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“Say yes,” several women shouted.
“Skylar?” Madden said as he cleared his throat. It was the uncertainty that shone from his eyes that spurred me to action. This was not the old Madden. This was the man I’d imagined was always there, had hoped to see again, and who I thought I had lost forever. This was the man I loved. And always had loved.
“Yes,” I said as tears started to stream down my face. “Yes I’ll marry you.”
The crowd broke into thunderous applause and whoops and whistles but all I saw was the smile that spread over Madden’s face. I’d never seen him look so relieved and so happy as when he slid the ring onto my finger.
Then he stood and swooped me into his arms.
This was beyond any wish I had of him coming back. I wrapped my arms around his neck and buried my face against him. I didn’t want to let go in case this was some delusional fantasy my mind had concocted to torture me even more.
“You’ve made me the happiest man on the planet,” Madden said softly, right next to my ear. Then he pressed his lips to the sensitive spot just below and goose bumps covered my arms. “And I’m going to make sure you know it every hour of every day, Skylar.”
I pulled back enough to look into his eyes. “I’m just glad that you’re finally here.” Then I leaned in and pressed my lips to his. There were more catcalls but I didn’t care. Madden was there, holding me like he never wanted to let go.
“I’m never letting you go again,” he said as if he’d read my mind.
Chapter Five
“These are for you,” Madden said, handing me the most exquisite bouquet of red roses I'd ever seen in my life.
After the magical proposal, Lindsay insisted that we play hooky from work and have a spa afternoon to get ready for my ‘night to remember’ that Madden was planning. We hit the salon where I got new highlights and then we had a mani/pedi while sipping drinks with umbrellas in them. Then, we had to find the perfect dress, which turned out to be a coral colored wrap dress that hugged my curves almost indecently, but that Lindsay insisted was the one.
I’d never had an afternoon like that with a girlfriend and by the time she dropped me off at my apartment, I was already giddy with excitement. Getting ready only heightened it and by the time Madden knocked on my door, I was practically bursting with excitement.
“Thank you.” I took the flowers already knowing I didn’t have anything big enough to hold them in. “Come in.”
He had on a dark grey suit with a black dress shirt underneath and I couldn't take my eyes off of him. When he stepped into my apartment, the room immediately felt smaller.
“These are beautiful.” I held the bouquet up to my face and inhaled. The sweet aroma filled my lungs.
“Not nearly as beautiful as you.” Madden’s voice was low and gravely and already filled with promise.
I set the roses carefully in the sink and turned. He had followed me silently into the kitchen and was only a few steps away. His gaze raked up and down my body slowly and by the time he was done, every inch of me tingled.
He reached out and cupped my jaw. “I’ll never get tired of looking at you; of touching you. I can't believe that you agreed to be mine.”
The intensity in his eyes made heat flood through my body, pooling between my legs. We’d been alone for only five minutes and I wanted him.
“Are you ready?” he asked.
Was I ever. I nodded, blushing.
A smirk flitted across his lips. The arrogance was back, but it lacked coldness now. There was only fire in his eyes. His hand slid down my bare arm and he rested his fingers against my hip.
“One second, I forgot something.” He leaned in and his lips took mine. I opened under him and sank into the feel of his tongue stroking across the ridges of my mouth. He took control of the kiss but it was different this time. Sensual and intoxicating. I whimpered deep in my throat when he pulled away much too soon.
He was as breathless as me. “There will be much more later, but first, I want to do this the right way. The way it should have been from the start.”
He led me across the apartment and locked my door. He didn’t stop touching me as we waited for the elevator, or on the short ride to the lobby, or even when we stepped off and I saw a limo waiting through the large glass doors. The driver waited to open the door and help us inside. The interior was dimly lit and there was a bottle of champagne sitting in a bucket of ice. Two fluted crystal glasses sat next to it.
The car glided forward as Madden uncorked the bottle and poured some into each glass. I took the glass he offered with a smile.
“To new beginnings and second chances,” he said. I clinked my glass with his and took a sip. Tiny bubbles tickled my nose and I couldn’t remember the last time I’d felt this happy. The diamond on my left hand sparkled in the light. I never envisioned ending up here, but there was no place else I’d want to be.
