“A Risk Taker,” he says gently, pulling something from his pocket.
He drops to one knee, and my heart freefalls.
“What are you doing?”
“Proposing to the woman I love, so quit talking, New York City, and let me do it.”
Awed, I look inside the carved shell. It’s no longer empty. Inside is a sparkling ring with one central diamond, flanked by two pearls.
I gasp, clapping a hand to my mouth.
“No grit, no pearl,” I whisper. “It’s beautiful.”
“No grit, no pearl,” Slade echoes, his eyes intent on mine. “That first time you kissed me, you let me dream of a futureagain. You allowed me to believe that maybe there was still something good waiting for me.”
“Slade…” I swallow.
“I was a lost cause, and you were my saint.”
A sob bubbles in my throat, and I smile through it.
“If you’re lost, it means you can be found,” I breathe.
“Andyoufound me, even when I tried to hide from you. And God, do I love you even more because of it. I’ll never convince myself I deserve you, Baby. But I’ll never stop trying to prove myself wrong, either. I’ll love you harder than you ever thought possible if you’ll let me. You’ve given me back my family, Jude. You’ve given me back my life. And I owe everything to you.”
“I didn’t do anything?—”
“You dideverything.”
He gazes at me with an unspoken question in his eyes.
“Ask me,” I whisper.
He takes a deep breath. “Jude Yardley, will you take a risk and marry me?”
“No.”
His face falls. “Wh?—”
“It’s not a risk when I know the man I’m marrying has a golden soul, and I love him more than I ever thought someone could love another person. Ask me again.”
“You want me to ask you again?” His brows hitch, but his eyes soften as he sinks his perfect white teeth into his lower lip with a smirk. “You’re fucking trouble.”
“And you want to marry me.” I beam, almost bouncing on the spot in excitement. “So ask me again.”
He shakes his head. “Jude Yardley, will you drive me wild every day and make me question my sanity?” He gives me a pointed look. “As well as being the love of my life and everything to me?”
I nod, and his eyes soften.
“Baby, will you marry me?”
“Yes,” I whisper, breaking into a half laugh, half cry, as tears prick at my eyes. “Yes!”
“We got there in the end,” Slade mutters, his mouth stretching into a wide smile as he stands and takes the ring from the box, sliding it onto my left hand.
I swat him playfully in the chest with my free hand as I stare at the ring, but he catches it and brings my fingertips to his mouth, kissing them.
“Do you like it?”
