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“No. I wasn’t very hungry. But now, I need some chocolate.” I move to stand from the bed, but Damien presses me back down.
“Chocolate makes everything better, right?”
Chuckling, I pull his lips to mine. “Right. Glad to know you’ve been paying attention.”
He grins. “I’ll get it. You stay here.”
“Okay.”
Damien walks out of my room naked, and returns in just a few moments with a handful of Dove chocolates. “Will these do?”
I smile knowing that he knows me so well. “Always.”
He unwraps the first one and drags it over my lips before gently placing it in my mouth as it melts on my tongue. Getting comfortable in bed again, he props his head up on one of his arms while lying on his side, watching me as I savor my favorite treat and then stick out my tongue for more.
“Still on that two piece rule?”
“I mean, I feel like it helps me enjoy them more. If I devour an entire bag, I don’t appreciate the decadence as much.”
He shakes his head before unwrapping the second piece and feeding it to me as well. I chew, watching him in the darkness of the room as he smoothes out the foil wrappers and places them on my chest. “I know you’ll want to read these before I throw them away.”
“I have to. I want to know if I’ll get a quote I haven’t read yet.” I pick up the first one and read the words out loud. “Inhale the future, exhale the past.” Taking a deep breath, I hold it in for a few seconds before releasing it slowly. “I feel like I needed that one today.”
“That is a good piece of advice.” He nods. “What does the other one say?” Flicking his eyes to the foil, I pick it up and gasp as I see the words written on the wrapper—Will you marry me?
“Damien? What is this?”
“What does it look like?” He cups the side of my face before pulling a ring from under my pillow. “Thank God this didn’t fall behind the headboard.” Laughing, he pulls me flush against him, our naked bodies connected from chest to toe.
My entire body begins to shake as I lock eyes with him. “Is this really happening right now?”
“Charlotte, I love you. You are the one person I never knew I could love this much. And being with you for the past six months has been the best part of my life so far, hands down. But now? I want to spend the rest of my life making memories with you, new ones that are our own, that aren’t tainted by our past.” Tears build in my eyes as the outline of Damien grows fuzzy before I blink them away. “I want to prove I’m the man that deserves you. I want to buy you tampons and pads when you’re on your period, but also hold you to help you feel better. I want to support and encourage you in anything you choose to do with your life, and I want to prove that I can give you more orgasms than you can give me.” I laugh as I choke back a sob. “I also want to prove that on the other side of trauma, there’s healing and love. And I want to create a life with you, have kids with you that have your smile and my wit, and sing the songs to The Greatest Showman with you until we take our last breaths.” He draws in a shaky breath of his own. “Will you marry me?”
He holds out a princess cut solitaire ring between his fingers, but I don’t stare at it too long because the sight of the man in front of me is the most beautiful thing I see right now. He’s the only thing that matters in this moment—the man that I thought I hated is now the one I don’t ever want to live without. I can’t believe that we’ve ended up here, but the possibilities in front of us are the only things I see now and I want them all with Damien Shaw.
“Yes,” I manage to squeak out as he gently places the ring on my finger, and that’s when I stare down at it before telling him, “I want all of that with you too. I love you so much.”
“I love you more, Charlotte.”
“Never,” I counter back.
“Never say never, babe. We’re proof that what you think you know can always be proven wrong.”
THE END
