“If you give me a few minutes, we can go.”
She waved her hand. “Take your time.”
***
An hour later, she stepped into Hunter’s house with Gray. “I promised I’d see you safely inside,” he told her before pulling an envelope out of his pocket. “Plus he wanted me to give you this.”
She opened the letter, looking at the note inside in surprise.
Cady, go into the bedroom. There’s a gift on the bed.
You have thirty minutes to get ready and then Gray will bring you to me.
“Thirty minutes to get ready? Get ready for what?” she muttered.
Gray chuckled and took a seat on the sofa, switching the television on. “Take your time,” he told her.
Shaking her head, wondering what the hell was going on, she walked into their bedroom. There on the bed was a large box tied with ribbon. She opened it up to find the most beautiful red dress. It was slinky with a sweetheart neckline and a large split up the side.
“Where the hell did he get this?”
Also included was a pair of black heels and the tiniest G-string she’d ever seen.
Cady put the dress down with a dazed expression. She turned back to the living room.
“Gray, there’s a dress in here.”
“I know, took him forever to find the right one.”
“You know? Wait, you went shopping with him?”
Gray raised his eyebrows, giving her a look of disbelief. “Do you seriously think Hunter could buy that on his own? He’d have no idea what he was doing; you’d probably have ended up in some canary-yellow, ruffled monstrosity two sizes too big. Now, go take a shower and get dressed, he’ll go insane if we’re really late.”
Cady hurriedly got ready, putting on some make-up. She didn’t have a lot, but she’d picked up a few inexpensive make up brands that she liked. Finally, she stepped into the dress. It fit her like a dream. She stood in front of the mirror.
“Damn, I look hot.” She’d never worn anything like it in her life, had never expected to.
She slipped on the heels and wobbled a little as she walked back and forth.
“Crap, I’m going to break my ankle in these.” But after a little more practice, she thought she might manage to walk, slowly, without humiliating herself.
Cady stepped into the living room. Gray turned off the T.V. and stood, looking her up and down. “You look gorgeous, Cady. Absolutely breathtaking.”
She blushed. “Thanks. Not sure how I’m supposed to manage the stairs in these shoes, though.”
“That’s what I’m here for.” He held out his arm and she slipped her hand in the crook of his elbow. “I was wrong, he did know what he was doing. That is the perfect dress for you.”
She blushed a little. “Do you know what this is all about?”
“Yes, but I’ve been sworn to secrecy.” He winked. He walked her to his car, opening the passenger door for her, before he climbed in on the driver’s side. No matter how much she begged, he refused to tell her where they were going.
Eventually, Gray pulled up outside the Arboretum.
“Umm, isn’t the Arboretum closed?” she asked.
“Yes, it is,” Gray replied, turning to look at her. “Have fun.”
She opened her mouth to question him further when her door opened and Hunter was standing there, looking mouth-wateringly delicious in his black tux and white shirt.
“Hunter, what’s going on?” she asked as she took his hand. He helped her out then shut the door, nodding at Gray.
“You’ll find out soon. Damn, you look hot.”
“Thank you for the dress, it’s beautiful.”
“Not as beautiful as the woman wearing it,” he replied. He held out his arm and they stepped through the open gate into the gardens.
“We’re not supposed to be here,” she said.
“It’s okay. I was owed a favor. Just trust me.”
She remained silent, following him until they reached a small clearing, fairy lights in the trees lit the area.
“Oh wow.”
A small table with two chairs had been set up, two plates of covered food sitting on the table.
“Hunter, what is this?”
“This is dinner. For the two of us. Come on.”
He held out her seat and she sat in shock. “But why?”
“Because I want to do this properly.” He took the covers off the plates and her mouth watered as she smelled and glanced down at the succulent-looking steaks, potatoes swimming in butter and green beans.
“Do what properly?”
“This.”
He bent down on his knee beside her. Cady turned in surprise as he grabbed her left hand and pulled out a small ring box.
“You know, I never expected to love anyone, I guess was afraid to. Scared of losing them, of letting them down, of not being able to protect them. And then I met you and I couldn’t get you out of my head, no matter how much I tried.
“You’re the other half of me, Cady. You terrify me with how brave you are. You humble me when you surrender yourself to me and every day I wake up with a smile on my face because you’re cuddled in my arms.”
He opened the box in his hand. When he opened it, she gasped as she saw the beautiful ring inside. It was a large ruby surrounded by diamonds.
“I love you, beautiful girl. Will you marry me?”
“Yes, yes.” Tears filled her eyes.
She held out her hand and he slipped the ring on. He kissed her hand then he pulled her up into his arms as they both stood up.
“God, I love you,” he said.
“I love you, too. I can’t believe you did all this.” She swept her arm over the whole thing. “When I said I wanted you to do it properly, I meant you needed to ask me. I mean, I thought you might have gotten champagne, maybe you’d get down on one knee, but I never thought you’d do all this. This is amazing.”
“You’re worth it.” He took her mouth in a hungry kiss. “Now, eat up. I want to go home and celebrate.”
“Yes, Sir.”
She sat and dug into her steak, almost moaning in bliss as it hit her taste buds. “Where did you get this?”
He grinned. “Another favor.” He poured them both a glass of champagne and held it up. Cady took hers, holding it up as well.
“To the most beautiful woman in the world. I know I won’t always be easy to live with, I know at times you’ll want to smack me, but know that I will always love you.”
She smiled.
“And to happy ever after,” she added. “I always thought it was a myth. But now I know I just had to meet you to believe.”
The End
Forever Yours, Sir (Doms of Decadence) Page 21