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I smiled up at him. “Such service.”
He smiled back. “Only the best for my woman.”
He held my hand as we walked into the restaurant. The hostess perked up when he gave his name and then grabbed two menus and gestured for us to follow her. We passed the rest of the diners, and I craned my neck behind us, wondering why we weren’t eating in the main dining area.
“Uh, Connor.”
He squeezed my hand and looked down on me, a knowing smile on his face. “Do you trust me?”
“Yes.” There was no hesitation in my voice. I did trust him.
The hostess opened a door into a small room set up with a private candlelit table. Rose petals littered the floor, and string lights were threaded across the ceiling in a crosshatch pattern.
My mouth parted as I tried to calm my racing heart. This was so much more than I was expecting.
The hostess set our menus on the table. “The waiter will be in to take your drink orders in a moment.”
“Thank you,” he said as she exited, leaving us alone.
“Holy shit,” I whispered. “This is so romantic.”
Connor barked out a laugh and then dropped a kiss to my forehead. “Eloquently said, darlin’.”
He pulled out my seat for me and then seated himself next to me. He placed his hand palm up on the table and I set mine in his. I couldn’t stop looking around at all the small details.
“I didn’t even know they had a room like this. It’s gorgeous.”
“My client told me about it.”
“I love it,” I said, finally focusing back on the man who made this night possible. All the stress I’d carried was completely gone, and I smiled at him hoping he could see how much I meant those words.
Apart from the waiter coming in and out only to bring us our next course, we were left undisturbed. We talked and laughed and discussed plans for the future. The food was just as amazing as I’d heard, and when the dessert was brought to us, I questioned my choice of dress. At this rate, Connor was going to need to roll me out of here.
Connor pushed the Toblerone cheesecake toward me, and I looked up at him like he had to be joking. “I’m not sure I can eat another bite.”
“I’ve heard this is the best dessert on their menu. I’m pretty sure you’re not going to want to skip it.”
God, I couldn’t say no to that. I loved cheesecake. I dug my fork in and took a bite, sagging back in my chair and closing my eyes in bliss as a moan escaped. “Ohmagahd,” I mumbled.
Connor smiled. “Good?”
“So good,” I said, already digging in for a second bite and accepting that I was going to be stuffed beyond belief after this meal. But oh my God, it was so worth it.
“What if I made it better?” Connor asked, his voice soft and almost a little shaky. But that didn’t make sense. I’d only ever seen Connor shaken that day he showed up at my apartment in LA and told me about what happened to him overseas—or the condensed version, at least.
“Connor?”
He pushed the chair back, pulled his hand out of his pocket, and opened the small box at the same time he dropped to one knee. I was so grateful I’d already finished my bite of cheesecake as my fork clattered to the table and I spun to face him. “Oh my God.”
He looked more serious than I’d ever seen him. “Jenna, I never knew love like this was possible, but I love you more with every day that passes. Two years ago, I wasn’t sure what the hell I was going to do with my life. I was lost and broken, and like a beacon of light shining in the darkness, you arrived and lit up my entire world. You are the reason I survived that day because I was always meant to be yours. You are without a doubt the best thing that’s ever happened to me, and I want to spend the rest of my life with you. Will you marry me?”
“Yes,” I whispered so low, I wasn’t sure he heard it. “Yes,” I said louder. “Yes!” I said, nodding my head as tears blurred my vision and I threw my arms around his shoulders.
He held me tight, his laughter filling my ears before he pulled back and grabbed my left hand, sliding the most perfect ring on my finger. It was a halo of diamonds that surrounded an emerald.
“I know it’s not exactly traditional, but the color reminded me of the shade of green in your hazel eyes.” I looked up at him and couldn’t wrap my head around how on earth I’d gotten so lucky. How did this man exist and how was he mine?
“I love you,” I said, my voice watery but my smile glued to my face.
“I love you too, Sugar. Now and always.”
His words seeped into my heart, and I believed them with everything inside me. We weren’t going to be like our parents. This was the kind of big love that lasted a lifetime, through thick and thin.
He was mine and I was his.
Not just for tonight, but for now and always.
