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Tonight, I would be proposing to her, and I was terrified she would say no. I knew that wound for her husband was still fresh all these years later. I knew he could be a reason she’d say no to me, and I wouldn’t blame her or fault her for it. Everyone grieved differently, and I couldn’t imagine losing a loved one like that.
But I never wanted to poach on that part of her heart. That spot was solely for him, and I’d never try to make her feel otherwise. I would encourage her to continue to love him, to continue to grieve him, and miss him. Because spending your life with someone like that—you just didn’t get over something like that.
The pain never eased; you just learned to live with it.
Finally, I heard Alex talking a mile a minute. I jerked my head over to the boardwalk to see Tawney and Alex coming down toward the sand.
I blew out a soft breath of relief.She came.
Her lips softly parted in surprise when she saw the setup I had. “Oh, Slater,” she breathed, finally looking at me. “It’s so beautiful.”
I smiled softly at her and drew her into my arms once she was close enough, leaning down to slant my lips across hers in a hot yet sweet kiss.
“Are you going to ask Mom to marry you now?” Alex asked once I pulled back from her.
Tawney’s eyes widened in shock. I swallowed thickly, unable to remove my eyes from her face. I cleared my throat. “Well, it was supposed to be a surprise, kid,” I rasped.
“Oh,” he muttered. “Sorry.”
Tears burned in Tawney’s eyes. “You want to marry me?” she croaked.
I nodded. My heart was beating so fast and so hard in my chest that it fucking hurt. “More than anything in the world, baby girl. Though, I’d planned for this to go a hell of a lot different than it is.”
She laughed, though I could still hear the tears thickening her voice. She cupped my cheek, brushing her thumb along the stubble there. “Ask me, Slater.”
My heart thumped crazily in my chest. She meant that, didn’t she? She wouldn’t tell me to ask her if she was going to say no, would she?
God, I hoped not.
I pulled the ring from my pocket and slowly lowered to one knee on the sand, my heart in my throat. I cleared my voice again before speaking.
“Tawney Williams, I’m pretty sure I’ve been in love with you since the moment my eyes laid on you at Sizzle Time. Your dark hair was hanging down your back, and you were laughing at something your best friend said to you. Your eyes were alive and shining, sparkling with life. I knew I needed to know that woman.”
Her lips trembled. A tear slid down her cheek. I grabbed her hand in mine, using it to ground me because I felt like I was going to lose it any minute now. But Ihadto get this out in the open to her.
“I know hunting you down like I did and demanding information from Amber was a bit stalkerish, but I couldn’t help it. I could barely sleep that night because you were constantly in my thoughts. I couldn’t leave it up to fate to bring us together again.” I gently squeezed her fingers, my eyes on her tearful face. “I love you. I love both you and Alex so fucking much, baby girl. I want to spend eternity with you. I want to become part of your family.” I licked my lips. “I know you love your husband. I’ll never make you feel bad for that. I’ll encourage you to keep loving him, to always remember him.”
She sobbed, her hand fluttering up to her throat. “But if you have any room in your heart for me, even if it’s just a tiny little sliver, I’d like that piece, Tawney. And I promise I’ll do everything in my power to make you happy for the rest of our lives.” I drew in a deep breath. “So, baby girl, will you please marry me? Your son already gave me permission to ask you.”
She dropped to her knees and threw her arms around my neck. I wrapped my own arms around her, burying my face in the side of her neck, inhaling her sweet scent.
“Yes,” she cried. “Yes, Slater, I’ll marry you.”
I grabbed her chin and pulled her lips to mine, kissing her, her tears salty on my tongue.
“Yes!” Alex cheered, jumping up and down, his feet kicking up sand. “Slater’s going to be my dad!”
Tawney brokenly laughed against my lips. I kissed her a bit harder before pulling back and sliding the ring on her finger. It was a beautiful diamond ring that was small and wouldn’t draw a lot of attention. I knew it was perfect for her the moment I saw it.
It was an understated beauty, just as Tawney was.
“I love you,” I told her. “I love you so fucking much.”
She pressed her trembling fingers to my lips, a soft, sweet smile pulling at her lips. “I love you, too, Slater.” She leaned forward, her lips touching mine for a beat. “I can’t wait to spend my life with you.”
12
Slater
