“Where are you going?” I ask. “Are you too hot? Too cold?”
“Neither.” She darts over to her pile of clothes, sitting neatly folded on the couch facing the hot tub. “I just want to grab something.”
Seizing the opportunity, I jump out of the hot tub and hurry over to my jeans, which are draped over the armchair adjacent to the couch. Plunging my hand into the pocket, I find the little velvet pouch inside and pull it out. “I just want to grab something, too.”
Yara turns to me. She’s the picture of a goddess, all gleaming skin and sleek muscles and a long rope of dark hair draped over her shoulder. Her lips curve up. “Well. I can’t say I mind seeing you likethis.”
My gaze moves up and down her body. “I don’t mind, either.”
But away from the heat of the hot tub, there’s a slight nip to the air. Yara shivers, so I grab one of the robes I brought out here and wrap it around her. She makes a little huff of annoyance. “It’s April. I was hoping it would be warmer by now.”
“Soon,” I tell her. Then I grab the second, larger robe and slide into it. “And next month, we’ll be in Baltimore for a visit, so it should be warmer there.”
Yara settles on the couch and pats the cushion beside her. As I sit, she replies, “I can’t wait to see Malik again. From his calls and texts, he seems to be doing a lot better.”
“He does,” I agree. Since the rescue, I’ve been in touch with Malik, too. Not as often as Yara, but we touch base every few weeks or so. Partly to see how he’s doing, but I think he’s checking up on me, too. Which is fine with me. I’m glad Malik and the rest of Yara’s teammates are protective of her. And I don’t mind having to prove myself to them.
“He mentioned something about Annaliese the last time we spoke,” Yara adds. “Apparently, she was in Baltimore for a training, so she looked him up. They went out for drinks, and Malik wouldn’t stop going on about how great she was.”
“Oh, really? Did Annaliese say anything about it?”
“Just that they hung out. But she was extra quiet about it. Usually, she tells me everything about the guys she dates. Which makes me wonder…”
“Baltimore and Boston aren’t too far apart.”
Yara smiles. “No, they aren’t.” Turning, she drapes her legs over mine. “But. I didn’t mean to bring up Malik and Annaliese. I actually wanted to give you a present.”
I look at her in confusion. “A present? Tonight’s supposed to be?—”
“Yes, I know. About me. But I want to celebrate you too, Ace. Because you’ve been with me through all of this. And I wouldn’tbe where I am now—happier than I’ve been in my whole life—without you.”
“Tink.”
“It’s true.” Her eyes search mine. “Even when we were just friends, I looked forward to every single one of your texts. And then, once we started dating, I felt so much happier. Lighter. You found the empty parts of me and you filled them.”
“Yara,” I breathe. My throat goes thick.
“I know it’s not traditional,” she continues. “But I guess… I’ve never done the traditional thing. So—” Yara pulls a box out from behind her and hands it to me. “Well. Just open it. Then, I’ll explain.”
Taking the box from her, I flip the lid open. Inside sits a tactical watch, all in brushed silver. As I look at it, she explains, “It’s titanium. So it’s really strong. And I added a bunch of features to it.”
She taps a small button on the side. “This one triggers a thermal scan. The range isn’t as good as an actual thermal scanner, but it’ll tell you how many heat signatures there are within a thirty-foot radius. And it’ll display the locations on the face of the watch.” Tapping another button, she adds, “This one will scan for explosives within a twenty-foot range. And the watch also makes satellite calls, translates ten languages in real time, and—” Her lips twitch. “You can program it to sync with any playlist you choose.”
I stare at the watch that’s so much more than that. “You made this?”
“Of course.” She nudges me. “I wanted to give you something special. Something no one else could give you.”
“It’s amazing, Yara. I love it.”
Yara takes my hand. Uncertainty flickers in her gaze. Then she takes a deep breath and lets it out in a rush. “It’s not just a watch. It’s a proposal.”
“What?”
“A proposal.” Her gaze holds mine. “I thought… Well. I know I held back for a long time. Because I was scared of letting you in. But I’m not scared anymore. And I thought, what better way to show you than to propose. So…” She bites her lip. “Will you marry me?”
I’m so shocked, I just gape at her for a second. When I finally find my voice, I ask, “You’re asking me to marry you?”
“I know it’s not traditional. But if I love you, and I know I want to spend my life with you, why shouldn’t I ask? Unless… Did I make a mistake? Should I have waited?”
