by Ravenna Tate
She shrugged. It didn’t matter. She was alive, and he was okay. Everything else would sort itself out. Damien had already emailed her instructors and told them what happened. Every single one of them had written back to tell her to take care of herself, to heal, and to let them know when the studio would be ready. No one was upset about the delay.
She’d been flooded with emails from all the Weathermen, and from Liane, Angela, Harper, and Julianne, wishing her well. Sela hadn’t been so touched by a show of support and camaraderie since her childhood. She felt like she was part of them now, even if there wasn’t a huge diamond ring on her finger. She belonged to Damien, and he belonged to her, and each of them knew that now. They’d already accepted her as part of their group.
As she listened to Damien talk about work and everything else, her heart overflowed with love all over again for this sexy, charismatic man. She owed her life to him, and she’d never love anyone else the way she loved him. That was a given. No matter what happened with the mall and everything else that was going on, as long as she could snuggle up with him at night, and be part of his day to day life, she’d be thrilled. To live without Damien Rivera was no longer an option for Sela.
****
Two weeks after the fire, Damien still hovered over everything Sela did. She’d begun her lessons again, and was back to teaching. Her voice was still a bit gruff at times, but nothing like it had been during the first few days. The pain was gone, but she found she got a bit more tired than usual if she danced really hard or for long periods. Her doctor assured her that would pass in time.
Damien brought home food from the same take-out place he’d been at when the fire had occurred. He’d asked Sela if she wanted to go out since it was Friday, but she told him she wanted a quiet evening at home. His apartment was her home now. She’d given up her lease, and had completely moved in with him.
He was acting more animated than usual, so she asked him if he’d heard anything about Rob Marin. What else would have him so wound up?
“Funny you should ask. Viggo’s associates have the date planned. They’ll steal the laptop one week from tonight when Rob and Olivia are out of town for her cousin’s wedding in SouthCentral.”
“That’s convenient, but don’t they have a security system?”
Damien grinned. “Sure they do, but there are ways around that.”
He continued talking up a blue streak all through dinner, and then he surprised her by producing a bottle of champagne. Actual champagne. It was almost impossible to come by. “What did you do?” she asked. “Sneak up to the surface while I was in the hospital?”
He chuckled. “No. I got this from a friend who owed me a huge favor.” He poured them each a glass, then clinked his gently against hers. “Sela, I had this planned for the opening of your studio. It’s been killing me to wait, but I had to be sure you were healed completely, or very close to it.”
She had no clue what he meant until he drained his glass, placed it on the table, and then took a small velvet box from his pocket. Sela drained her glass and put it next to his before she dropped it. She bit her lip, but the tears came regardless.
Damien gave her a look filled with so much love and passion she was sure she’d faint. It evoked every memory from the past two months of all the larger than life things he’d done to her and with her, beginning with the wildflowers that still arrived every week, and the concert.
There had never been a moment when she hadn’t known how much this man loved her, and she could only pray she lived long enough to give him back even a fraction of that. He dropped to one knee and opened the box. Sela gasped. The diamond was a chocolate one, her favorite. It sparkled and shone so brightly she almost had to close her eyes.
“Mi amor, you are the woman I have waited for. Please tell me you will be my wife.”
“Damien, of course I will. I love you more than I can put into words.”
He slipped the ring on her finger. “I love you more than the whole of my heart, my soul, and my body combined, and I always will.”
Then he stood and kissed her, picking her up off her feet and twirling her around until they both laughed and kissed again, then laughed some more, and finally kissed until neither of them could breathe.
Sela held onto him as tightly as she could, using all her strength to hold his body against hers. She was happier than she’d ever been in her entire life, and she would spend the rest of that life making sure that Damien knew how very, very much she loved him.
The End
www.ravennatate.blogspot.com
Other Books by Ravenna Tate:
www.evernightpublishing.com/ravenna-tate
If you enjoyed this book, you may also like:
Bite Me by Michelle Roth
Earth by Berengaria Brown
Far from Blind by S.J. Maylee
Evernight Publishing ®
www.evernightpublishing.com