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“Positive,” I tell her.
We walk for a few more minutes until I stop in front of a storefront and pull a key out of my pocket before handing it to her. “Open it,” I tell her.
She looks around, searching for a sign to tell her where we are, but so far, there isn’t one. Her eyes go wide with alarm as she shoots a funny look at me. “No,” she hisses, trying to keep her voice low. “Where the hell are we? I’m not breaking into someone’s store. I’m too innocent to go to jail. I’d never survive.”
“Babe,” I tell her calmly, trying to hold back my grin at her comments because she couldn’t be more wrong. She’s the furthest thing from innocent. “Open the damn door.”
She lets out a huff but does as she’s told, after looking up and down the street twice more. She pushes the door open, and I turn the lights on behind her. The store instantly comes to life as she takes it all in.
“What the hell is this?” she asks as her eyes flick from the right to left, then top to bottom.
“This is your salon, Charli,” I tell her.
Her eyes go wide as she turns back to me, sucking in a loud gasp. “Are you serious?”
“Yeah, babe,” I smile. “I’ve been working on it for a few months with Micky. There’s still some more work to do, but I wanted you to choose all the finishing touches so everything is how you want it.”
“Thank you,” she whispers with a lump in her throat as tears of happiness flow from her gorgeous blue eyes and drop down her cheeks. “This is . . . I don’t know, I have no words for how amazing this is. It’s my dream to have my own salon.”
I step forward and wipe the tears away. “I know,” I tell her. “Now, there’s no time for tears. You need to see the place first.”
She gives an excited nod as she wipes the rest of the tears on the back of her arms—she’s classy like that. “Okay,” she murmurs, taking hold of my hand and allowing me to lead her around the salon. I point out all the work that’s been done and what still needs her final say. I show her where the register will go and where she can have shelves of products for sale.
“You’re going to have to come up with a name,” I tell her.
“Shit,” she laughs. “But I swore after all the drama of picking a name for the gym that I’d never do it again.”
“Tough shit, babe,” I grin, remembering the hell of a time we had narrowing down the list of names for Warrior’s Paradise. I couldn’t have been happier with the outcome, but it was a long journey. “Why don’t you keep it simple? Charli’s Salon.”
She stops in her tracks and looks around fondly. “Charli’s Salon,” she says, trying it out. “I like it.”
“Well, that was easy,” I murmur.
We come to a door, and she pushes her way through. “What’s up here?” she asks, taking in the stairs.
“Go up and see,” I tell her as the nerves start taking over.
I follow her as we head up the stairs and she pushes through the door. She lets out a surprised gasp as she finds the rooftop terrace completely overtaken with flowers and fairy lights that twinkle against the night’s backdrop. “Oh. My. God,” she whispers to herself as she takes it in. “This place is amazing.”
I close the door behind me and drop down to one knee. I wait patiently as she takes it all in before slowly turning back to me with tears in her eyes. The second she realizes what I’m doing and takes in the big diamond ring sitting in the velvet box I’m holding out to her, she lets out another gasp and looks at me with wide eyes.
“Charli,” I start. “Since the day I saw you working behind the bar at Micky’s, I knew you were going to be mine. I’ve watched you grow into this beautiful, strong woman, and still to this day, you continue to surprise me with how far you’ve come. I’m pretty sure I fell in love with you that very first day, and since then, that feeling has only grown. I no longer know how to live my life without you, and what’s more, I don’t ever want to,” I say, letting that sink in before I continue.
She wipes a stray tear, and I make sure she’s hearing every single word I’m saying. “Charli, will you do me the greatest honor of becoming my wife?”
She drops to her knees in front of me, “Yes,” she cries, throwing her arms around me and crushing her lips to mine as she continues. “Nothing in this world would make me happier. I love you so much.”
