20. Mira #3
Tears of joy leaked down the sides of my face as he lifted his head, wearing a dazed smile. “We should take sex breaks all the time,” he decided. “Since it’s so good when we do it again.”
“Yeah, I’d like to see you stick to a plan like that.” I snickered as he rolled away. “Last time I checked, it’s good when we don’t take breaks too.”
“True.” He ran a hand through his mussed hair, blowing out a sigh. “Shit. Reporters will start arriving any minute, and here we are.”
“You’re the man of the hour,” I reminded him, rolling onto my side to trace invisible shapes across his broad chest, dragging my nails over his pecs. “You can be a little late. You’re a busy man with things to do.” He chuckled at the way I wiggled my eyebrows.
But the sound died once he glanced toward a familiar suitcase sitting next to the nightstand. I propped myself on my elbow, narrowing my eyes at him. “You were already in here before you found me?”
“I came straight to the suite, hoping we could talk things out.” He got up and went to the small, wheeled case, rolling it over while I sat up with the duvet bunched around me.
“I’ve been waiting to give this to you for more than a week.
I wanted to do it before the gala, but we were so busy getting ready that I thought I would do it afterward. ”
Right. He had said something about a surprise later on, and I made a joke assuming he was talking about his dick or something.
Now, he reached into an internal compartment and withdrew a box that made the breath catch in my throat. “Is that what I think it is?” I whispered, looking from the box to him and back again.
“What do you think it is?” I wasn’t the only one whose voice shook a little. His eyes shone, and he couldn’t hold back the smile as he sat on the bed and held the box out to me.
“Clay.” I took the box but didn’t open it, staring at the navy-blue velvet. “You don’t have to?—”
“Let me get this out so I don’t lose my nerve.
” His laughter was shaky, which went straight to my heart—the fact that he was so nervous, wanting so much to get it right.
“You deserve this. You deserve so much better than I’ve given you.
You deserve a man to get down on one knee in front of you and beg you to be his wife.
To give his life meaning that didn’t exist before he met you.
That was what you’ve done for me, and it’s something I knew before you left. ”
He released a shaky sigh edged with laughter.
“Believe me. This past week only reinforced that. I can’t remember anything meaning anything before you came along.
Only what I thought mattered, and I realize now it was a fraction of a real, full life.
I can’t go back to living the way I did.
Not when I know how much better you make everything just by being you. ”
Did he mean it? God, I hoped he did. Every part of me wanted this to be true, my heart most of all. It currently beat hard, fast, picking up speed once Clay reached out to open the box I still held in my palm.
“I want us for real,” he whispered. “Forever. Our family. Something we build together. Please let me be the husband you deserve. I know I can do it. I only need a chance.”
“So you want our baby?” I had to know. I had to be sure what he felt.
A wide, beaming smile lit up his face. “I want this baby. I want more babies. I can’t promise I’ll know what the hell I’m doing, but I’m going to do my best.”
“I won’t know what I’m doing either,” I pointed out with a soft laugh.
“We can figure it out together.” What was I supposed to say when everything he described was exactly what I wanted?
Tears of joy filled my eyes and spilled over before I could find my voice.
“Yes, yes. I want to start again. I want us to be real.”
The cool band slid over my finger. Finally, I looked down at it, gasping at the generous, sparkling diamond. I barely twitched my finger, and the prisms caught the light, making the stones sparkle hypnotically. “My God,” I whispered. “It’s beautiful.”
“You’re beautiful.” His hand cupped my cheek, and I leaned into his caress. For the first time in as long as I could remember, I felt whole. Finally, I had everything I wanted and what I never knew I needed until now.
His kiss was sweet. Lingering. Full of promises for the future. “I love you,” I whispered, touching my forehead to his and closing my eyes.
“I love you.” There was so much wonder in his voice as if he was still getting used to the idea.
We had all the time in the world for it.
We did not, however, have time to waste before the press conference. “We need to move,” he announced once his gaze landed on the bedside clock. “We only have twenty minutes. You ready to step into the role you were born to fill?”
I was ready for anything, so long as I had him beside me. When he extended a hand, I took it and followed him out of bed. “I can hardly wait,” I decided, kissing him again before beginning the rest of my life.
Our life.
Together.