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Chapter Fourteen
He woke up before she did but didn’t wake her. She was so peaceful, so beautiful. Zander was still operating in the space of gratitude. It only took a single thought for him to be plunged back into those hours, those never-ending hours when he had no idea where Zsanine was or what was happening to her. It only took a moment for Zander to remember how painful that time was, feeling like he would lose her forever, never seeing her again. They were horrifying thoughts but could be ever-present until he looked upon Zsanine’s beautiful face. When he did, the painful thoughts receded to the back of his mind because she was physically there with him. He could touch her, kiss her, love her.
Their time apart gave Zander a lot of time to think when he wasn’t worrying and when he wasn’t trying to figure out how to find her. He couldn’t sleep without knowing Zsanine was safe. He genuinely missed her, feeling out of sorts, not himself because of her absence. That had never happened to him before, that he lost sleep because of a woman he was involved with.
That’s when he knew. That’s when Zander knew that he couldn’t live the rest of his life without Zsanine being a part of it.
He didn’t want to disturb Zsanine, but there was something Zander had to do. As quietly as he could, Zander lifted his frame from the bed, looking back over his shoulder to make sure Zsanine was still sleeping. She did stir, and for a moment, Zander froze in place, not wanting to make any noise that would awaken her. But she settled back down, repositioning herself and snuggling against the pillow. He exited quietly.
He didn’t want to be away from Zsanine too long. Even as he made his way back to the bedroom, Zander understood how weird that notion may have been, but he didn’t. He never wanted to miss Zsanine again. He was equally as quiet returning as he was when he exited. He wasn’t surprised to see Zsanine was still fast asleep. Zander thought about letting her stay that way, but patience was not his strongest suit. He slowly made his way over to the bed, pushing the serving cart. This time, instead of returning to the side he slept on, he sat down on Zsanine’s side.
She stirred again.
“Good morning, love,” Zander said, hoping that was enough to stir her awake fully. He thought for a minute that she would stir, but she didn’t. Instead, Zsanine hummed, adjusted the pillow, and curled up around it. Zander chuckled but remained persistent. He needed her to wake up, so he leaned in close to her, placing a gentle hand on her back and calling out to her again.
“Good morning, love.”
“Morning, babe,” she finally mumbled without repositioning.
Zander recognized that she was probably still tired. He only needed her to be alert for a few minutes, and then she could go back to sleep, so that’s what he told Zsanine, remaining close to her ear and giving her that message.
“Nnn,” she moaned, turning in his direction. “Just a few minutes?”
“Yes, babe, just open your eyes for a couple of minutes, and then you can go back to sleep.
“Promise?” She asked, throwing her arm over her eyes, reinforcing her unwillingness to open them.
“Promise,” Zander replied, gently lifting her arm and placing it on her side.
“I just have to wake up a little, not sit up, right?”
“That’s all I need.”
“Okay, okay,” she uttered, her lashes flitting before her eyes opened. She saw the rolling cart with the silver dome next to him.
“Oh babe, no, I’m not hungry. I’m still full from last night.”
“I didn’t wake you up to eat, beloved,” Zander said, gaining Zsanine’s attention as he spoke. She watched him remove the silver lid from the tray.
“Babe, I’m not,” she stopped mid-sentence as what he lifted from the plate was not food. It was a small red velvet box.
“I woke you up because I refuse to be apart from you again. I don’t want to occupy a space that you aren’t in. I want you to feel secure in knowing that I am completely committed to you, your happiness, your well-being, your safety.”
Before, Zsanine didn’t want to sit up, but as Zander spoke such life-affirming words to her, she did reposition herself so she could see him fully. Seeing the red box was one thing. It made Zsanine curious as to what Zander was up to. He was always lavishing her with beautiful gifts. But in this moment, it felt different, bigger.
“Zsanine, I love you so much, more than life itself. I want to spend the rest of my life with you and only you.”
When the box opened and Zander removed the ring, Zsanine’s eyes widened and immediately flushed with tears because she knew. She knew what the ring represented.
“Would you do me the honor of being my wife?”
And then Zander opened the box. The inhale from Zsanine reflected the magnificence of the six-carat oval-shaped flawless diamond resting on a platinum band.
“This is what you woke me up for?” Zsanine asked, tears spilling onto her ebony cheeks.
Zander was caught off guard by the question.
“Uh, yes,” he uttered, not sure where she was going with it.
