed her. Rosalie wrapped her arms around his neck, holding on to him for dear life. He understood that feeling completely. When she was in his arms he never wanted to let her go. She finally pulled back, taking his hand and shyly leading him to the bed. She sat down and crawled into one side of it, letting him take off his shoes and jacket. Eric took off the tie he was wearing and unbuttoned his top button, feeling much better already, now that he wasn’t trussed up like a Christmas goose. He slid in under the covers, and he pulled her close. Rosalie lay down on his arm, snuggling her head into the crook of his shoulder. She was asleep in minutes, but he stayed awake for almost an hour, just watching her, running his fingers over her cheek occasionally.
When morning came, Rosalie woke up looking at Eric. He was so adorable with his head drooping from the hand he’d propped it up on. He’d taken pains not to crush her in an embrace so she wouldn’t feel trapped. She raised herself up slowly and kissed the tip of his nose. She was giggling by the time he opened his eyes.
“Well, good morning, beautiful. How did you sleep?” Rosalie cuddled up to him and he put his arms around her loosely.
“Absolutely wonderfully. I felt so safe and at peace with you here beside me.” The silence between them stretched on, but it was a comfortable one, with them holding each other. Rosalie’s eyes strayed to the watch he was wearing, and her eyes widened. “I’m going to be late!” Eric took the hint and gave her a soft kiss before scooting out of the bed and putting on his shoes. He grabbed his jacket and slung it over a shoulder on his way out.
“Text me when you can. Have a good day, babe.” He blew her a kiss as he left, knowing that she needed him gone so she could get ready for class. Besides, he had an errand to run. One that he was not looking forward to in the least…
The valet was waiting for him at the door of his house when he got home. Eric handed him the keys and clapped him on the back. He still looked a little disheveled, with his shirt untucked, no tie, and his pants wrinkled, but he didn’t care. He was probably going to give his mother a heart attack, walking in on her like this, but it couldn’t be helped. This was something that he had to do. She was in her morning sitting room with the latest tabloid in her hands and a tea tray on the table next to her.
“Mother.” She didn’t look up until she’d finished her paragraph.
“You look terrible. Where have you been? Daniel tells me you didn’t come home last night. Did you sleep in your clothes?” The disgust was evident in her voice, but Eric chose to ignore it.
Eric called out at her “I need you to go to the living room. I’m calling a family meeting.” Alarm crossed her face, but before she could ask him a thousand questions about what was going on, he’d spun on his heel and left, heading towards his father’s study. His father worked from home, because he was rich enough and in a position where he could do it. He usually holed up in his study when he clocked his work hours, and everyone in the family knew not to bother him there. Well, this was important, and he would just have to take a short break. He knocked once, not waiting for his father to tell him to come in, and barged through the door. His father looked up, shocked that anyone had dared to barge in on him like this. “Dad. I need you to take a coffee break and go to the living room. I’m calling a family meeting. I’m going to grab my sister, then I’ll be ready.” Just like his mother, he didn’t give his father a chance to say no. If he wanted to know what was going on, then he needed to follow directions.
“I heard you loud and clear. You don’t need to find me. Let’s go.” Eric smiled at his younger sister, and he was rewarded with her mischievous smile that she only saved for him. He took her hand and led her to the living room, taking confidence from the squeeze she gave him. No one in his family understood him like she did, and he was lucky to have her. He hoped that maybe Rosalie would let her be the maid of honor in the wedding. He opened the doors to the living room, and with a sigh of relief, saw that both of his parents were standing there ready for him.
“Thank you for coming right away. Please sit down. I have some news to share with you.” He waited until his sister took a seat on the couch with his parents before he went on. “I have proposed to Rosalie a second time. She told me to wait, if you recall, mother, and I did. Just not the six months she said I should take. She’s accepted, and I want to start plans for our wedding soon. This wedding will happen with or without you, so let me know which side of the line you stand on. If you want to disown me, do it now so I can prepare and know what kind of life I can promise her. I want you both to be there, but if you can’t accept her, then I will marry her without you being there.” He’d gotten the word
s out, now he stood and waited for them to sink in so he could weather the fallout. His sister waited barely a minute or two before she rose to her feet and embraced him.
“I’m so happy for you! I honestly thought you’d never find another girl to put up with you besides me, so I’m glad to be rid of you.” She winked at him in a teasing manner and Eric grinned. Had he chosen Rosalie because she was like his sister? That was a thought that he’d never had before now, but if he pondered it, the two girls were a lot alike. He let that thought slip from his mind as he turned to face his still silent parents. Both of them were gaping at him like goldfish. His mother rose to her feet and promptly walked out of the living room. That wasn’t a good sign. It hurt him to know that she didn’t support his choice, but he couldn’t honestly say that this was unexpected. His father gained his feet and walked over to him with his hands in his pants pockets, looking like a college kid in trouble.
“And she’s the one you want?” That was enough to tell him that his mother had run to his father with the first proposal story. And he gathered that his mother had made sure to mention that she didn’t approve. He held his breath, then nodded. “Then I suppose that I’ll be there to support you. How much is this going to cost me?” Even if his parents had cut him off from any and all money, he would have found a way to give Rosalie the wedding she deserved. He was happy, however, that his father was going to let him continue the life he’d grown accustomed to. He’d worried that this was going to be the worst thing about the day, and looking back at it, this really hadn’t gone that badly. Only his mother had been non cooperative.
“I’m not sure yet. It probably won’t be much, though. She’s happy with the simpler things in life.” Eric had to bite back the jab at his father that his intended wife was better in his eyes than his fathers’. His father, on the other hand, just let it go and went back to his study to work. Eric let out a heavy sigh of relief. He even allowed himself to smile. When Rosalie got out of class, he had the best news in the world to give her.