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“We did it.” I kiss him and feel a delightful shifting. As if everything is aligned and as it’s supposed to be. With us, with Dwayde, with Malcolm taking the deal and leaving town.
“Isabelle said we’d get our happy endings.” I nuzzle into him. “Looks like she was right.”
“Ending?” Mick eases back with a twinkle in his eyes. “This is only the beginning, beauty. The best parts are still to come.”
Micah
Weeks after the celebratory brunch, Dee and I are having a casual Friday night dinner in front of the fireplace. She lifts the last cracker and piece of brie off the charcuterie board and feeds them to me.
“Yum.” I nip her fingers, making her laugh.
It had taken me a while to believe that Malcolm was really gone, that I was truly free of him. But with confirmation that he’s still down in Destin, and with the case over, all hope for the future springs to life. “I think I owe you a trip.”
“So, you do.” She grins. “The one with me naked and sunburned on the beach.”
“Not on my watch.” I catch her hand and bring her in for a kiss. “I’ll make sure you’re well-oiled and lubricated.”
“I’m sure you will.” Her pretty eyes roll. “But your one-track mind aside, I’m up for a trip. I can probably find space in my calendar next month.”
Next month is not what I have in mind. Dee gets up with the tray and disappears into the kitchen. My pulse goes a little haywire.
“I’ve never been on a beach vacation,” she says, returning to the living room.
Free of makeup and wearing one of my T-shirts, Dee packs as much of a turn on in cotton as she does in lingerie. It’s her natural sensuality and luscious body that make her a dream to fuck. But it’s her big, generous heart that makes her a dream to love.
“I found this private resort on Mystique Island,” I say. “The beach-front property is located on a lagoon. All the rooms have views of the water and white sand for miles.”
“That sounds wonderfully decadent.” She walks closer.
“I thought it would be an ideal spot for our wedding.”
Her silky bare legs come to a stumbling halt. Her expression goes slack-jaw. Good. That’s how I want her, caught off guard. I stand and meet her in the middle of the room. It’s not pomp and circumstance. No grand, elaborate gesture. Neither of us is about that. I pictured it like this, proposing in our cozy house where we have shared some of our best times.
I look into her eyes, more golden in the candlelight. “There’s no other woman more perfect for me than you are. You have made me a better man. A stronger man. A happy man. I loved you madly at eighteen and yet it’s nothing compared to how much I love you now.
“You light up my entire world, Deeana Rae. Through all the darkness, you’ve filled it with stars and sunbeams.” I go down on bended knee in front of her. “Will you have me as your husband and the father of your children? I vow to spend my life being the best I can be at both.”
“I think I’m going to faint.”
“I’ll catch you, beauty. I’ll always catch you.”
“I know.” She kneels down with me and wraps her arms around my neck, her tears wetting my cheek. There’s no question or hesitation this time around. “Yes, Mick,” she breathes. “Yes-yes-yes, a million times over, yes. To marriage, to children, to forever.”
Filled with joy, I shift back to retrieve the ring that I’d concealed in the front pocket of my lounging pants and take her hand. The emerald-cut ruby, set in a delicate platinum band, is haloed by diamonds.
“Wow!” Her eyes round through damp lashes.
Smiling with pleasure, I read Dee the tiny engraving. “My first. My last. My only.”
“Oh, Mick.”
I slide the bespoke engagement ring onto her finger. It has the exact effect I was looking for. The deep, vibrant red against her tawny-beige skin. The sparkle of diamonds glittering in a rainbow of brilliance, complementing her elegant hand.
“It’s beautiful,” she says, holding the ring out in front of her, then looking back up at me. “I can’t wait to be your wife.”
My kiss against her lips is fierce and earnest. “Marry me next weekend.”
“What?” She blinks rapidly. “You want to elope?”
