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The world stopped. And then she threw her arms around his neck and kissed him back.
The tenuous hold he’d been keeping on his passion snapped. He crushed her body to his and lifted her off her feet, his tongue sweeping between her lips to stake his claim on her once more. She moaned into his mouth as her fingers tangled and tightened in his hair.
“Everleigh,” he whispered, “be my wife.”
She froze, and for a heart-wrenching moment his panic returned in full force. He tensed his arms, trying to pull her closer, to hold her as tightly as he could for as long as he could, even if it was just for this one moment.
Then her hands came up and rested on his jaw. She pulled back, and the happiness behind her smile was so intense it nearly blinded him.
“Yes!” She laughed, the jubilant sound sending a rush of pleasure through him unlike any he’d ever known. “Yes, Adrian!”
He kissed her again, desire, love and joy pounding through him. He didn’t deserve her love—but, dear God, selfish man that he was, he wasn’t going to let her go again.
“Everleigh, I’m so sorry,” he whispered as he rained kisses over her face.
“I forgive you. Oh, Adrian, I’m sorry you experienced that pain again. I would have never, ever wished that on you.”
How did he deserve a woman like her? To care so much about him after what he’d done to her, after he’d driven her away?
“My mother and I still have a long way to go,” he said. “And my father and I will have to work some things out, too. But, Everleigh... I want you to be a part of our family. The whole complicated mess. And I can’t imagine being with anyone but you. We’ll make this work,” he hurried on, not wanting her to have a second to summon any doubts. “You can still lead Fox, we can split our time between here and Spain, and anywhere else you want to go in the world.”
An excited sparkle lit her eyes. “Even Paris?”
“Every weekend if you want.”
A frown crossed her face. “What about kids?”
“I think we should start on that right away.”
A delighted laugh escaped Everleigh’s lips. She grabbed his hand and slowly drew it to her belly. His fingers settled across her flat stomach and he raised an eyebrow.
“We already have a head start,” she said. “About a month.”
For a moment he stared at her.
Pregnant? With his child?
He looked down, floored at the thought that a tiny being was growing inside the woman he loved, right beneath his palm. If he’d thought himself possessive before, it was nothing compared to what he felt now—the need to protect both Everleigh and his unborn child, to let them both know he would never abandon them again.
“Are you happy?” she asked.
His gaze snapped back up to hers. “Everleigh...” His throat constricted. “I don’t deserve this. I don’t deserve the happiness you’ve given me.”
She clasped his face in her hands and kissed him on the forehead. “None of that. I love you. You love me. What more do we need?”
He held up a finger, reached into the pocket of his pants and pulled out a box. He stepped back and knelt down. Her hand flew to her mouth and her eyes welled with tears.
“You need a proper proposal and a ring on your finger.” He flipped the lid up. The red coral gemstone, set in a circle of diamonds, sparkled under the light of the sunset. “This ring belonged to myabuela. It would honor me, and her memory, if you would accept it.”
Everleigh nodded, a smile stretching from ear to ear even as tears spilled down her cheeks. Adrian slid the ring onto her finger just as the sun disappeared behind the horizon. Then he stood and pulled her against him once more, not wanting to spend a second away from her.
“It’s almost time for our speech,” Everleigh whispered between the kisses he continued to press to her lips.
“Considering that I would like to announce to the world that you’re officially mine, perhaps we should pull your father aside and let him know first?”
“Let him know he’s gaining a son-in-law and a grandchild?”
“Yes.” He winced. “And we have to call my mother. She’d be furious if a crowd of strangers found out before her. Although she’s the one who gave me the ring.” He kissed the tip of her nose. “She knew, just as I did, that you’re meant to be a Cabrera.”
She smiled up at him, her eyes radiant and her face glowing. “How do you sayI love youin Spanish?”
“Te quiero.”
“Te quiero,”she repeated.
“Te quiero, Everleigh.Siempre.Always.”
