One Weekend in London

19. Rhys

Tension thickens the air,near suffocating.

As I guide my Aston Martin through the city’s winding lanes with Mark following, never far behind, Sadie’s silence weighs heavy in the space between us. Her delicate hands are clasped tightly in her lap, her gaze distant as it roams over the passing scenery.

I’m about to lose my bloody mind.

I can practically hear the cogs turning in that pretty head of hers, the doubts Maxwell, the fucking tosser, planted with his forked tongue taking root. It makes me want to turn the car around and head to the airport so I can pay him a visit, teaching him the true meaning of suffering.

But I don’t.

Because I’ve got a plan.

One that will show Sadie, beyond a shadow of a doubt, just how sodding perfect she is for me. And no matter what the voice in her head says, she’s everything I’ve ever wanted.

Everything I’ve ever needed.

I pull into the hidden car park, an immediate sense of peace washing over me, same as it always does when I come here. Her eyes widen as she takes in the sprawling gardens before us, a meticulously cared for kingdom of lush greenery and riotous blooms, its beauty unrivaled.

“This is absolutely beautiful.” She leans forward, tucking her hair behind her ears. “It’s like something out of a dream.” Taking a small breath, she smiles softly. “Mamaw would’ve loved it.”

Pride and anticipation war in my chest.

“Hold that thought.” I exit the car, rounding the bonnet to open her door and take her hand. “Welcome to Victoria’s Gardens, love.”

Her eyes meet mine, so pretty but filled with so much confusion. “Victoria? As in your sweet mama? But I thought she...”

“She passed away when I was twenty-eight. Ovarian cancer.” The old grief rises, a familiar ache, but it’s gentled now by the warm weight of Sadie’s hand in mine. “Losing her nearly destroyed me, so when I found out this place was in danger of being closed after years of neglect, I bought it and hired new caretakers.”

It was one of the best decisions I made.

“It took a bit before it was all fully brought back to life. But once everything was restored to its original beauty, I gave it Mum’s name. Because for me, this is the place that keeps her memory alive. Keeps her close, even when she’s beyond my reach.”

I lift her hand, kissing her knuckles. “Take a walk with me?”

She swallows and nods. “With you? Always.”

Her quiet answer gives me hope.

Hope that come morning, she’ll be spending her precious time unpacking her luggage, hanging her clothes in my closet, instead of heading for Heathrow and away from me.

“Good girl.”

Another kiss, this time to the inside of her wrist, and then, hand in hand, we move down the cobblestone path, the perfume of a thousand blooms greeting us.

Along the sides of the walkway, rose bushes climb trellises in a kaleidoscope of color, as wisteria drapes from archways, a cascade of lavender and green. In the distance, my mother’s favorite part of the garden, a large fountain, adorned with cherubs and floral motifs, sits mid-center among six picnic tables.

It’s where I take her.

Stopping next to the bubbling water, I turn toward her; she does the same, our fronts nearly touching, unblinking stares locked on one another.

“I need you to listen to me.” My pulse thunders in my ears, what I’m about to ask, about to do weighing heavily on my chest. “Because what I’m about to say, it’s not just words. It’s a vow, a promise from the utter depths of my soul.”

Brows knitted, she blinks up at me, her cerulean eyes wide and shimmering with unshed tears. Christ, she’s so bloody beautiful, it almost hurts to look at her. A physical ache in my chest, like my heart is trying to claw its way out to get to her.

“This garden’s more than a pretty bit of greenery and pops of color. It’s a piece of my mum, a living memorial to the woman who shaped me by loving me when no one else did.”

When no one else chose to, I mentally add.

“She had a rough go of it, my mum. Falling for a man who didn’t deserve her, who crushed her spirit and broke her heart.” My jaw clenches, old rage and grief warring in my gut. “I couldn’t save her, couldn’t heal her pain. But you, Sadie...”

Untwining our fingers, I frame her face in my hands, my thumbs brushing over the delicate arch of her pink-tinged cheekbones.

“From the moment we met, I’ve wanted to give you the love she never had. The love you deserve. I want to spend the rest of my life worshipping you, cherishing you, treating you like the fucking queen you are.”

A single tear slips down her cheek, and I drop my head, catching it with my lips, tasting the salt of it on my tongue. Resting my forehead against hers, I then swallow, my throat tight with emotion.

“I want to give you everything.” Stepping back, my hands falling, I reach into my pocket, retrieving a folded piece of paper. “Starting with this.”

Sadie takes the paper from me, her slender fingers slowly unfolding it, and reading the words printed across the front.

“Rhys, what...”

“It’s a donation. To the animal rescue you volunteer at back in Garrison.” Her eyes widen, shock and wonder blooming in their depths. “It’s the first of many six-figure cheques I plan to send. I’ve already set up a trust to keep them funded for years. They’ll be able to take in more animals, expand their facilities, and hire more staff. Whatever they need, they’ll have.”

“I don’t... I can’t...” She shakes her head, tears flowing freely now. “Why would you do this?” Jerking her head up, she shifts her stare from the copy of the cheque I’ve already mailed, back to me. “It’s so much, I—”

“Because it matters to you.” I sink my hand into the hair at her nape and give it a slight tug, forcing her head to tilt, her neck arching the slightest bit. “And what matters to you, matters to me.”

She lets out a watery laugh, her smile tremulous but blinding. “I’m no one special, Rhys. Just a small-town girl with a soft spot for strays.”

That wanker Maxwell.

He’s done this, awakening her doubt.

“Get his bloody voice out of your head. Because everything Maxwell said? Pure and utter gobshite.” I ought to exterminate him like the vermin he is. “The only man’s voice worthy of being in your pretty little head, speaking words you’ll never forget, is mine.”

That gets a rise out of her.

She bites her bottom lip, the sadness contorting her features fleeing in an instant, further proving she belongs at my side—from now until my heart ceases beating.

“Yeah? And why is that?”

“Because you’re everything to me.” The words are a growl, a declaration torn from my soul. “And I’ll be damned if I let another man’s words keep you from giving me your heart.”

I give her no chance to respond.

Not before sinking to one knee before her, my hands damn near bloody shaking. She gasps, her hand flying to her mouth as I reach into my pocket and pull out a small velvet box.

Christ, I’ve never felt nerves like this.

“Sadie Lou Winslow, I’m not asking for forever. Not yet.” I smirk. “But I am asking you for a chance. A chance to prove how good we could be together, how right this is.”

Tears spill anew, but she doesn’t look away, her eyes locked on mine as if searching for any hint of deception or uncertainty. But like the last time she did this, she won’t find any.

My soul is hers for the taking, stripped of all pretense and armor.

“I know it’s fast,” I barrel on, the words spilling from me in a desperate rush. “And its utter madness. But I also know, with every last bit of my being, this is fate. That you’re the piece of me I didn’t even know was truly missing until you walked into The Opulence.”

Exhaling swiftly, I pop open the box.

Sadie’s eyes widen at the sight of the gleaming skeleton key, one that unlocks every door of my penthouse. Her stare snaps to mine, questions I’m about to answer dancing in their depths.

“This is me asking you to stay. To accept this key and move in with me. Here, where our story started but hopefully doesn’t end. Because I need more than one weekend in London with you, love, no matter how perfect it’s been. Christ, I’m not even sure a lifetime with you at my side is enough.”

“Rhys, I—”

“In case I haven’t been clear, I’m falling for you, love. I have been since that very first moment. Hard and fast and irreversibly. I know it’s too early for you to love me. But I’m begging you to give me this chance, to remain at my side until you’re ready to fall, where I’ll be patiently waiting to catch you. And where I swear on everything that matters, I’ll never drop you.”

There’s so much more I want to say, promises I want to make. But I hold them back, my heart caught in my throat as I wait for her to answer, deciding my fate.

She holds my world in her hands.

I can only pray she doesn’t drop it.