He knew it was old-fashioned, but he wanted to go to Beth with everything in place. Wanted to know that her family really would accept the marriage, because one thing he had realized seeing Dan again was that a marriage wasn’t just about two people. It affected everyone in their lives as well.
“Don’t want to?” William said. “But you will anyway if I withhold it.”
His words were a statement rather than a question, but Chase nodded anyway. His heart stilled in his chest. Would the man refuse him? He was going ahead anyway. There wasn’t a chance in hell he was letting Beth get away, but he knew she would be happier if her family supported her choice.
“I will. I love your daughter, and I want to be a part of her life forever.”
William laughed at his serious expression and slapped him on the back. “Thank Christ for that. You know she’d hate being married to someone who needed my approval over hers. You have my wholehearted blessing.”
“Was this conversation what I thought it was?” Jake said, popping the cap off a bottle of beer as joined them.
Chase looked at Jake in question.
“You have his blessing then?”
Seriously, did everyone know what he was planning? He might as well have been broadcasting his thoughts to everyone here. He rolled his eyes at Jake and nodded.
“Congratulations,” Jake said, popping a second bottle top and passing the cold drink to him. “Although it would have been nice if one of us could have fallen in love with a woman without their lives being in danger.”
The two men touched their bottles together in a toast.
“Agreed,” Chase said before taking a long swig. His shoulders eased down, and he sucked in a deep breath as he looked out at Beth on the dancefloor. Now he just had to convince her.
****
As the final guests left, Chase wrapped his arm around Beth’s shoulders and steered her out of the ceiling-height doors that had been opened to stop the heat of the day from overwhelming the guests inside.
The light from the ballroom stopped just short of the bottom of the stone steps, the potted trees lining them twinkled with fairy lights, and the manicured lawn beyond was just visible in the moonlight.
“That was wonderful. I’m so happy for Anne,” said Beth, her words coming out almost as a sigh of contentment.
Chase knew Anne still had a long road to recovery ahead of her, but she had insisted on marrying Jonathan as soon as she had been well enough to walk down the aisle again. To be fair it was less of an aisle and more of a bit of cream carpet on the wooden floor of the ballroom this time, but the point was the same. The bride and groom had long since retired to bed, the exertion of the day wearing out the recovering bride far too quickly for her to enjoy the evening’s celebrations. That wasn’t what he’d brought Beth out here to discuss though, and he turned his attention back to the wonderful woman at his side. Her blonde hair seemed to glow in the flickering light, giving the impression of a crown. Her cheeks were flushed from dancing, and he stared into warm brown eyes that sparkled with joy.
“Beth,” he said, slipping his hand from her shoulders and kneeling in front of her. Her eyes widened at the movement, her body becoming so still she could have been a statue.
Oh God, he hoped he wasn’t rushing her. Ignoring his moment of doubt, he pushed on.
“I wish I could give you a life that would always let you look and feel as happy as you do tonight, but life isn’t like that. It has its lows as well as its highs.” They both certainly knew that was a fact. “But you are the center of my world, and I can’t imagine facing any of it without you by my side. If you will do me the honor of becoming my wife, I promise I will work every day to make sure there is more good than bad.”
Her eyes glittered with tears as he finished the speech he had been practicing in the dead of night, his frustrated body preventing him from sleeping. He had planned how he would let Beth know what they had was forever before he would make love to her again. The secret vow to himself was the added willpower he had needed to resist her efforts at seduction and let her heal completely first.
Looking at her now, his heart stuttered as he waited for her reply. He knew she loved him, but they had known each other for less than two months, so he silently prayed that she wouldn’t refuse him. Lifting the small velvet box from his pocket, he opened it and lifted it to Beth. She didn’t take her eyes off him, not even to spare a tiny glance at the simple gold band with the round diamond solitaire that had taken him hours to choose.
Sinking to her knees she cradled his head in her hands and kissed him softly, tears beginning to spill over her long lashes and down her cheeks. The kiss was so light he could barely taste her on his lips as she pulled back. He raised one hand to brush the tears from her cheek, and the other hung at his side, the box all but forgotten.
She smiled at him, that smile that seemed to light her up from the inside and made every cell in his body yearn to touch her.
“Yes. Absolutely yes,” she said, her voice clear and firm.
At her words he dropped the box and pulled her to him, his lips meeting hers firmly, worshiping her with his mouth. His hands slid up her back, the softness of her skin as he reached the spaghetti straps of her dress making him groan. He lost himself in the sensations, his tongue exploring her mouth. She tasted of champagne and strawberries. Her hands were pulling his shirt from his waistband, exploring his back.
“God, I’ve missed touching you,” he said into her mouth with a groan as her hands slid down.
He slipped her dress straps from her shoulders, his lips traveling down her neck, kissing her bare skin. Breathing ragged, he pulled away, taking in her heaving chest and flushed cheeks. He fumbled to his side, and his fingers ran along the cool stone before finding what he was looking for.
Picking the box back up, he took the ring from its position, nestled between the soft white cushions and, lifting Beth’s hand, slipped it onto her finger. Looking at her in the moonlight, skin pink from his touch, his ring on her finger, he felt a wave of possessiveness and belonging that he’d never previously experienced. She was his, and he was hers.
“How the hell did I ever manage without you?” he said, his voice rough, needing to put a voice to the feelings that were overwhelming him.
Without waiting for an answer, he wrapped her in his arms again and kissed her with everything he had.
The End
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Broken Trust Page 22