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I’m transfixed as he gets down on one knee and slides the ring on my finger.
“I told you I can’t live without you. That gets truer every day. I love you with all the heart I’ll ever have, woman. Now I just want you to be Mrs. Burns.”
“I love you too—I love you so much—but—” Hot tears push up my throat in a strangled sob.
I can see his dark-brown eyes fall.
Oh, no.
“L-Lincoln,” I stammer.
He stands with a soft smile, pulling me into his arms, even though he must be paralyzed.
“But what, sweetheart? Isn’t love enough?”
“It’s just—I don’t like weddings.”
He strokes my back with his hand. “You trust me, don’t you?”
“Of course, I do.” I nod sharply. “I want to marry you, I guess I’m just scared...”
“That makes two of us then. Nevermore, if you give me forever, we’ll get through this together. I promise. You’re the only one I’d ever trust to do this with.”
“But what if you freak out because you have to wear a tux—”
“It’s still a semi-regular occurrence at Ma’s charity events,” he says softly.
“Oh. Right. But there are so many people—”
“Also normal. If you want, we can do our vows without an audience,” he says, his voice so torn, so determined, so sweet.
“But what if you wake up with huge regrets? Like, ‘Oh my God! I’m going to spend the rest of my life with this woman. I’m never having sex with anyone else again, and if I wanted to go bum away boating with Wyatt for a week, there goes my chance.’ Would you run?”
He laughs for a solid thirty seconds.
“First of all, an entire week is way too damn long to be with Wyatt Emory on a ship—”
I look at him, my breath stalled, trying to bury my stupid fears so I can give him the firm yes he so truly deserves.
Then he nips at my neck and I jump in his arms.
“Ahhh—what was that?” I sigh.
“You think too much,” he growls against my ear, all hot breath and saintly patience. “For the record, I wake up every goddamned day with zero regrets. I just know you’re the woman I’m spending the rest of my life with. Whether that means we’re tying the knot today or in ten years, you’re never getting rid of me.”
I. Am. Ugly. Crying.
“Y-you mean it?” I whisper.
He nods.
“Promise?”
“Cross my fucking heart. I want to spend the rest of my life with you, and I want that life to start now.”
“I just—oof. I didn’t think you were the marrying type.”
His jaw clenches. “Is that a no then?”
“God, no! I love you. I don’t want this to end.”
“So, you’ll marry me?”
There’s a long pause where my heart stops.
“I want to. With all my heart.” My lip quivers. “But Lincoln...I’m really bad at weddings.”
“Wrong. Your jackass ex was bad at weddings.” He beams pure confidence into my eyes, and oh God, it’s infectious. “If we do this, my mom will plan it, or I’ll hire a planner. Anything you want, Nevermore, as long as you’re mine.”
“I want to elope,” I blurt out, pushing my hands into his.
“What?”
“I want to elope. Just us.”
He pulls me to him. “Ma will have my head on a silver platter if I deny her the wedding she’s been planning for twenty years, but for you—”
Laughing, I push my hand softly in front of his lips.
“You swear you won’t chicken out?” I whisper.
He cups my face with his hand.
“Dakota, if I don’t show up to our wedding for any reason, I’ll be dead. And even then, I’ll probably come back and haunt your ass all the way to the honeymoon suite. Listen to me very closely.”
He takes the other side of my face softly, clasping my head in both hands. Smiling, I sigh.
“I. Cannot. Live. Without. You. Not today. Not tomorrow. Not in a thousand years. Am I getting through yet? I need you like oxygen.”
My lips turn up. “I love you.”
“So, is that a definitive yes?” He presses his forehead to mine.
I wrap my arms around his neck and nod, sealing my agreement with a kiss that curls my toes.
Our lips are fused for what must be ten solid minutes before we slowly, breathlessly pull away.
“Only you could convince me,” I whisper, finally looking down at that strange, yet magnificent ring on my hand that’s starting to feel just right. “Oh, and I have a surprise for you!”
“Yeah?”
I bite my bottom lip. “It’s kinda cool here. We should move closer to the fireplace.”
He side-eyes me so hard I laugh.
“What’s this surprise?”
“Only one way to find out...” I walk toward the fireplace, motioning for him to join me.
Lincoln follows and grabs the back of my sweater. “Nevermore, you have no idea what you do to me.”
Heat pumps under my cheeks and I grin. “I think I have some idea.”
