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Not that he ever outright lied, of course.
We were beyond that.
That was the games of kids.
But sometimes he thought he was keeping something a surprise for me, so he started to act a little shady.
It was never overt.
That would take away the fun.
No.
He was an expert at keeping things to himself, never letting anyone know something was up.
I just knew him too well know not to see it.
So, yeah, he was up to something.
I just couldn't figure out what the hell it was.
Nothing was all that different.
We decided to grab slices at the outside seating area at a pizza place. It still wasn't as good as the one I used to love before the guy got pinched on RICO charges, but it would do.
Then we agreed to meet Reeve and Rey at the park. Which might have sounded weird for grown ass adults. But, well, Rey was a little weird at times. Or, maybe that wasn't fair. She was just very into nature. Hence the park. The nice one. With the pergola and the hiking trails.
As we walked around waiting for them, I was not-so-silently hoping that Rey didn't have a hike in mind.
I still preferred my cardio in the form of sparring or swimming.
Even if the woods were pretty in the summer.
"Come on, let's go over here," Roan invited, steering me to the side by my hip.
It still didn't register.
His intention.
Even as he seemed to get a little more antsy with each step we took.
Even though I knew where we were heading.
The koi pond.
I'd been there a dozen times before.
Really, I couldn't for the life of me figure out what was going on.
Until he led me over to the raised ledge, demanded I sit down near the tiniest fountainhead known to mankind, then backed up, pulling out his phone.
Then I thought I knew what was going on.
He wanted a redo of that picture he had taken of me all those years ago.
And, for a quick moment, there was a surge of insecurity at the idea. Knowing that, side-by-side, maybe the one with a much younger me would look a lot better.
But, well, it was still sweet.
Charming.
So I went ahead and hammed it up, arching back, placing my arms and legs the same way I had done back then, turning to face him with a beaming smile.
I heard the shutter at the same time I saw that he wasn't standing there like he had been seventeen years ago.
No.
He was on his knee.
With a box in his hand.
So that was it.
Even as my heart swelled, so did my pride a bit, I won't lie.
I knew my man.
Even if I never could have known this was his plan.
"Marry me," he said, voice soft and sweet and perfect as he flipped the lid up on the box, revealing the ring.
Not a diamond.
Because he knew I would throw that right back at him. I'd seen the diamond mines. I'd seen little boys with whip marks on their backs worse than mine. I would never be okay with contributing to that abuse.
It wasn't a stone at all, actually. Nothing flashy.
Instead, it was a small white gold heart locket ring, something I had never known existed.
My finger found the clasp at the side, hitting the button, watching as it sprang open, revealing a tiny, delicate little clock face, quietly ticking away.
"I know it's not exactly..."
"It's perfect," I cut him off, clawing the damn thing out of the box, shoving it into his hand so he could slide it on my finger. "I love it," I added, suddenly struck with how perfectly he had planned this.
The fountain.
The picture.
The locket clock ring like the clock necklace.
And, if I wasn't mistaken, this date had significance too.
This was the day we had met.
Seventeen years before.
"And I love you," I told him, but this time when I said it, I didn't turn on my heel like a chickenshit and run away.
Nope.
I sealed my lips to his, feeling his mouth curve with the words too before he finally kissed me back.Roan - 5 yearsI could feel it before I saw anyone.
Eyes on me.
It had been a long time since that old training of mine had needed to reappear.
But it was good to know it was still there, I guess.
Even if I had no fucking clue who would be watching me anymore. Or why.
Hand closing around my coffee cup, I raised it, casually glancing around the street, trying to see if I noticed anyone watching me.
But there was nothing, no one.
Which was because, like any trained person, they weren't where I could see them.
Nope.
They were behind me.
Which I knew when I heard a voice from right behind my shoulder as it moved next to my table.
"Coffee, not bourbon? Things must be going pretty well."
It wasn't a voice I knew particularly well, but I knew it. I had heard it twice.
