Forever Your Heart
Page 24
With our faces still touching, I looked into his eyes. “And I’ve loved you so much. That’s why I forgive you.”
“Thank you.”
We were both quiet, and as I realized a marriage proposal might very well come next from his mouth, the healthy, modern woman side of me shouted a damn good question to my heart. I knew the answer, but for good measure, I took a step back and asked it aloud. “But how do I know you won’t lie to me again?”
He shook his head with a smile. “Because I’ll never lie to my wife.”
And I believed him. We’d lived together for the last couple of years, plus I’d known him since childhood. For all his faults, and God knows I had plenty of my own, I knew that one wasn’t going to be repeated.
I kissed his forehead. “So you want to get married, do you?”
“Hell yes. Last weekend in Houston, I almost got down on bended knee when I saw you holding Rachel’s new baby. I thought you might be receptive, but I wasn’t sure.”
My mouth fell open. “You’re ready for kids, too.”
“You could stop taking those silly pills right now for all I care.” He kissed me and murmured, “I’ve been ready, sweetheart.”
“I’m sorry it took me a while.” I kissed him back. “But I’m here now.”
“I’m sorry,” he said, pulling away so he could look me in the eye, “for not asking you sooner.”
“You haven’t actually asked me to marry you yet.”
“Shouldn’t I have a ring?”
“You know I don’t care about things like that.” I raised my eyebrows in hope. “I just care that you mean it.”
“Oh, I bloody well mean it.” Taking both of my hands in his, his face became somber, and he waited a moment to collect his thoughts. Finally, he said, “Forgive me if I fuck this up. I would’ve practiced had I known I’d get the chance, but there is one line I’ve always wanted to say.”
“What’s that?”
“You’ve always been my one true love.” He seemed to smile with all his heart, and then he took a deep breath. “Will you do me the honor of spending the rest of your life with me? Will you marry me?”
“Yes,” I said. The easiest question I ever answered. “Absolutely. I’m never letting you go.”
Later that afternoon, we made our way to the shade of a banyan tree on the beach. As Adam pared an apple for me, he asked, “So where should we have the wedding?”
“I’m not sure.”
“Maybe Kuala Lumpur?” he joked.
“No, we can’t do that. My mother will kill me if she doesn’t get to buy a wedding dress.”
“You want a big wedding, then? And when? I’ll do whatever you want.”
“Small. Very small.” I grinned. “And I want it as soon as possible.”
“Sounds brilliant. Where’s the honeymoon?”
“I don’t know. Let’s pick a place we’ve never been.”
“And after?” he asked hesitantly. “Where should we live?”
“You want to go back home, don’t you?” I already knew the answer, and I took his hand to tell him it was okay.
“I do. But we don’t have to do it immediately.”
“Well…” I kissed him behind his ear. “After you knock me up, we can move wherever you want.”
“Promise?”
“Of course.”
“But what will you do? Won’t you miss your job?”
“You know I’ve only wanted to work for the administration for one term. I’ve been there three years. It’s time to let someone new take on the role, especially because I don’t want to kill myself during the reelection campaign.”
“That’s true.”
“And I can always do PR consulting.” I shrugged. “Matthew already sold out, and his firm is huge. He’d hire me, and I can do that anywhere in the world, just like you’ve been doing your work from DC.”
“And it hasn’t been a problem for me. In fact, the time alone let me build up a portfolio and get better before I sent my stuff out there.”
“It worked, too. Look how well you’ve done.” I smiled, leaning back on the small blanket.
He looked at my almost naked body extended before him. With a smile, he stretched out beside me and nuzzled into my neck. “I have a very supportive fiancée.”
“And I have a very supportive fiancé.”
I kissed his hair as he kissed around my neck. When his hand traveled down to my stomach, I knew what he was up to.
“Um…remember where we are.”
“I don’t fucking care where we are,” he replied, trailing his hand up and down my curves. “I want to make love to my fiancée where we got engaged.”
Acknowledgments
Does an acknowledgment in a book suffice for a formal thank-you note? I don’t think so, but it’s a start to pay down my debts to the wonderful people who’ve aided and abetted in the writing of this book. Those ladies include:
My beloved fan fiction community, who a few years ago helped with the beginnings of this book, especially Catherine Waring and Corey Ward.
Azucena Sandoval, Dana Lam, Daisy Prescott, Liv Morris, Michelle Kannan, Ruth Clampett, and S.L. Scott, who gave me daily encouragement.
Omnific Publishing—Elizabeth Harper and Enn Bocci, who put up with me, and most importantly, my editor Colleen Wagner for her wonderful ear and heart when it comes to words and people. The fact she lives in London and helped me with the voice of all my Brits is just icing on the cake.
A thousand thanks to you all, and that still doesn’t seem like enough.
About the Author
Even before she graduated from law school, Mary knew she wasn’t cut out to be a real lawyer. Drawn to politics, she’s spent her career as an organizer, lobbyist, and nonprofit executive. Nothing piques her interest more than a good political scandal or romance, and when she stumbled upon writing, she put the two together. A born Midwesterner, naturalized Texan, and transient resident of Washington, DC, Mary now lives in Northern California with her two daughters and real lawyer husband.