“Good, because I have a surprise for you.” He leaves the room, and a beat later returns with a fluffy companion in his hand. “I thought your pup was a little lonely, so I got him a friend. Now you have two cheerleaders. An even number. Like you and me.”
He places the stuffed Cavalier King Charles next to the Dalmatian.
“You went back for it?”
“I’ve been keeping that thing a secret for the last six months. But like I told you, I want to give you everything you want. Tomorrow, and always. So, I kept telling myself to wait for the right time to do this. Remember what I said, about taking each day as it comes?”
I nod.
He reaches into his back pocket, pulls out a box, and on one knee, he presents me with a simple, beautifully crafted marquise diamond ring. My palms sweat and my heart swells.
“The right time is right now, and I don’t want to waste another second without you being my wife. So, without further ado, Miss Sophia DeLuca, will you marry me?”
I pause to admire the dainty and understated, but beautiful, ring. For a moment, I can’t speak. And even though the next words to come out of my mouth are scary, I know there is no other way to answer.
“Just to clarify,” he says before I can speak, “the diamond is one hundred percent ethical and sustainable.”
“It’s one hundred percent perfect,” I say, smiling. A tear rolls down my cheek.
“So is that a yes?”
Without wasting any more time, I smile, then simply say, “Yes.”
He beams, flashing those panty-dropping dimples that I will never tire of.
“Well then, I guess you’d better call your family back. But before you do, there’s something I want.”
He doesn’t have to spell it out. Ever since we made our relationship official, we could barely contain our greed for one another, seizing every opportunity we had to sate our hunger before we could be interrupted by a twenty-something student or a dog barking.
As my hand slides under the hem of his Henley, my fingers dance along the waistband of his jeans. The warmth of his body and that captivating scent drives me wild. But as quickly as it begins, it’s over.
“Not that.” Danny reaches for my hand, taking it in his own. His golden green eyes twinkle with mirth. “Not yet, anyway.”
“What are you doing?” I ask, confused.
I haven’t quite recovered from my lustful haze when I’m faced with the front camera of his phone.
Damn, my horny face has one hell of a smize.
“Smile,” he says, beaming those glorious dimples as he takes a snapshot and reviews it.
“Hmm. It’s a bit blurry. Let me take one on mine,” I say, remembering his words from the night we met. I raise my eyebrows, daring him to make the next move.
“Nice try, perv,” Danny says, rising to the challenge.
“Don’t flatter yourself,” I laugh, tossing the phone in the direction of the stuffed animals. I can’t wait any longer. I close the door, and christen our new status as the future Mr and Mrs Danny Pearce.
