“Come on. Let’s go find our rings and get dinner.” She releases me and swims away.
“I have a feeling you’re going to do this to me for the rest of our lives, aren’t you?” I say, watching her climb out of the pool.
“Do what?” she asks, ringing the water out of her hair.
“Make me chase you even though you’re already mine.” I swim to the edge and climb out.
She laughs. “It’s more fun to chase. What are you going to do once you’ve caught me?”
“Oh, I have an idea or two,” I say, catching her and pulling her back against me.
When we finally manage to pull away from one another, we put on some nice clothes and leave the quiet confines of our hotel room. Once we’re down in the lobby, we hang a right and walk into the restaurant. We get seated at a small table for two, and I’m handed a wine list. I know nothing about wine, and I think Dani realizes that by the confused look on my face.
She lets out a soft giggle. “I’m fine with water.”
I hand the wine list back to the waiter. “Two glasses of water, please.”
He nods his head once before walking away.
“This place is nice,” Dani says, eyes taking in the candle in the center of the table.
I reach over and take her hand in mine. “Everywhere is nice as long as I’m with you.”
She giggles, and her eyes light up. “I don’t know what I ever did to deserve you.”
I press a soft kiss to the back of her hand. “All you’ve ever had to do was be yourself. You’re perfect.”
She rolls her eyes. “I’ve already agreed to marry you, Levi. No need to butter me up.”
I laugh. “I’m just happy we’re finally here. I know we haven’t been together all that long, but at one point, I didn’t think I’d ever have you. It was right around the time you showed me that engagement ring on your finger.”
“I wish you would’ve just told me everything then. I hate that we wasted so much time because of lies.”
“I have a feeling everything worked out the way it’s supposed to.”
“You think we were meant to be together?” she asks, looking up at me from beneath her long lashes, her dark hair hanging in her face.
I squeeze her hand. “I think it was written in the stars. It didn’t matter what choices we had to make; all roads lead to you.”
Her cheeks turn pink, and her smile stretches across her face. “I don’t know how you always manage to say the perfect thing, but I love you for it.”
I lean forward and kiss the top of her hand. “I love you too.”
The waiter returns with our water, and we both place our orders. When we finish eating, we leave the hotel and walk around, finding a little jewelry store. We walk inside, and the old man behind the counter stands at attention.
“Can I help you?”
I can’t keep the smile off my face. “We need wedding rings.”
He walks around the store, behind the glass case. “I think what you’re looking for is over here.”
I look down into the case, and there must be dozens of gold and silver wedding bands. But Dani still needs an engagement ring. When I proposed, I hadn’t gotten one yet.
“Do you have any bridal sets?”
He nods. “Of course. This way.” He walks us down the case until we come to the sets that glitter and sparkle.
Dani sits down on the little stool in front of the case. “A wedding band will be just fine, Levi. I don’t need big sparkly diamonds.”
“Yes, you do. Pick one.”
She takes a deep breath and shakes her head as she begins looking over the sets. She tries several on but always ends up handing them back. Finally, the last one she tries on is it. I can tell by the way her mouth drops open and her eyes sparkle.
“That the one?” I ask.
She looks up at me with wide eyes, a big grin, and a head nod.
I look at the man behind the case. “We’ll take it.”
“Wonderful. I’ll wrap it up.”
She slides the ring off her finger and hands it over, where the man puts it back in its case. He heads over to the register with it, and we stop at the wedding band case to pick out my ring.
“Which one do you like?” she asks.
I sit down and look at them closer. “Which one do you like?” I ask.
She sits on my knee and leans over the case. “This one kind of matches mine. It’s silver with small diamonds.”
“So, I should get this one?”
She nods, her smile still in place.
“Excuse me, sir?” I say loud enough for the man across the room to hear.
His eyes pop up to meet mine.
“Can we also get this ring here, too, please?”
“Of course. Would you like to try it on?”
“Yes, please,” Dani says.
He quickly walks over and pulls the ring out of the case. When he hands it over, Dani takes it and waits for me to hold up my hand. When I do, she slides it onto my finger.
“I wanted to be the first one to slide a ring onto this finger.” She offers up her breathtaking smile.
The ring fits to perfection, and it doesn’t feel as odd as I thought it would. I’ve never been a jewelry man and thought that feeling the ring between my middle finger and pinky would irritate me. But it fits like it was made for my hand.
“We’ll take it,” I tell the man, sliding the ring off and handing it over.
“Very well.” He takes it, puts it into a box, and heads over to the register with it.
He rings up everything and puts them into a small, black bag. I hand over my credit card, and he swipes it quickly like he doesn’t want to give me time to change my mind. When the receipt prints off, he places it into the bag and hands everything over.
“Thank you.” I take the bag in one hand and her hand in the other.
“Congratulations and best wishes,” the man behind the counter says with a smile and a wave.
I wave at him with the hand that’s holding the bag, and we step through the doors.
We walk out of the store, hand in hand. We’re both happy and smiling and excited to start our lives together.
“First thing in the morning, we’ll head down to the courthouse and apply for our marriage license.”
She looks up at me. “How long do we have off work?”
I shrug one shoulder. “I figured we’d spend the week here. Take a couple of days to get everything in order, get married, and then have a mini honeymoon.”
“Sounds perfect.”
I step ahead of her and turn around, pulling her to my chest. She wraps her arms around my neck and looks into my eyes.
“Dani, I know I’ve already done this, but I want to do it right.”
“What are you talking about?” she asks, confusion painting her face.
I drop down to one knee. “Danielle, I’ve been in love with you since the first time I laid eyes on you. I watched you live your life from the sidelines. I watched you move forward with the wrong man, and all I could do was sit and pray that things worked out the way I knew they were supposed to. I promise to love you and cherish you every day of my life. Will you please do me the honor of becoming my wife?” I pull the ring from the bag and open the box.
Her face turns red, and her eyes begin to water. “Of course,” she whispers.
I remove the engagement ring from the box and slide it onto her finger. After placing the box containing the wedding band back into the bag, I stand up and pull her against me for a lip-crushing kiss. A kiss that lets her know without a doubt that I love her more than I’ve ever loved anyone or anything in my life. She’s my reason to live. She’s the reason my heart beats, my lungs breathe, and the reason I wake up every morning. I don’t know what I would’ve done if things hadn’t worked out this way, but I try not to think of it because she’s mine. She’s finally mine.
20
Danielle
Everything is perfect. Everything. T
he way he proposed to me on the side of a busy street, the way he slid the ring onto my finger, and the way we rushed back to our hotel room to be with one another. Like we hadn’t been together a thousand times already. Everything is better than I could ever imagine.
Until I wake up in the morning, sick and emptying my stomach in the toilet. Levi runs into the bathroom, and he pulls my hair back.
“Are you okay? Was it something you ate?”
I finish emptying my stomach, and I flush the toilet, moving to the sink to brush my teeth. “I don’t know. I just feel so nauseous.”
“I wonder if you ate something bad?” Levi mumbles, leaning against the countertop in the bathroom.
“You ate everything I did. Are you sick?”
He looks at me and shakes his head. “No, but maybe you just caught a bug.”
“Let’s get dressed and go to the courthouse. Then we can swing by a pharmacy and pick up a few things before hanging out in the room today. Maybe I just need a day of rest. We have been going pretty hard here lately.”
He nods and pulls me in for a hug.
We both pull on some clothes and leave the room. I sip on a bottle of water and lean my head against his shoulder on the ride to the courthouse. When we arrive, we rush inside to get our license. I hate that I’m feeling bad. I wanted this to be eventful, something I could look back on and smile about. Now I’m going to look back on this trip and see the dinner I ate the night before but in reverse. Just thinking about it makes me queasy.
It doesn’t take us long to get our marriage license, and then we’re going to the closest CVS. I go through the medicine aisle and grab a bottle of Tylenol and some Pepto. As I’m heading back to the front to grab some water and crackers, my eyes catch sight of the feminine needs’ aisle. My mouth drops open, and I freeze.
Levi walks up with a pair of sunglasses that he intends to buy. “What’s wrong?” he asks.
I ignore his question and walk down the aisle, looking at the things I haven’t bought in weeks. The rows turn from boxes of tampons to boxes of pregnancy tests. I reach out and pick one up.
I look up at Levi, who’s followed me. His eyes flash from me to the box in my hand, and back to me. “You think you could be….” he doesn’t say the last word.
I shrug. “I don’t know, but I guess I could find out for sure, huh?”
He nods, and we both walk toward the front of the store.
I grab a bottle of water and a box of crackers on the way. I place all the items on the counter, and he hands over his card. The whole time, I’m lost in thought. I try counting back to my last period, but for the life of me, I can’t remember when it was. Was I still with Nick, or was it when I first moved in with Levi? Oh, God. What if this baby is Nick’s? My memories take me back to the day he arrived home from New York; the day he bent me over the bed and finished, only to leave me hanging. If this baby is Nick’s, how will I know? Will Levi still want me? God, what if we get married this week and then find out months down the road that the baby is Nick’s? Will Levi want a divorce?
My stomach flops as my mind keeps wondering.
Neither of us says anything on the ride back to the hotel. I think we’re both a little worried about how this day could end. The moment we get back to the room, I drop the bag onto the bed and dig through until I find the test. Without a word, I take it to the bathroom.
After taking it, I replace the cap and set it on the counter as I wash my hands and wait, but I can’t take my eyes off of it. I see the control line form, meaning the test is working. Slowly but surely, the positive line appears. My eyes water and my stomach begins to roll again. I rush to the toilet and fall to my knees, losing every bit of water I’ve had to drink today.
Levi rushes into the bathroom and finds me on my knees again. His eyes flash to the test on the counter and then to the box next to it.
“It’s positive,” I cry, flushing the toilet and standing.
He pulls me against his chest and hugs me close. Without saying a word, he carries me to bed. He gently places me on the top then moves to remove my shoes and jeans. When I’m in nothing but my tank top and panties, he pulls the blanket up my body and hands me two Tylenol and a bottle of water.
I wash the pills down and take a sip of water. When I’m done, he climbs up behind me, holding me against his chest.
“Everything will be okay,” he whispers in my ear.
I nod my head, not voicing my worries just yet. I don’t know if he’s thought the same thing I have about the baby possibly being Nick’s, but if he has, he hasn’t mentioned it. At some point, it has to be talked about. I can’t marry him with this between us, knowing that one day he’ll find out the truth and may regret the time we spent here.
I cry, never taking my eyes off the ring on my finger. I finally got everything I ever wanted, and now it’s being ripped away…just like everything else in my life. Eventually, sleep takes me, and I let it. I’d rather be unconscious than here worrying about something when it’s too late to change it.
I wake sometime in the night and roll over to find Levi still at my side. But he’s not asleep. He’s just staring up at the white ceiling tiles.
“Are you okay?” I ask, hoarse from sleeping all day and not having anything to drink.
He nods. “Are you hungry? I ordered room service.”
I sit up, and he stands to bring me a plate. I open the lid, and a plate of pasta greets me. It smells heavenly after losing everything in my stomach.
I start eating, and he sits beside me, not talking.
“Please, say something. You’re making me nervous, and that’s making me even sicker,” I breathe out.
He takes a deep breath. “I’m sorry. I’m just…I don’t know. Anxious, scared, worried.”
“Me too,” I agree.
“I mean, you know I love you,” he starts, and I nod. “And you know I will do anything to take care of you and this baby, right?” He levels his eyes on me.
“You—you still want to be with me?” I stutter.
His brow furrows. “Of course. This is why you’ve been upset? You thought being pregnant would change my mind about us?”
“Well, how could it not? I mean, we don’t know if this baby is yours or Nick’s.”
It looks like he’s never even considered that. He freezes.
“I love you, Levi. And I want to marry you and have this baby be yours. But the truth of the matter is that we don’t know. What if we get married this week, then have this baby and find out that it is Nick’s? Are you willing to raise this baby as your own? Because if not, then we need to wait and find out for sure. I don’t want you hating me. And I don’t want you to regret our time here. I’m more than willing to wait and find out the truth if that’s what you need.”
He listens to my speech, then stands and starts pacing the floor. I watch him go back and forth, back and forth. He doesn’t talk. He doesn’t look at me. He just walks and thinks. I sit quietly, unable to eat, but unable to talk either. He needs this time. Time to think about every possibility. Time to make his decision because once the choice is made, it can’t be undone. I’m nervous that he may back out. I’m scared he’ll leave me broken-hearted and alone with a baby to raise, but even if he does, I can’t hate him. I can’t stop him. This is his decision and his alone. I won’t allow myself to sway him in either direction.
I pick at my pasta with my fork but can’t stomach the thought of eating it. I can’t do anything but wait and pray. It feels like forever. It feels like he’s walked miles on this small stretch of carpet, but finally, he sits down beside me. I see his jaw flex and his Adam’s apple bob. Then he looks at me.
“Let’s do it.”
“Do what?” I ask, and even I can hear the nervousness in my voice.
“I love you, Dani. I want to marry you. I want to start a life with you. I want kids. And even if this baby ends up being Nick’s, it’s still mine because I’m the one who protects you and loves you and wants you. I wo
n’t let this stop us. We’re getting our happy ending, Dani.”
I smile and feel as if I can finally breathe with his words. I practically leap into his arms, and he pulls me against his chest, hugging me close and repeatedly telling me how much he loves me and wants to marry me, and how much he will love this baby.
I don’t know how I got lucky enough to get a guy like Levi, but I thank God every day that he sent him into my life. I don’t know what I would’ve done without him. He’s my saving grace, my angel.
“So, tomorrow?” I ask, pulling away and looking into his blue eyes.
He nods with a smile in place. “Tomorrow,” he agrees.
We wake up, and I make a mad dash for the toilet, throwing up everything I ate the night before. I brush my teeth and move into the shower. I hang my head and let the water rush over me. My eyes fall to my flat tummy. My hands cup my stomach, and a smile forms. If you would’ve asked me if I was ready to be a mother, I would have said no. But, now, I can’t imagine our lives going any differently. I pray to God that this baby is Levi’s, but we won’t know the truth for a while. Maybe when I go to the doctor and find out how far along I am, we’ll be able to figure it out. In the meantime, I’m just happy that Levi loves me enough to go through with this wedding, not knowing if he’s going to be raising his baby or Nick’s.
Levi steps into the shower behind me. He wraps his hands around my hips, cradling my stomach as he presses a kiss to my shoulder.
“There’s still time to back out, you know?” I mumble, praying he hasn’t changed his mind.
“Back out? Why would I do that?” He steps back enough so I can spin in his arms.
I turn around and face him, wrapping my arms around his neck. “It’s okay to want to wait, Levi. I completely understand. And I promise I won’t think any less of you for wanting to do so. I’ll still love you. I’ll still marry you down the road if you want to.”
He places his finger over my lips, silencing me. “Dani, I’ve loved you for as long as I can remember. This baby, whether it’s mine or not, is not going to change that. I still love you. I still want to marry you today. And I want to have children with you. Okay?”
His Every Desire (Contemporary Romance Box Set) Page 52