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“Are you planning on staying this quiet all night?” she asks as she continues to set out the food on the blanket around us.”
“I’m speechless, sweetheart,” I suddenly blurt. “You have just made me the happiest man in the world. How long have you known?”
Stopping what she is doing, Emily admits that she only discovered the news herself the day she was abducted. She couldn’t find the right time to tell me with everything that's happened. She does admit, though, that she told her mother the night we rescued her.
When I ask how her mother took the news, she tells me of her excitement about becoming a grandmother. A chuckle escapes my lips when Em informs me of her mother’s disappointment that I hadn’t been informed sooner.
“Did she not have any concerns at all, Em?”
The look she gives me is one of bewilderment.
“What could she possibly be concerned about, honey?” her bemused tone asks.
Not sure how to broach the subject, I exclaim, “The difference in age between us.”
Laughing, my woman declares that I’m being ridiculous. “Nobody cares about that kind of thing anymore, Hawke.”
She squeezes my hand and assures me that her momma told her I was a good man who would take care of her daughter. If it was approval I was seeking from her momma, then I had it. I don’t know why our age gap has suddenly become an issue for me, and it certainly wasn’t when I pursued her, yet surprisingly it is now.
“I love you and only you, Hawke; never doubt that,” she begins, taking both of my hands into her own. “When has our age ever been an issue?”
“Not until this moment,” I solemnly admit.
“Our age is just a number, honey. It doesn’t dictate anything.” She goes on to announce. “You and I were meant to be; this is our destiny.”
“Look at you, being all philosophical,” I tease.
Letting go of my hands, she swipes at me, grunting that I’m now being a dick.
“Well, I guess there is no better time than the present to give you this,” I inform Em, pulling the ring box from my coat pocket.
The look on my woman’s face when I suddenly bend down on one knee is priceless.
“Emily Proctor,” I start. “Would you do me the honor of accepting this ring and agreeing to be my wife?”
More tears stream down her face as she pounces on me, screaming yes repeatedly, deafening me. When she finally releases her grip, she tells me that I’ve changed her life in a way she never believed possible, and she will be forever grateful.
“We have so much to plan,” she excitedly adds. “I can’t wait to tell momma.”
“How about we eat first?” I teasingly suggest.
“Of course, of course.” Em laughs. “I have something special organized for dessert.” She grins.
I’ve said it before, and I’m going to say it again, this woman is going to be the death of me.
CHAPTERTWENTY-THREE
Emily
When Hawke and I returned last night, Camila was frantically pacing in anticipation of our arrival. Upon seeing us, she quickly ushered us into momma’s room as she’d been calling for me. We’d only been gone a couple of hours at most, yet it seemed like momma had deteriorated quickly in our absence.
This morning, as I stand leaning against the wall for support, I watch as one of the village elders cites my momma's last rites. Beside me, Hawke is doing his best to comfort my distraught sister. All three of us understand momma’s time is nearly over, yet none are ready to say goodbye.
As I sat by her side during the night, I told her of my and Hawke’s engagement. She had tears in her eyes when she told me how delighted the news had made her, which made me cry. My tears, though, were more profound because of the premature grief I felt knowing my momma wouldn’t be standing beside me on my wedding day.
When the evening gave way to morning, Momma asked me to fetch the elders. I knew exactly why she wanted them summoned, yet I was still living in denial. In a moment of selfishness, I refused her request because I wasn’t ready to let her go.
I wanted, no, needed her to be okay so that she could be there when I married the man I love and delivered our first child. We lost so much time because of Antonio, and now it seemed like another force was working against us. Eventually, I gave in, but only because Hawke convinced me it was the right thing to do.
