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“Excellent.”
“And he wants to see us in his office in an hour.”
“Good.” I looked at him. “You seem really composed for a man who’s about to sign a prenup.”
“You seem really composed for a woman who’s about to marry a biker.”
I grinned. “That sounds so weird.”
“What? That you’re marrying a biker?”
“No. That I’m getting married.” I shook my head and looked out the window.
He reached over and placed his hand on my thigh, drawing my attention back to him. When I was looking at him, he said, “I’m sorry we couldn’t do this the way we were supposed to do it.”
“How were we supposed to do it?” I asked softly.
“We were supposed to go to Florida,” he replied, looking away from me to stare out the front windshield. “I was gonna ask you to take a trip on the back of my bike. Just you and me and we’d go to this place that I used to visit when I was a kid. There’s this beach, on the gulf side, where the water is warm. Warm like you’re taking a bath. And it’s so clear that if you look down you can see your feet. The sand is white and soft. Powdery. Not like that harsh shit on the New England coast. We’d sit on the sand, watching the sunset. Only I wouldn’t be watching the sun set, I’d be watching you watch the sun set. The sky is always so beautiful there. Oranges, pinks, and reds, and shades of color you can’t imagine until you see it for yourself. And as the sun faded into the never-ending ocean, I’d pull out a ring box and hold it out to you. I wouldn’t say a damn thing. When you pull out a ring, you don’t need a bunch of words, or speeches. You’re not trying to convince someone to share a life with you. When you pull out the ring, you already know the answer. And if you don’t, you’re asking the wrong person.”
He paused and I waited for him to go on. He painted such a clear picture, a picture so full of yearning I could almost taste it. Almost feel the ocean spray on my face, the salt on my tongue.
“You’d look at the ring and smile. You wouldn’t say anything, you’d just lean in and kiss me and that would be your answer. And then I’d slide it onto your finger and then we’d walk along the beach, barefoot, hand-in-hand, back to the little cottage that’s been there since the 50s. That little cottage that’s withstood I don’t know how many hurricanes and tropical storms. But it’s still standing. We’ll be like that cottage, Hayden. We’ll withstand all the hurricanes.”
I sighed and gently reached out to cup his face so that he could see my expression when I gave him the answer, the answer I could see he still wasn’t quite sure about because the way we were getting married was all wrong. Not our feelings for each other, but the circumstance of it all. Circumstance had robbed me of that beautiful, quiet proposal that was both poignant and perfect. What I got instead wasn’t fancy. It was stripped bare of all but raw emotion.
Which was what I had to show him now.
“I love you,” I said quietly. “I love you when you’re Royce Dalton, and I love you as Bones. I love you when you have to be both of those men. I love you when you can’t be either. I love you for what you’re offering me. I love you for offering me yourself because it’s more than enough. Yes. I’ll marry you.”
He looked at me, his expression filled with tenderness. And then he leaned in to kiss me like a husband who’d kiss his wife for the rest of their lives.
Chapter 43
“Nice to see you again, Hayden,” Vance said as he held out his hand in greeting.
“You too.” I shook his offered palm and then let go.
“I wish it was under better circumstances,” he said.
“Same,” I agreed.
Vance led us to his expansive office. Though his furniture was clearly expensive, there was none of the dark hardwood usually prevalent in an attorney’s office. Vance was all modern convenience, a mix between Japanese design and the lightness of a Scandinavian aesthetic.
There was no clutter here.
He gestured to the chairs in front of his desk and both Bones and I took our seats.
“Your attorney sent over the prenup he had drawn up,” Vance said. “If you’re okay with it, I’d like to go through it point by point. That way we’re all on the same page.”
“That’s fine with me.” I looked at Bones. “You?”
“Same.” Bones leaned back against the chair, looking completely at ease despite the fact that we were talking the legalities of our marriage.
“Great.” Vance picked up the stack of papers. “Basically, it’s as follows. Hayden’s trust will execute and all assets and ownership remain in her name and under her full control. You’ll never have access to any of it.”
“I don’t want access to it,” Bones defended.
I reached over and placed my hand on his thigh. “Please don’t take any of this the wrong way. I don’t for a second think you’re marrying me for my money or to gain access to anything. We just have to make sure we’re both protected in case something happens.”
