Page 24 of Rescued By the Vexed Vampire
Drake’s grin widened. “Just try it.”
I rolled my eyes but unwrapped the chocolate rose carefully. As I took a bite, I expected to taste the usual blend of rich chocolate and sweet raspberry filling, but instead, I felt something hard against my teeth. I pulled back, frowning, and carefully retrieved the object.
It was a ring. A diamond ring.
For a moment, I just stared at it, my breath catching in my throat. And then, I looked up at Drake, who was watching me with an expression of nervous excitement.
“Bethany,” he began, his voice steady but full of emotion as he got down on one knee, “I’ve been thinking about this for a while now. You’ve changed everything for me. You’ve given me something I didn’t think was possible—a life. I used to think I was just a dead thing, some sort of monster walking through life. But you made me feel alive again.”
Tears welled up in my eyes as I listened to him, my heart swelling with love and gratitude. He took a deep breath, his eyes never leaving mine.
“I’ve fallen madly in love with you, and I want to spend all the days I have left on this earth with you,” he continued, his voice trembling slightly. “Will you marry me?”
“Yes,” I whispered, my voice thick with emotion as I collapsed into his arms, “Yes!”
The customers and staff who were nearby erupted in applause, and I barely had time to react before Drake pulled me into a kiss, right there, in the middle of the community we treasured. Autumn leaves fluttered outside the window, and the soft glow of the Halloween decorations surrounded us, casting the moment in a warm, golden light.
When we finally pulled apart, Drake was grinning like a kid on Christmas morning. “You’ve made me the happiest man in the world,” he murmured, his forehead resting against mine.
“And you’ve made me the happiest woman,” I replied, my voice full of joy.
That night, as I lay in bed with the ring glinting on my finger, I couldn’t help but reflect on everything that had led us here. A year ago, I was lost, searching for redemption and a way back to heaven. I thought I needed to prove myself worthy, to earn my wings, to make up for the mistakes I’d made. But now, I realized that heaven wasn’t somewhere up in the clouds, waiting for me to earn my place.
Heaven was here, on earth, in the small, sweet moments of everyday life. It was in the laughter of a child holding a lollipop in the shop, in the warm embrace of the community that had welcomed me back with open arms. It was in the joy of working side-by-side with Drake and seeing the way he opened his heart to the people around him. And it was in the love we shared—a love that was unexpected and unconventional, but perfect in its own way.
I used to be obsessed with getting back to heaven, with proving that I deserved to be there. But now, I knew that my wings could wait until it was truly my time. There was so much life left to live, so many moments to savor. And I wanted to spend every one of them with Drake, building a life and a future that we could be proud of.
Who knew that I would find my heaven on earth in the arms of a vampire?
