AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Yeah. Okay,” I say with a nod and then look at him as a thought occurs to me. “Deever?”
"Beaten half to death. You really did a number on him. But he's alive. He's getting treated and will be taken to a hospital soon," the cop tells us.
Part of me had hoped I’d beaten Deever completely to death. But I know that would have led to a lot more complications. Maybe even some jail time. And even though it would have been worth it to save Lanie, I never want to be separated from her again. Not for a minute.
A small smile softens his features. “You put yourself in harm’s way for her. This could have turned out a lot worse.”
“There’s literally nothing I wouldn’t do to protect her,” I tell the cop.
“She’s lucky to have a watchdog like you,” he replies.
I look down into Lanie’s eyes, wide and blue. What I would do to keep this girl safe, to have her beside me. Always.
“No,” I shake my head. “I’m the lucky one.”
* * *
Two Months Later
Lanie rushes downthe stage and launches herself on me. After everything she’s been through, this is such a sweet, sweet victory for her. She deserves it. She deserves the world. And I’ll make sure to give it to her.
I step back a little, and in full view of the other graduates, I grin and sink to one knee. Her smile wavers and she briefly looks confused. When I take out the small velvet box and open it, showing her the round-cut diamond ring flanked by two smaller diamonds, she gasps. Even the emcee stops talking when she notices us.
“Lanie, these past few weeks have been some of the best in my life. I never knew happiness before I met you. I can’t imagine a future without you in it. I refuse to. I want nothing more than to spend the rest of my life with you.”
She covers her mouth with her hand as tears start running down her cheeks.
Clearing my throat, I say, “So, baby. Will you marry me?”
All of a sudden, there’s silence, everyone waiting for her response. She chokes on a sob before nodding. “Yes. Of course, it’s a yes!”
Cheers erupt, but I can no longer hear them. I’m too busy claiming her mouth in a searing kiss.
* * *
“What areyou doing standing over here all by yourself?” Lanie asks.
“Just taking in the view.”
“And by taking in the view, you mean you were looking at my ass again.”
“Precisely.”
Lanie playfully slaps me on the arm. The music is bumping, people are dancing and laughing, the buzz of conversation is thick in the air, and the atmosphere is festive. I look down at Lanie who is still wearing her black gown with the golden sash and all the cords she received for her academic achievements, my heart swelling with pride. Watching her walk across the stage to accept her diploma then turn and wave to me as she jumped up and down did something to me.
It’s most likely because I know how close we both came to never being able to share that moment. Greg Deever, currently doing twenty-five years up on Corcoran for kidnapping and a host of other things he was charged with, almost took that moment from us. If not for some incredible strokes of dumb luck, this day might never have happened.
I visited Deever once. Told him to his face that if he ever manages to get parole that if he comes around me or mine again, I will absolutely fucking bury him the next time. He tried to stand firm. Tried to look intimidating. But I could see into his eyes and knew that going back to prison had broken him. He was a shadow of himself. And that pleased me.
“Thank you for this,” she says. “This party is incredible.”
“You deserve it, baby girl,” I say.
I pull another small velvet box out of my pocket and hand it to her. She holds it in the palm of her hand, looking at it for a moment, then raises her gaze to me.
“You didn’t need to get me anything else,” she says.
“I know. I wanted to.”
