Chapter 20
CHAPTER 20
OLIVER
“This place is beautiful, isn’t it?”
Shea glances away from me for a moment, her gaze setting on the majestic landscape in the distance. The sun is just setting, its vibrant oranges and golds just beginning to dip below the outline of Whiteface Mountain. Mirror Lake shimmers just below it, the water touched with the same vibrant colors, and lights are just winking on in the tiny buildings scattered along the shore.
Turning back to me, she adds, “I’m glad we decided to eat outside tonight. The view from here is amazing. The pictures online don’t do it justice, do they?”
“The view is amazing,” I agree. “But not as beautiful as you.”
“Oll.” She laughs, her face lighting up with it. “That was so cheesy.”
“Maybe. But it’s true.” Reaching across the table, I take her hand in mine, rubbing my thumb across the back of it, just the way she likes. “You look incredible.”
Not that she doesn’t always, but tonight Shea just has this glow . Her cheeks are pink from earlier today, when we rented a canoe and paddled around Mirror Lake before stopping in downtown Lake Placid to have a picnic near the beach. The candles set at the center of the table cast a warm glow across her skin, and the light catches the flecks of silver and gold in her eyes.
That’s not even taking into account her dress, perhaps my favorite one yet. It’s pale blue with a flowy skirt that seems to float when she walks, and the top part has these delicate strings that come around her neck and crisscross in the back. Her bare shoulders and arms are tanned and sleek with muscle, with just a hint of shimmer from that lotion she likes so much.
Without a doubt, Shea is the most beautiful woman in the restaurant, and I saw more than a few second glances at her while the host brought us to our table. But as always, she was oblivious to them, her eyes only on me.
It’s no different for me; I’d never look at another woman like that. Not when I have Shea.
“You look pretty handsome, too.” Shea leans across the small table to give me a soft kiss. “Not just handsome. Sexy.” Her lips quirk as she adds, “You have the whole James Bond thing going on, with the suit and white button down and that intense look you get.”
“James Bond, huh?” I arch an eyebrow at her. “Which one?”
She pauses and taps her finger to her lips. “Hmm. I’d have to say a mix of Pierce Brosnan and Sean Connery. But even better looking.”
With a thoughtful nod, I reply, “Well. I can’t complain about being compared to them. But you never mentioned being a James Bond fan before.”
“I’m not. My dad was. He watched all the movies at least ten times.” Shea takes a sip of her wine before adding, “You would be the perfect James Bond. With your dark hair and blue eyes and captivating smile?—”
“Captivating?” My smile widens. “That sounds like a good thing.”
“Of course it is.” Her gaze holds mine. “I still remember the way you smiled at me the first time we met. My heart did this crazy fluttering thing. And I hoped more than anything that you were going to ask me out.”
“I was so nervous,” I admit. “I was worried you’d think I was this creepy guy, approaching you in the park like that. But I had to. The moment I saw you, I knew I had to try. I knew I’d regret it for the rest of my life if I didn’t.”
“Oliver.” Her fingers squeeze mine. “I don’t even want to think about it. Never meeting you? Not having you in my life? It’s unthinkable.”
Emotion thickens my throat. “Me neither.”
We stare at each other for a few seconds, or a few minutes, as time loses meaning. The chatter of the other guests in the dining room fades to a dull buzz. Everything else fades in importance as I look into the eyes of the woman I love more than anything.
The only woman I’ve ever truly loved.
And I almost lost her.
Even a month on, the memories are still just as vivid as if they just happened. Despite my best attempts to put them in the past, they’re still stubbornly hanging on, making themselves known at the most unwelcome of times.
Nightmares, when I wake up in a cold sweat, certain that I’m going to turn over in bed to find Shea gone. That I’ll realize the last month was actually a dream, and I never rescued her to begin with. Or when I had to bring her to work again, and I nearly had a panic attack at the thought. Me, who prided myself at staying calm in the most dire and stressful of circumstances, close to losing it because I had to be separated from Shea for more than a few minutes.
But I’m working on it. I’ve gone to some of Shea’s counseling sessions, and I’ve talked to some of the guys about it, like Cash and Ben and Ian, who all struggled to cope after their own partners ended up in trouble. And while my instinct is to shield Shea from anything that bothers me, I’ve been sticking to our agreement. When I’m stressed out or feeling guilty, I tell her. And when she’s having a tough time, she comes to me.
The other thing that helps is knowing Romanova is out of the picture. Permanently.
That was my biggest worry, and initially, I wasn’t sure how to solve it. Even with the testimony from Sergey, who flipped just as quickly as I thought he would, it still could have taken months for the CIA to find enough evidence to sanction bringing him in.
Then I thought of another way.
Asher—or Ash, as he prefers—and I were in the same training class at Langley, and we’ve kept in touch since. He’s a part of the Special Operations Group, a covert branch of the CIA that is sent out on unsanctioned covert ops all over the world. They take on the jobs the U.S. government doesn’t want to be associated with, like assassinating high value enemy targets and undermining extremist political groups.
So I talked to Ash about Romanova. I told him how important it was to me to keep Shea safe. How I didn’t want this hanging over her for months, or even years. And how much I loved her, and planned to marry her as soon as possible.
After I finished explaining everything, my old friend didn’t hesitate to offer his help.
“Consider it my wedding gift,” he said with a wry chuckle. “I’ll make sure this is taken care of. Just promise to invite me to the wedding.”
A week later, Romanova was dead. Officially, it was a car accident. But unofficially? Ash kept his word. And he’ll definitely be invited to the wedding.
Well. Assuming Shea says yes when I ask. Just because she said she would, it isn’t a guarantee.
Which leads us towards the next part of the night.
I could have asked Shea a dozen times over the last few weeks, but it never felt like the right time. It didn’t feel special enough for such an important question. But now that we’re on the trip Shea won in the auction, staying in this incredible resort in the Adirondacks with nothing to do but spend time together… it feels right.
It’s still damn scary, though. And as much as logic tells me there’s nothing to worry about, that Shea will say yes, there’s still a niggling fear asking what if ?
What if I hand my heart over to her and she says no?
A low cough startles us out of our shared moment, and I jerk my head up to see our server standing beside the table, smiling politely. “Can I get you anything else, sir?” He turns to Shea. “Miss? Another glass of wine? Perhaps a coffee or espresso?”
Shea shakes her head. “I think I’m all set. Thank you.”
“We’re good,” I tell him. “Thank you. The food was fantastic.”
“Very well.” He smiles more broadly. “Would you like it charged to your room, or should I get the bill?”
“The room is fine,” Shea answers quickly. “Thanks so much.”
As soon as the server walks away, she rises from her seat and leans down to whisper in my ear. “I want to get upstairs to our suite. Dinner was fantastic, but I want to make love to my very sexy boyfriend.”
Oh.
My pants go tight.
Shit. Not now. Not when I have to walk through an entire restaurant to leave.
Sternly commanding the lower part of my body to calm down, I give myself a second before standing up. Then I wrap my arm around Shea and tuck her against my side before answering quietly, “I’ve been thinking about taking that dress off you since the second I saw you with it on.”
“Oll.” Her cheeks turn a deeper shade of pink, and her breath catches. Glancing down, I notice her nipples pressing at the fabric of her dress. “Let’s hurry, then.”
“Yes.” I kiss her cheek, feeling the warmth of her velvety skin beneath my lips. “Let’s.”
But as we make our way back to our suite, it’s harder and harder to keep my cool. My pulse starts to skitter unevenly, and my back prickles with cold perspiration. It’s a struggle to keep up the easy flow of conversation we had throughout dinner as the moment of truth edges closer.
Just as we turn the corner into the hallway where are suite is located, Shea stops midway through her proposed itinerary for tomorrow—a trip to the Olympic bobsled run, lunch at one of the local breweries, and a drive to the summit of Whiteface Mountain, all of which sound great—to glance at me with a furrowed brow. “Oll, are you okay?”
“Sure. Of course. I’m great. Why?”
She inspects my face carefully. “Are you sure? Because you just got really quiet. And you seemed fine at dinner. Did you eat something that didn’t agree with you?”
I barely stifle a groan. Wonderful. I’m about to ask the most important question of my life, and Shea thinks I have food poisoning. Which isn’t the romantic feel I’m going for at all .
“I’m fine,” I reassure her. “Really. I was just thinking. That’s all.”
“If you don’t like my ideas for tomorrow, we can do something else. It doesn’t matter to me. We can have a lazy day at the beach if you’d rather relax. Or we can just hang out in the suite, order room service, hang out on the porch…”
“I love your ideas.” Slowing my pace, I press a kiss to the top of her head. “I think everything you said sounds perfect.”
“Okay…” There’s still a hint of doubt in Shea’s voice. “But you know, this is our vacation. So don’t feel like you have to agree to everything I suggest. If there’s something you want to do, just say it.”
Stopping in front of our door, I pull out the key card and swipe it, waiting for the little light to turn green before turning the knob. I don’t open the door though, but hold it slightly ajar, not quite ready to go inside. “Shea. I know that. But I want to do all those things. The bobsled run sounds awesome. So does the brewery. And I can’t wait to see the view from the top of Whiteface Mountain. I read you’re supposed to be able to see over a hundred miles if the weather is clear.”
“That’s what I read, too.” Her voice lifts with enthusiasm. “And I was talking to Hanna, you know she loves hiking, and she was telling me about the elevator that goes into the mountain to take you to the summit. You can see all the rocks inside and everything. It sounds so cool.” Pausing, she looks at me curiously. “Are you going to open the door?”
Yes. That would be the natural thing to do.
“Right. Of course.” Did my voice just shake a little? With a deep inhale, I push the door open and peer inside, doing a quick visual sweep to make sure everything looks as it should.
And just for a second, my heart actually stops.
When I emailed the resort’s event planner a couple of weeks ago, asking if she could help set this up, I had an idea of how I wanted it to look. I sent photos and lengthy descriptions outlining what kinds of flowers there should be, how many candles, where they should go, and the exact brand of champagne that should be chilled and waiting.
So I knew it would be nice. But this?
It’s perfect.
“Oliver, why are you just standing…”
Shea trails off as she walks into the room, her eyes going wide as she takes it all in.
In the dining area, a bottle of Cristal is chilling in a silver bucket, the same champagne Shea and I had to celebrate our first anniversary. Beside it sit two elegant glasses and a platter of strawberries, so big and lush I can almost taste them from here.
Past that, the living room is filled with arrangements of pale pink lilies in all different sizes of glass vases. In the fireplace, low flames cast a golden glow around the room, the warmth offset by the cool summer breeze floating in through the open windows. Even in the summer, the Adirondacks can get chilly at night, so there’s a fuzzy blanket draped across the couch, perfect for snuggling in.
And then the last part, which I thought might be over the top when I asked about it, but now I’m glad I did. On the floor, there’s a trail of pink petals leading into the living room and over to the gas fireplace, ending by another blanket set in front of it.
Turning to me, Shea whispers, “Oll? What is this?”
“It’s a surprise.” Taking her hand, I lead her over to the dining table, where the champagne is open and waiting. I pour two glasses and hand one to her, clinking mine against it. “I wanted to do something special for you.”
“Oh.” She looks at me, surprise still evident in her gaze. “It’s beautiful. But how?—”
“I had an idea of what I wanted it to look like,” I reply. “So I asked the staff if they’d help set it up. I would have done it myself, but I wasn’t sure how to do that without you noticing.”
“Of course.” A smile tugs at her lips. “I suppose it would have been tricky.”
“Come over here.” I head over to the fireplace, relieved that the small fan of flames isn’t making it uncomfortably hot in the room. Having the fire seemed like a romantic idea, and Shea’s been so excited about having a fireplace, but with it being summer, I wasn’t entirely sure it would work out. But with the windows open, and the sun now below the horizon, it’s actually perfect just as it is.
“Oh, the fireplace.” She beams at me. “It’s so pretty. Maybe we could get an electric one for your place. For the ambiance. They make really nice ones.”
“If you want.” Or we could just buy a house with a fireplace already in it. That would be okay, too. I’d do literally anything to make Shea happy, and if having a fireplace will do it, I’m fully onboard.
“Oll. The flower petals!” Shea nearly steps on the trail of petals and takes a quick sidestep to avoid them. “How romantic is this? The champagne, strawberries, all the flowers, and this… I love it.”
“Good.” My heart accelerates to double speed. “Because… I wanted to do this for a reason.”
Hope flickers in her eyes. “Why?”
Now in front of the fireplace, I gently tug her down onto the blanket beside me. “Well. I…”
As Shea adjusts her dress, the skirt lifts, exposing a glimpse of her slender leg. She catches my wandering gaze and smiles. “Are we going to make love in front of the fire? I brought some of that special dust, you know. So this would be the perfect time.”
“After.” My chest squeezes. “After, definitely.”
“After what?”
Oh, please.
Reaching into the inside pocket of my jacket, I pull out the small box I’ve been hiding for weeks. “After I ask you something.”
Shea sucks in her breath as she sees the robin’s egg blue box. “Oliver.”
Shifting around, I kneel on one knee and flip open the box. Inside, a heart-shaped diamond catches the light from the fire, bursting to life in a shower of glowing sparks.
“Shea. I—” My voice catches. Cracks. Swallowing, I try again. “Shea. You’ve had my heart since the first day we met. It’s always been yours. And I’m hoping… you’ll agree to keep it. Not just for now, or for a year or two, but for the rest of our lives.”
“Oh—” Her chin wobbles. “Oll.”
“I love you, Shea. So much I can’t find the words to explain it.” Lifting her hand, I press my lips to the back of it as I work to keep the emotion from spilling over. “I will do anything for you. Anything . Whatever you want, I’ll make it happen. I’ll spend the rest of my days trying my absolute best to make you happy. To keep you safe. Just—” Another crack. “I’m probably messing this up. But I want you to be my wife, Shea. So much. Will you? Please?”
She meets my gaze with a sheen of tears in her eyes. Her lips twitch. “Will I marry you? Is that what you’re asking?”
“Yes.” My ears warm. “Yes, I guess I forgot the actual question. Will you marry me, Shea? Be my wife? As soon as possible, preferably? Because I don’t want to wait to be married to you. Not unless you want to.”
“Oliver, of course.” Flinging her arms around my neck, Shea peppers kisses all over my face. “Of course I’ll marry you.” Then she pulls back and looks at me with a quivering smile. “I can’t wait to marry you, either. I’ve already waited too long. And Oll… I love you. All the things you said, it’s the same for me. I want to make you happy. And I want to keep you safe. Maybe I can’t do the physical part of it as well as you, but I’ll still protect you. Yell at anyone who’s mean to you. Take care of you when you’re sick. And when you’re feeling down, I’ll be there, whether it’s to talk or just keep you company. I’ll do anything?—”
“Shea.” Framing her face, I capture her lips with mine. I nip her bottom lip and suck away the small sting, then tease her mouth open to dip inside, tasting a hint of champagne and that unique flavor that’s only Shea. She presses closer, her soft scent wrapping around me, and her silken hair falls forward to brush against my cheek.
It’s so perfect, so magical, my heart threatens to explode with sheer joy.
This.
This is what I’ve been waiting for.
Shea. My heart. And soon to be my wife.
By the time the kiss ends, we’re both gasping for breath. Shea’s cheeks are flushed and her hair has that sexy tousled look I love. And there’s nothing I want more than to make love to my beautiful, intelligent, brave fiancée.
Fingering one of the strings holding up her dress, my voice goes rough as I say, “I think this is definitely a reason to celebrate.”
“It is.” Shea’s hand covers mine, stilling it. “But you forgot something.”
“I did?”
“Yes.” Grinning, she tilts her chin at the box still held in my hand. “You forgot to put the ring on.”
Oh.
Oops.
“Well,” I reply with a smile. “This is the first time I’ve proposed. So it’s understandable that I mess up something .”
“You didn’t mess up.” Love shines in her eyes as she looks at me. Holding out her hand, she adds, “You did everything perfectly.”
As I slide the ring on her finger, tears burn in my eyes. “You’re perfect, Shea. Thank you for coming back to me. For agreeing to marry me. And for making me the happiest I’ve ever been.”
“Oh.” It’s a soft sigh as she glances down at the ring on her finger. Then her eyes meet mine again. “Thank you for waiting for me.”