Page 132 of Asher's Assignment
Her head lolled to the side, and she made a soft mewling noise. Those dark copper lashes fluttered against her skin as she came awake. A sleepy smile brightened her face when her gaze landed on him. “Hey.” She raised her arms over her head and stretched, wincing a bit as her abdominal muscles pulled.
“You okay?”
She brought her arms down and rolled to her side, wrapping them around his forearm and snuggling closer. “Yeah. I’ll be glad when I can move and not be sore.” A yawn overtook her, and she covered her mouth, then waved her hand. “Sorry.”
“Do you want me to leave so you can go back to sleep?” He wanted to stay and keep up his vigil, but he’d go if she wanted to get more rest.
“No. Actually, I’m hungry, so I’d like to get up and eat. Did the tomato soup and grilled cheese Edie wanted ever get made?”
“I’m not sure. I think there were plans to order in. I don’t know what they got, though. I’ve been up here with you.”
Her eyebrows rose. “The entire time?” She lifted her head to look at the clock. “It’s been two hours. Did you sleep too?”
“No. Just watched you. And did some thinking.” He brushed her hair back and played with the ends, thinking some more.
“About what?”
“Us.”
She hummed. “What about us?”
“What the future holds, mostly. I’m not going back to Costa Rica. Not without you.”
Surprise flashed in her pretty blue eyes. “But your life?—”
“Is wherever you are, Essy.” He brushed his knuckles over her cheek. “What do you want? And before you say anything, you should know I intend to marry you. As soon as you can walk down the aisle.”
That single eyebrow rose, reminding him of the look he’d gotten from her sister many times whenever he presumed something and she was about to school him. It made him smile.
“Who says I want to marry you?”
“You do.”
“You’re sure about that?”
“Yes.” He stroked her cheek again. “You know how I know?”
A smile flirted with her lips. “How?”
“It’s in your eyes. These beautiful, deep eyes of yours. You can see our future. The companionship and the passion. The silliness and the love. The children who will have your bright smile and my dark hair. And hopefully not yours or your sister’s stubbornness.”
She laughed. “I’d prefer that too. Although, if they’re as tenacious as we are, I’ll be happy. It’s come in handy the last couple of weeks.”
He agreed. Her tenacity—and Edie’s—was why she was lying here with him and not in a coffin. “I’m sure God will look at our list and laugh, then throw the stubbornness in there, anyway.” He grinned. “But we’ll handle it. Because we have each other. Always each other.” He ran his fingertip over her lips. “So, what do you say? Will you marry me?”
Again, she hummed. “As soon as I can walk down the aisle, huh? What if I want a lavish wedding?”
“Do you?”
She shrugged one shoulder. “I’d like the dress and the flowers. And to see you in a tux. Definitely more than a quickly planned weekend affair.”
Asher sighed. “I suppose I can live with waiting long enough to plan that.”
“Good. It’ll give us time to move one of us.”
A bit of the happiness in her smile died. Asher didn’t have to ask to know what she preferred. She wanted to stay here.
“It will. Dismantling my lair will be a labor of love.”
