His Secret Desire (Atlanta Nights)
Page 28
“Maybe they’ve stopped it for announcements,” Lex mused. Sure, because it was so normal for night clubs to stop their music for announcements. Seriously, was Olivia the only one who thought something was off?
They came to a stop in front of the bouncer. The burly man’s eyes lit up in recognition when they landed on Stevie. “Hey, Miss Love.”
“Hey.” A silent message passed between the bouncer and Stevie before Stevie asked, “There are people in there, aren’t there?”
“Sure. Sure.” He ushered them in.
“You know that guy?” Olivia asked as they stepped into the strangely quiet club.
“No.” Stevie dismissed the question with the wave of her hand. “He’s probably just a fan.”
Olivia opened her mouth to refute that assertion, but the words never came. Not when she saw why the club was so quiet.
Club Red Hood was not Club Red Hood tonight. There no strobe lights, no loud music and no random people gyrating on the dance floor. Instead, several tables were set up in the circular space, all of them filled with the people in her life. Her dad, Sebastien, Anna, Yasmin, Rasheeda, Nikki…
And standing by the table in the middle of the room was Marcel. What was he doing here? He was supposed to be in New York. Wait! Why was he decked out in a black tuxedo? What was happening? The orchestral band positioned at the corner of the room started a soft tune as Marcel walked toward her.
It was then that Olivia understood what was going on.
She gasped, cupping her palm over her mouth as sudden tears filled her eyes. Through cloudy eyes, she watched Marcel edge closer to her, his unsmiling eyes on her.
“Marcel,” she gasped when he came to a stop in front of her. “Marcel.”
“Livy.” He took her hand in his. Licking his lips as if nervous, he dropped to his knees.
She clasped her free hand to her throat as her already thudding heart started to pound harder. The same nervousness that she could see in his eyes started to course through her veins.
“Olivia, I know we said we wouldn’t think about this for at least two more years-” His breath hitched. “- but I can’t wait any longer, sweetheart.”
He fumbled with his free hand into his pocket. When his hand came up there was a black velvet box in his palm. He flipped it open.
Olivia’s lips parted in a silent intake of breath. An exquisitely lovely, silver ring lay in the middle of the box’s silk lined interior. The large diamond centered on the band, sparkled and winked at her, as if calling her name.
“You’re my friend, my lover, my heart,” Marcel continued, drawing her attention back to his face. “And I’d love for you to become my wife and the mother of my children too. I love you with all my heart and want to spend the rest of my life with you. Livy, will you marry me?”
She tried to speak through the emotion wedged in her throat and failed. So she nodded.
Marcel’s face broke into a smile as obvious relief flooded into his eyes. But he said, “I need the word, honey.”
A tear sliding down her cheek, she nodded vigorously and forced the word from her dry lips. “Yes.”
Yes, she wanted to marry him. How could she not? He was a wonderful, loving, protective man who made her so happy that sometimes she was scared she was in her dream and he was a figment of her imagination. How she’d gotten so lucky, she’d never know. How could she possible refuse a chance to spend eternity with him.
He already had her heart, her body and her soul. Giving him forever was as easy as saying, “Yes, yes I’ll marry you.”
Cheering erupted all around them as their family and friends celebrated her acceptance. But Olivia’s eyes were only for Marcel. His actions surer than they’d been a few minutes ago, he let her hand go so he could pluck the ring from its box. He slipped it over her finger.
And it fit perfectly.
Just as they did.
FROM THE AUTHOR
Thank you for reading His Secret Desire. If you enjoyed it, please leave a review on Amazon, Goodreads, iTunes, Barnes & Noble or your retailer of choice. Thank you.
I confess I kind of like the Johnson sisters (Yasmin, Rasheeda, Stevie, and Lulu) and would love to write stories for them. If I do, be the first to know by following me on Facebook, Twitter or Wattpad. You can also email me at lindaverji@aol.com. I’d love to hear about what you liked, what you didn’t, what you’d like to see in future books or just pop in to say hello.
More Stories By Linda Verji…
WICKED SERIES
Wicked Intentions (Wicked #1)
Wicked Temptation (Coming Soon)
FIREBACK SERIES
Daddy’s Home (Firebacks #1)
Not Broken (Firebacks #2)
Lose Control (Firebacks #3)
ATLANTA NIGHTS SERIES
His Secret Desire
STANDALONE NOVELS
Love Me Deadly
Don’t Say No