Saving Ever After (Ever After #4)
Page 33
During that time, Chris insisted on taking things slow. Very slow. Which I knew was good and sort of agreed to, but it was also torture.
We spent a lot of time together outside of the house. He was constantly dragging me off on hiking or river rafting adventures. We’d ridden every roller coaster within three states, been to the Jersey Shore, which let me tell you, that was an adventure in itself. He’d taken me all over New York City, even though I’d done it before it was so much better with him. I went to his shows, got to hang out on set and even be an extra in a music video they shot. We’d been photographed together out to lunch, out to dinner, out shopping, in clubs, at movie premiers and sporting events.
We were about as couply as a couple could get, except at home. There was one major step we hadn’t taken yet, and I was about to combust. He was so sweet and amazing and his kisses still got my heart racing and blood pumping, but every time I’d try to take it further, he kept it right where we were at. That was difficult and frustrating and I knew I wasn’t the only one going crazy from want, but still he kept us at a nice pg 13 rating.
His reasons were sweet. He knew what I’d been through and wanted to make me feel special and wait for the right time, but I was getting impatient.
Sharing a bedroom sounded very promising.
When I saw the room we would be sharing, I quickly changed my mind about my favorite room in the house. I loved the gaming room. It was a gamer’s paradise, but this, this room . . . this room was a dream. Huge four poster bed. Epic walk in closet. More big windows and beautiful patio doors leading to the side yard. Beautiful en suite with a bath tub I could sleep in. The best part was seeing all the pieces of us together. His clothes next to mine in the closet. Pictures of the two of us on the wall and on the dressers. His hats on a rack next to one holding my purses. His watch and sunglasses sitting beside my jewelry box. His deodorant and man stuff in the bathroom cabinet beside all my girly crap.
“Is it okay? I wasn’t sure where to put some stuff, but I just wanted to get everything in and figured you could decorate and arrange it however you want later.”
“It’s absolutely perfect.”
“You sure? Because if you don’t like any of the furniture or the bed set or the dishes I picked out in the kitchen, we can get different ones.”
I hadn’t even looked at the dishes, but I was sure I would love them just as much as I loved everything else.
“I’m sure. I love everything you did.”
“Okay, good,” he smiled that brilliant smile and took my hand again. “Then I just have one more thing to show you.” He walked over to the patio doors, shoved aside the curtains, and then pulled them open. I stepped out onto part of the porch that wrapped around this side of the house and then froze in my tracks with a big grin plastered on my face.
A gorgeous patio set sat in the yard just off the porch, and on the table was another vase of flowers, an ice bucket of my favorite sparkling cider (since my champagne days were behind me) and glass covered cake pedestal with the most delicious looking chocolate and strawberry cheesecake I’d ever seen.
Chris took the steps down in to the yard, and I followed after him, stopping on the bottom step when I noticed a small object on the table that I had missed at first glance. It was a small black, velvet box.
I was still frozen in my spot when Chris walked over to the table, picked up that small black box and then came to stand in front of me.
Oh shit. Oh shit oh shit oh shit!
Internally I was freaking out, on the verge of having a mini heart attack, while outwardly I felt paralyzed. I didn’t even know if I was breathing.
“Mia, I told you before that you’re it for me, and I told you then that I wanted my life with you to be forever. Even though this might seem really fast, after we both agreed to take things slow, I don’t want to wait anymore to start that forever with you. I want to make a home with you, build a life with you, and eventually start a family with you. I love you.”
Then he dropped down to one knee, and that time I knew I did stop breathing.
“Malia Rose Pierce,” he popped the box open, displaying the elegant, Princess cut diamond ring nestled in the black velvet, “will you marry me?”
“You want to marry me?” I breathed, still overcome with shock.
“Considering I did just ask you, that would be a resounding yes,” he laughed softly, his nerves breaking through the laugh.
“But I’m – I’m only nineteen, and I’m a recovering addict and I’m still in therapy, and I’m in college, and I – ”
“You’re Mia. My Mia, and none of those things change that.”
“But, this is crazy. You’re crazy.”
He frowned, and his hand that was still holding out the ring dropped to his side. “Do you want to marry me, Mia?”
“Of course I do, but –” I didn’t get to finish telling him why this was so crazy, because he grinned and then sort of attacked me with his mouth, sealing his lips over mine and cutting off the rest of my protests. He backed me up the steps and kept going, never once breaking contact between our mouths, until I was pressed into the side of the house. My hands came up to wrap around his neck and he pressed his body into mine. His hands splayed against the house on either side of my head, caging me in.
I finally tore my mouth away, sucking in a deep breath, “I didn’t say yes!”
“Yes you did.” He grinned and nipped at my jaw line and down to my neck.
I drew in a shaky breath, trying to hold back the moan that wanted to escape my lips. “No, I didn’t. I only said that I wanted to marry you. That’s not the same thing.” The more he nipped, kissed and sucked at my neck, the hazier the arguments in my head became. Then he pulled away and fixed his darkened gaze on me.
“You did say yes. You just don’t know it yet. So I’m going to take you inside, lay you down on that big, brand new bed, and show you why all those reasons you think you can’t say yes, don’t matter.”
I gulped. His grin spread.
Oh boy.
Then he dipped down, using one arm to scoop me up under my ass and lightly slapping my thigh with his other hand to get me to wrap my legs around his waist. Then he carried me back inside our bedroom. The cider and cheesecake were forgotten as he placed me down on the bed and lowered himself on top of me. His lips found the sensitive spot where my shoulder met my neck and he drove me crazy with his kisses and gentle bites, trailing them all up and down my neck and shoulder. He tugged the strap of my tank top down over one shoulder, revealing more of me to his hungry eyes.
My chest heaved under his, while my hands sought out his skin, sliding up under his shirt to roam his back. He groaned as I softly raked my nails from his shoulders down to the swell just above his perfect butt.
He leaned up on one elbow to rid me of my tank top entirely and I used the opportunity to strip off his shirt as well, and then we were warm flesh pressed together. His mouth latched onto my breast, over the lace of my bra, and I cried out a breathy little moan.
“You’re mine, Mia. All of you, and I’m so completely yours. I’ve waited so long to have you like this, but I would wait for you forever, because I know there will never be anyone else,” He whispered against my skin as his mouth traveled back up to mine. His kisses were hot, desperate and hard. I kissed him back just as desperately.
Then he leaned up on both elbows, his hands cupping the sides of my face, his nose touching mine. “I love you. We don’t have to get married right away. We can wait a year, or two years if that’s what you need. It makes no difference to me as long you say you’ll be my wife. What we’ve got, I know how precious it is, how precious you are to me, and I want you to know that too. I want you to know that I intend to spend the rest of my life showing you. Our life together is just starting, but it’s just that. Our life. We’re in this together, and no matter how crazy the ride gets, I’m all in. For me, that means putting my ring on your finger, whether it’s today, or tomorrow or whenev
er I manage to convince you to give me that yes.”
I lifted my head, softly touching my lips to his. “Yes.”
He blinked and then stared at me, taking in what I just said. Then his face lifted with that breathtaking smile. “Yes?”
“Yes.” I nodded.
He sat up so that he was straddling my waist and pulled out the tiny black box that, sometime between doing the one knee thing and then carrying me in here to have his wicked way with me, he’d slipped into his pocket.
He took the ring out and slid it onto my finger, then raised my hand to his lips and placed a kiss on it.
“All in,” I whispered, and then once again he covered his body with mine and gave me one of the most special nights of my life, in my favorite room.
Our room.
Our life.
Our happily ever after.
Note from the author
I just want to a huge thank you to all of you who are reading this. It means you’ve been with me through four books now, (at least I hope so or you were probably a little lost and confused about some of the characters and references to the other books while reading this one.) I can’t even tell you how much it means to me that you guys have stuck with me, showing your support and encouragement. I really hope you enjoyed reading Chris and Mia’s story as much as I enjoyed writing it. Of all the stories so far, this one has been the most personal to me, because of all the characters I’ve written, Mia is the one I can most relate to. While all the events of this story are completely fictional, I think to an extent we can all relate to feelings of self-doubt and insecurity. At some point, most of us experience that lost and alone feeling that she did. A lot of us are desperate to connect with people, we feel that longing. We’ve all faced rejection, and hurt and loss, and disappointment, and some of us have even felt those moments of hopelessness or worthlessness, and if that’s you, I just want to say that there is always hope and you are so much more than what anyone labels you, or you label yourself. You’re more than whatever mistakes you’ve made and regret you have. Who you are is enough, and you don’t have to be anything else. Thank you for reading my story. I hope you’ll leave a review, good or bad, and find me on Facebook. www.facebook.com/AuthorStephanieHoffmanMcManus