Friday (Timeless Series #5)
Page 22
“Yes.”
All the anxiety left my body when I heard that one single word. A grin stretched my face and I felt lighter than air. She actually said yes. I closed the gap between us and hugged her tightly.
“Yes, I’ll move in with you.”
“Awe…” Francesca watched us from the couch. “My brother…the hopeless romantic.”
“Shut up.” I grabbed a pillow and threw it at her.
“You’re sure you want to do this?” Marie leaned back and looked into my face.
“Absolutely. Completely. Undeniably.”
“I’ll be there every day…”
‘That’s what I’m hoping for.”
She finally smiled, her happiness matching mine. “Then let’s do it.”
Epilogue
Axel
“I’m fucking nervous as fucking hell.” I kept pacing the apartment, checking the front pocket of my jacket over and over.
Hawke eyed me, a grin on his face. “Just calm down.”
“You calm down.”
He raised an eyebrow. “If I were any calmer I’d be asleep.”
I rubbed the back of my neck, feeling my heart slam into my chest. “She’s going to be home any minute and we’re heading to the airport.”
“Just do it exactly as we rehearsed it.”
“What if I blow it?” I was going to scuff up my floor if I kept walking like this.
“You won’t.”
“You don’t know me very well…”
“Think of it this way. No matter what you say or how badly you do it, she’s going to say yes.”
“You think?” That was the only good thing he said to me.
“Yes.”
Footsteps were heard on the other side of the door. “Shit, she’s here. Fuck, act natural.” I walked up to Hawke and put my arm around his shoulders.
“You think this is natural?” he whispered. He pushed my arm down.
Marie walked inside. “I’m so glad I’m done with work and we’re going on vacation.” She threw her arms up and did a little dance.
I just stared at her, too nervous to do anything else.
Hawke elbowed me in the side.
“Yeah…so excited.” I was so excited my heart was about to give out.
“I’m just about to grab my stuff and we’ll go.” She walked up to me and gave me a big kiss. “Thanks so much for taking me on a trip.”
“You’re welcome, baby.” I gave her ass a playful slap, trying to be normal.
She walked down the hallway and entered the bedroom.
I started to freak out all over again. “Fuck, I can’t do this. I’m going to mess it up.”
“You aren’t going to mess it up.” He gripped both of my shoulders to calm me. “Look, she loves you. She’s been living with you for two years. If she hasn’t left by now she never will. All right?”
I nodded in agreement.
“The ring is gorgeous and you’re a great man. She’s not going to say no.”
I needed any confidence boost I could get. “Thanks. Shit, asking someone to marry you is tough.”
“It is,” he said. “But you’ve got this.”
***
Marie and I just finished dinner at the restaurant. It overlooked the beach and the water. The sun was about to set over the horizon, making the sky glow with hues of purple and pink.
The adrenaline kicked in.
“Want to take a walk on the beach?”
“Sure.”
No one was there so it was perfect. I took her hand and guided her to the sand, walking slowly alongside her. The waves crashed on the beach and the wind blew through her hair. Her eyes were glued to the horizon, watching the sun slowly fade away.
I’d never been so terrified in my whole life. I wasn’t scared she would say no. But I was scared I wouldn’t do it right. What if I dropped the ring and we never found it again? What if I put the ring on the wrong hand? What if she didn’t cry? So many things could go wrong.
We walked in silence, taking in the scenery. I knew I needed to do it soon before all the daylight was gone. Then she wouldn’t be able to see the ring and I’d miss my chance. I’d procrastinated long enough.
“Thank you for coming with me.”
“You don’t need to thank me,” she said with a chuckle. “Spending a week in paradise with the love of my life? Sounds like the best week of my life.”
When she said things like that all the fear left my body. “You’re the greatest thing that ever happened to me, you know that?”
She gave me a dazzling smile, the kind that made my heart melt. “Yeah, I think so.”
I stopped walking and faced her, going with the moment. “When I picture my life without you I don’t have a life at all, just a meaningless existence. I never knew how happy I could be until I gave love a chance. All those voids I used to feel are now gone. You fixed me—put me back together.”
She stared at me with soft eyes, touched by my words.
“You’ve given me a life I never thought I could have. Now I have the most beautiful woman in the world who loves me, who takes care of me and puts up with me. And you allow me to do the same for you. I consider myself to be the luckiest man in the world.”
“Axel…”
I could do this.
I lowered myself to one knee and pulled out the box at the same time, just as I practiced for nearly a week straight.
She gasped the second she realized what was happening. “Oh my god. Oh my god. Oh my god.” She clutched her chest.
“Marie Prescott, will you marry me?” I opened the lid to reveal the solitary diamond I custom designed just for her. My hands didn’t shake as I held it out to her, knowing exactly what her answer would be.
And just as I hoped, she began to cry. “Axel…yes. Of course. Yes.”
I slipped the ring onto her left ring finger and felt it glide on smoothly. It was a perfect fit.
“It’s beautiful.” She felt the band with her free hand and sniffed as the diamond caught the light.
I rose to my feet and towered over her again, realizing my own eyes were wet. I was hoping she would cry but I didn’t expect to feel the same emotion. “Thank you for saying yes to me.”
She wrapped her arms around me and hugged me tightly, crying quietly. “I love you, Axel.”
I rested my chin on her head as I held her close to me. The waves crashed on the shore and the seagulls cried overhead. Despite the fact there were other people on the island it seemed like it was just the two of us. I asked Marie to spend the rest of her life with me and she actually said yes. “I love you too.”
I hope you enjoyed reading Friday as much as I loved writing it. It would mean the world to me if you could leave a short review. It’s the greatest kind of support you can give an author.
Francesca and Hawke found their happily ever after, and Axel and Marie followed in their footsteps. The universe seems to be complete. However, we’re missing someone very special.
Will Kyle find his soul mate? Will Kyle find the timeless love he’s been looking for? Found out in the next installment of the Timeless Series, SATURDAY.
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