AllFreeNovel
Share Us
His eyes were dark as they focused on me.
“There you are,” he said faintly.
“Here I am,” I whispered.
Duke released my throat.
“I think I had a panic attack,” I said without any trace of emotion, like I was casually making an observation from outside my body.
“Yeah, I think you did. So, you don’t want to marry me after all…”
I frowned. “What? What do you mean?”
He gestured with his chin to the diamond ring on the floor next to me.
“Oh.No. That’s not it at all.”
“No?”
I shook my head. “It’s—I looked at it, and immediately remembered that it had been taken from me, and only returned because Savage found it on one of the creeps who kidnapped me.”
Duke’s expression softened. “And now you see it and remember.”
I reached out and cradled his cheek. “I want to marry you. But please don’t ask me to wear that ring again.”
“Your ring, your choice. You want a different ring? I’ll get you a different ring. Whatever you want.”
I dropped my hand from his face and scooted closer. I pressed my face to the crook of his neck. “Only you, Duke. I’ve only ever wanted you.”
He held me close, running one of his hands up and down my back.
“I can’t believe seeing my beautiful engagement ring is what sent me over the deep end. I stupidly thought…”
“What?”
“That I was strong enough to process everything that happened to me. I didn’t realize I’d break down.”
“You just went through something that no one should ever have to live through.”
“I’m alive,” I pointed out. “Sailor’s alive. The other girl…” I let out a sigh. “Any idea who she is?”
“Not yet. It’s all over the media, but they’re not sharing her info yet,” he said.
“Can you imagine?” I asked quietly. “You’re a mother or a father, and your daughter goes missing…and you have no idea what happened to her. So, you imagine the worst, but you don’t get any closure. That would tear me up inside.”
“Her family will get closure, eventually,” he said. “They have her body. She didn’t just disappear.”
“Sometimes you don’t get your happy ending.”
“Sometimes you do.”
“Sometimes you do,” I agreed.
We were silent for a long moment and then Duke said, “Shit’s going to be crazy in the next few weeks. I won’t have a lot of free time and I won’t be able to leave town unless it’s for club business.”
“Okay?”
“Prez gave me a few days off,” he said. “So we can have a quick honeymoon.”
