Page 88 of Trusting the Fall
“Hello?” I call to the space, but it mostly echoes back at me since only the bare bones of furniture fill the rooms.
“Hey, Bombshell.” I whip around at the cool, honeyed voice of my boyfriend. Now standing casually in the kitchen.
“Hey. When did you get there?” He just smiles and slides an orange cocktail, topped with a cherry, over the bench in front of the barstool.
“Thought we’d like to have a celebratory drink.” He rounds the island, his own beer in hand, and pulls on my hand, tugging me over to join him.
I look around, still confused where everyone else is.
“Okay. Where is everyone?”
“They’ll be back soon,” he reassures me. “I made your favourite.” He tilts his chin to my drink.
I look down at the ombre of red and orange liquid in my glass.
“A sex on the beach?”
He picks up the drink, holding it out for me to accept, clinking his beer against it once it’s firmly in my hands. A smirk coats his face, and to be honest, he’s being really fucking weird.
I take a sip of my cocktail, keeping my eyes on him before I turn in my seat, looking out the back windows.
“Is Tristan waiting to jump out and scare me or something?”
Leif shakes his head and picks up my free hand, placing a kiss against it before smiling at me with the adoring stare he’s mastered.
“I asked everyone to give us a few minutes,” he says.
My back stiffens. “What? Why?”
He puts his beer down on the counter and then takes my glass to join it before standing in front of me.
He swivels my chair around, clinging to my left hand as he kneels down.
“So I could do this.”
Tears instantly fill my eyes as I look at the love of my life down on one knee before me. I cover my face with my free hand, trying desperately not to ugly girl cry right now.
“Look at me, Claire,” Leif whispers.
I suck up the tears and look down at him, his bright eyes glistening as he smiles at me.
“A little over a year ago,” is as far as he gets before I’m full on blubbering.
I feel a long kiss press against my hand, still gripped in his. “Baby,” he coos, trying to bring me back to him.
I can feel snot running out of my nose and I just don’t know how anyone could want to ask me the question I know Leif is about to ask.
I wipe my arm under my nose, demanding myself to bring it together before I look down at Leif again.
He smiles and starts again. “A little over a year ago—”
It’s embarrassing to be myself right now.
“Fuck, Claire.” Leif laughs. “Will you marry me?”
I wail and nod, but Leif just laughs into my neck as he wraps himself around me.
“Do you know how long I’ve been practising that, Bombshell?” He rocks me gently, a hand held against my head while the other strokes up and down my back. “That was barely a quarter of my speech.” He laughs.
