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“Are you all right?” Suzette questions and it’s only when I look up to see her glancing at the cocktail napkin in my hand that I realize I’ve twisted and pulled and creased it to death.
“Fine,” I answer her and in my periphery I see the waiter slipping the plate down in front of her.
My heart races and I tell her that I’m perfectly fine and wait.
Her gaze doesn’t leave mine. Even when I motion to her dessert, spotting the four-carat diamond sparking from where it sits in the red velvet box.
“I just—” Suzette starts and then licks her lips. “I know I’m … I know that I—” she hesitates. This gorgeous, intelligent, strong-willed woman hesitates, because of me.
Because I didn’t sayI love youback. I know damn well that’s why.
“I want you to marry me,” I murmur, unable to hold it back any longer.
Her kissable lips part and her light blue eyes widen. “Adrian.”
I motion to the ring on her plate and she gasps, a loud yelp of a gasp, covering her mouth and jumping back slightly.
She stares at it, as if I’m not waiting, unable to breathe and desperate for her to answer me.
“Marry me,” I tell her, a command this time and that gets her attention. Her hands lower, although she still stares at me as if she’s in shock.
“For the love of all things holy, if you don’t say yes right now, I swear to God I’ll throw you over this table.”
When she smiles, this beautiful smile that reaches all the way up to her eyes, I know it’ll be all right.
“I love you,” she tells me, her cadence soothing.
“That isn’t a yes and I’m going to need you to say—”
“Yes,” she says in a breathy voice and it takes everything in me not to topple the table as I rush to her.
To kiss her. To hold her. “I love you too,” I tell her the moment she breaks our kiss. “I love you and I need you with me.”
Her eyes shine back with every emotion I feel stirring inside of me.
“I love you and I want you, and I need you too.”
EPILOGUE
Suzette
The city never sleeps. It provides a constant light as it slips into the office. Even at nearly 1:00 a.m.
With a deep breath in, I lie back, nestling beside Adrian on the pullout sofa. His smell surrounds me, fresh and clean with a hint of sandalwood, and so do his arms as he wraps them around me, planting a kiss on my forehead.
This is how we’ve slept for the last two weeks nearly. He stays with me, working and taking calls, while I do the same.
The numbers are promising, but not guaranteed.
“Was it a good day?” he asks me, his chest rumbling as his hand runs down my back.
“A great day. Gail secured the final client.”
“That makes me happy to hear,” he comments and although exhaustion coats his tone, I know he truly is happy. It was shaky at first. A number of clients debated on leaving, and they all wanted to renegotiate. Gail took the brunt of it.
“Me too,” I say and then ask him, “And what about you? Any updates from Wyatt?”
His friend got into a bad deal. I’m not certain of the details but I know it’s been rough on him and it involves politicians and a lawsuit and some other developer.
