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“I think that’s what I’m getting as well.” I look up from the menu at him. “Why won’t you tell me about your conversation with my father?” I ask impatiently.
“I will tell you about it after lunch,” he says before he orders his food, not giving the waitress, who is clearly fawning over him, a second glance.
After ordering, I glance around the restaurant and raise my eyebrow. “Wow, my father didn’t send a guard with us. Strange.”
“Oh, he did. You just can’t see them,” he says with a chuckle.
Just as I go to reply, our waitress arrives with our meal. “Damn, that was fast.”
“They’ve gotten a lot faster with their service lately,” Declan replies before picking up his fork and digging into his spaghetti.
“Well, that’s good because this is normally the part where my suitor dismisses themselves and never returns.” Declan only smiles at that.
We make small talk throughout the meal. Talking about old times and how the last four years have been a whirlwind. Before I know it, our food is gone, and Declan is ordering dessert.
“I don’t think I can eat anything else,” I say, leaning back in my chair and placing a hand on my stomach.
“Humor me,” he murmurs.
“Okay,” I say, confusion heavy in my voice.
A few moments later, the waitress sits a slice of cheesecake down in front of me. Looking down at it, I raise my eyebrow while reading the words written in chocolate on the plate.‘Marry me?’
I look back up at Declan, who is smiling. He stands and comes over to my side, before dropping down on one knee and pulling out a small red velvet box. “Natalia, you were my very first best friend, my first and only love, and the one person I knew I could always count on. We may have lost our way before, but we made it back. I don’t ever want to be without you again. Will you marry me?” He opens the box, revealing the most breathtaking ring I have ever seen. A round-cut diamond, surrounded by smaller emerald stones.
Looking down at him, my heart skips a beat and a thousand emotions rush through me. I knew this was coming, but I didn’t expect it to be so… real. “Yes! Yes, of course!” I reply excitedly and hold my left hand out.
Declan lets out a sigh of relief and slides the ring on my finger before standing and pulling me up with him. The pure joy exuding from him is palpable. One of his strong hands move to caress my face while the other finds the small of my back. In an instant, I’m being dipped low as Declan’s mouth finds mine. I close my eyes and take in the moment, here in his arms. His mouth pressed firmly to mine. The strong caress of his grip on my body.
The kiss is one of excitement and passion. I’m vaguely aware strangers are in the room as he lifts me back up. The ring now adorning my left hand gleams as my hand rests on his bicep. He rests his forehead against mine and smiles. “I can’t tell you how many times I’ve wanted to pick you up and kiss you like that.” He cups my face and kisses me softly once more, before looking down at the forgotten cheesecake. “Let’s not let this go to waste.”
I giggle and sit back down at the table. Grabbing one of the two forks, I take a bite of the dessert, letting out a low moan. “I love cheesecake.”
Declan closes his eyes momentarily, and I can hear him curse under his breath. “I know, I remembered,” he says as he takes a bite.
“Your bill,” the waitress says as she hands Declan the bill. He doesn’t even look at the price, nor the waitress. Grabbing his card out of his wallet, he hands it to her, and she jerks it out of his hand before disappearing.
“Someone is a little jealous,” I mention as I watch her walk away.
“What do you mean?” He asks, following my gaze.
“Have you not paid attention to how she has been fawning all over you?” Looking back at him, the expression on his face tells me he is clueless.
“I’ve only had eyes for you, Natalia.” He reaches over and takes my hand in his, looking at the ring on my finger. The light reflects off the diamond as he surveys the stone. “Do you like it?”
“I love it, Declan,” I assure him. “It’s absolutely beautiful.”
“It was hard finding a ring that you deserved. Everything was too bland. So, I had this one custom designed,” he says shyly.
“That must have taken a while to come in. When exactly did you order this?” I ask with a raised eyebrow.
“Um, last year,” he admits, glancing to the side as the waitress puts his card and receipt on the table. He grabs it, puts it in his wallet and wads the receipt up.
“Last year?How did you know I wasn’t going to be married?” I ask, then I backtrack. “Never mind. You knew I wouldn’t be because it’s hard to get married when someone runs off every potential suitor. Why doesn’t this surprise me?” I keep a smile on my face as I stand. “Ready to go, honey?”
Declan stands and holds out his hand. As I slide mine into his, he leans down to whisper in my ear. “Don’t be mad. I meant everything I said earlier during my proposal. I don’t want to lose you again.”
Once we are outside, and the valet brings the car around, I snatch the keys. “I’m driving.”
