Chapter Twenty-Six #3
She looks at Danger, and he smiles at her with a nod. “Then you’re in. But you gotta work hard and attend everything we tell you. You’ll need to be the drawcard to help promote the foundation. With a name like yours, Zaria, to have you associated with us, this will be big for us.”
“I’m yours, Lunar. Just let me work with the kids, and you can use my star power however you want, however you need. The only thing I will stipulate is our baby is not going to be dragged into any sort of fame.”
Nate looks at me and dips his chin. “I agree with that.”
Danger and Lunar both nod and smile. “Done. I think this is the start of a beautiful friendship. I’m sorry it’s taken me so long to see you this way, Zaria,” Lunar says.
“It’s fine. I’m sorry it took me this long to show you my real side. Oh, and by the way, my friends call me Ria. Can you both stop calling me Zaria?”
Both Danger and Lunar smile.
“Well, no offense, but it’s been a long day for us. I’ve got my woman back, plus a baby. I need to take her home and show her how much I love her,” Nate says, and instantly, my thighs clench together before my heart rate spikes.
Lunar and Danger laugh, nodding in understanding.
“No problem, Ria, we’ll sort out all the details later. You guys go, enjoy your time together, and we’ll discuss this again soon. Glad you’re back, Ria, real glad,” Danger says, standing and embracing me. After everything we’ve been through, it’s also nice to have him back in my life.
“Thank you. And thank you, Lunar. I won’t let you down… Boss.”
She chuckles and nods. “I like that! But seriously, I think we can view this more as a partnership. What do you say?”
I nod before leaning in and taking her for a less wet and far more clothed hug.
Nate and I then turn and head toward the door, and I take a look back into Danger and Lunar’s home.
It’s so lovely, it feels like a home, and that’s precisely what I want mine to feel like.
Not the vast, open, white blah it currently is.
I will let Nate revamp our home to make it more us as soon as possible.
“Bye, guys, thanks again,” I say, and we head out the door toward the car.
After we slide in, the driver starts the car, and I sink into the seat, feeling lighter than I have in months.
“Nate.”
“Yeah, baby?”
“You’re amazing,” I say, reaching out and grabbing his hand. “I don’t know what I would do without you.”
“You’ll never have to find out.”
“Good. Now let’s go home, please.”
He smiles as we pull out through the gates and down the drive. “I fucking love the sound of that.”
The drive home is short, and our fingers are laced and caressing each other. As we pull up to the gate, my security is on the ball and lets us drive right through.
We pull up at the door, and Nate quickly slides out. He grabs my hand, helping me out, and just before we get to the door, he stops, pulling me back to him. I look in his eyes and raise my brow, wondering why he’s stopped me.
“You okay?” I ask, and he takes a deep breath, then suddenly leans down, swooping me off my feet. I squeal as I tightly wrap my arms around his neck, hanging on for dear life through a laugh while he smiles and his deep blue eyes bore down into mine.
“Ria, I don’t want you to think I’m asking this because of the situation, because I’m not. I’m asking purely because I love you. For as long as I can remember, I only saw this outcome for us. So why wait, right?” he asks, confusing me.
“What are you—”
“Let me finish. You, me, and nugget are a team, and a team can’t be complete if they aren’t whole. We’re a puzzle, but one piece is missing. It’s the piece that links you to me.”
My heart skips a beat, and I pull my lips tight in anticipation of what he’s about to say.
“I know I’m doing this all wrong. I’m not on one knee, I’m holding you, and I don’t have a ring.
I don’t have an orchestra playing and petals fluttering in the air.
But baby, just know, I love you. My love for you is like a symphony all of its own.
My heart rejoices every time I hear your name.
My lungs can breathe again every time I see your face.
You make me feel more than I’ve ever known, and yes, it might be a short amount of time, but fuck!
What’s life if it’s not worth living, right?
You, me, nugget, we’re a puzzle, and the missing piece is you being my wife. ”
Nate takes a breath and smiles. “Ria Shafir, will you marry me?”
Tears stream over my eyelids as my fingers run through the back of his hair. My head slowly bobs as I sniff, trying to keep it together. “For someone who can’t read, you’re amazing with words,” I murmur, and he chuckles, nuzzling his nose against mine.
“You’re killing me here, babe. I need to hear the word.” He swallows hard.
My eyes open wide, and I gasp. “Oh gosh, sorry… yes. Of course. A million times, yes.”
His mouth is on mine quickly, and I press my lips back to his, kissing him so passionately my knees feel weak even though he’s holding me, supporting me like I know he’s going to continue to do for the rest of our lives.