Chapter 5
SUTTON
After flying in the helicopter for forty-five minutes, we landed on the lush green lawn outside a small vineyard just north of Santa Barbara. The host, Barkley, greeted us and we followed him through a gorgeous garden to a private dining area underneath a beautiful wooden pergola. Hundreds of pale pink roses—my favorite flower—and twinkle lights adorned the exposed beams. In the center of the covered area stood a table set in fine white linen and crystal glassware.
Oh my.
“Congratulations.” Barkley grabbed a bottle of champagne out of the ice bucket and popped the cork. He poured two flutes and handed them to us. “We’re honored to host you for lunch today. Please, enjoy your drinks. I will return in fifteen minutes with your first course.”
“Thank you, Barkley.” Flint nodded.
After Barkley disappeared through the garden, Flint took my hand and drew me close. My heart still soared through the clouds. He swept loose strands of my hair behind my ear, then placed a soft kiss against my mouth. As he eased back, sunlight glistened in his ice-blue eyes, and he stole my heart all over again. “I’m glad I surprised you. I thought of every possible way to propose, from taking you to some romantic place overlooking the city lights, to flying you to somewhere exotic in the world and having a candlelit dinner, to just asking you one night at home, but I wanted something unique. Something a little crazy. Something different. Something all about you. You are so beautiful, Sutt. I can’t imagine life without you. Don’t want to.”
I took a small sip of my champagne and stared at my diamond as it sparkled in the sunlight. I put our glasses on the table, closed the gap between us, and linked my fingers behind his neck. His gorgeous gaze melted my insides. “This has truly blown me away. I’m beyond impressed. You have given me so much I will always be grateful for. A found family. Your unwavering support. Unconditional love. Together, we found our strength, rebuilt our confidence, and breathed new life into our dreams. From our very first date, we set out on a path I’d never expected. Now, I can’t imagine being anywhere else but with you. I can’t wait for the next chapter of our lives. Together. Forever.”
He brushed his thumb down my cheek in featherlight strokes. “Sutt, there are days I still struggle with losing Phil. But I promise I will do everything and anything to keep the darkness at bay. I know I can do that because I have you. Tell me off if I’m ever an asshole, get too depressed, put a foot out of line, or do something stupid. Life isn’t perfect—we both know that. But with you, it’s pretty damn close. I love you. So fucking much. I can’t wait to make you my wife.”
Fresh tears prickled my eyes. My heart swelled to the size of the moon. I was so happy. So lucky. So blessed. “Today was amazing. It was weird and crazy and confusing, but now...it’s perfect.”
“Thank you for saying yes.”
Giggling, I wrinkled my nose. “As if I wouldn’t.”
“True . . . so, I have another big question for you. ”
I held my breath. What could he need to ask?
“Do you have any ideas about when and where you’d like to get married?”
“Oh my God,” I threw my head back and laughed. My heart beat so fast, I felt like I was going to explode. I’ll be a bride! “I’d marry you tomorrow if I could.”
“We could .” He tugged me closer and wrapped his arms around my waist. “At City Hall. But I know that’s not what you want, Sutt. I want to give you the wedding of your dreams. Anywhere. Anything. At any time.”
“Really?” I arched one eyebrow at him. Devious mischief took hold. “Okay then. I’ve always wanted the fairy tale.” I laid on a dreamy tone. “I’d love to get married at Disneyland. Arrive in a horse-drawn carriage. Have a wedding party of twenty people. Invite hundreds of guests. I want to fill the night sky with fireworks. I want every inch of the venue to be covered in flowers and twinkle lights, and to have big chandeliers sparkling overhead. We’ll hire the best photographers and designers and have an exclusive magazine deal. I’d love a cake so big it touches the ceiling and an ensemble of ten violinists and cellists playing. We’re going to outdo any celebrity wedding that has come before us. I want our day to be the talk of the town for years to come.”
With each item I listed, blood drained from Flint’s face. “Really. Wow. Um...” He swayed on his feet and swallowed hard. “Okay. If that’s what you want.”
“Yes.” I jumped on the spot, ramping up my excitement. “I can picture you and the guys in pale pink top hats and tails. And me in a huge wedding dress fit for a princess with a tiara and a train that is a mile long.”
“Hmmm. Okay.” He closed his eyes and rubbed his furrowed brow. “Anything else?”
“Flint?” I stilled and caught his hands, holding them between us.
“Yeah?” He winced.
“I’m fucking with you.” I burst out laughing and shook my head. “That’s not me. Or you.”
“Oh, thank God.” He let out a relieved breath.
“I like the finer things in life, but I’m no princess. Not anymore.” I cupped his cheek, brushing my thumb against his smooth, freshly shaven skin. “Our wedding day will be for both of us. It is our day. A nice venue with family and friends is all I need.”
His shoulders relaxed and light returned to his eyes. “Now that, I can do.”
“I’d love our wedding day to be elegant but chill. On the news, but private. Big, but reasonable. But most of all, a fun celebration with those closest and dearest to us.”
“That sounds perfect. We’d better get Ava onto it, then?”
“Yes.” I ran my hands around his shoulders. Damn, he rocked a tuxedo. “But I want to enjoy being your fiancé, too. I know how hard it is to find venues in this town, so how does in twelve months sound?”
He jerked his chin back. Surprise widened his eyes. “You sure you want to wait that long? We could go anywhere in the world to get married.”
“I know, but this is our home.” I slid my hands down his chest, then placed them on his waist. “I love Cali. We’ll find somewhere amazing and have a spectacular wedding.”
“We will. I can’t wait.” He kissed me, stealing my breath. His hand roamed down my arms, around my waist, and across my back. With every touch, my knees weakened, and heat rushed to my core. Just as I tugged him closer, deepening our kiss by flicking and tasting his tongue with mine, footsteps clicked on the pathway. Crap. Flint groaned, pulling me against his hardness. Then he cursed and took a step back. “Sutt, I want to do many sinful, dirty things to you, get you out of that gorgeous dress, taste every inch of your skin, but...later. I’ll make the wait worth it, I promise.”
“You sure?” I panted as the ache between my legs begged for relief. “We could get Barkley to come back in half an hour.”
“Trust me, I’m going to need more than half an hour.” A devilish smile curled across his lips as he eyed me up and down. He moaned as if in agony, sighed, then tilted his head toward the table. “But right now, I’d love to discuss more ideas for the wedding over food. I haven’t eaten all morning, and I’m starving.”
“Food works.” We made our way over to the table and took our seats just as Barkley walked around the corner with our first course.
He placed steaming plates of spinach and ricotta ravioli on the table. “Enjoy.” He bowed and left.
Flint took hold of my hand across the table, drew it up to his mouth, and kissed my ring. “I love you, my fiancé.”
“I love you, my future husband.” Heat blazed in my cheeks, and I couldn’t stop smiling. I took a sip of my cold champagne and savored the sweet taste on my lips. “Was proposing the reason you’ve been off for the past few days?”
“Yes. I kept checking and rechecking in with everyone. I went over and over the script with Ethan and Rhonda. So many elements had to fall into place. I had no plan B.”
Damn . . . “Were you nervous? About proposing?”
“Shit yes.” His eyes widened as he nodded. He picked up his flute, chinked it against mine, then took a long sip. “I was sweating and shaking the whole time. My gut was in knots. I was so tempted to fly through the door, tell you to stop calling cut, and just pop the question.”
“Any option would have worked.”
“It fell into place. I’m stoked you said yes. ”
“Yes. I can’t wait to be your wife.” Arrrrgh! I wanted to shout from the mountaintop. Holler across the ocean. Scream at the top of my lungs. I’m getting married. I’ll be Mrs. Flint Glover. Yay!
As we ate the melt-in-your-mouth, buttery ravioli, Flint and I threw around ideas for our wedding, venues, dates, and wish list items. Every time he smiled, or the breeze teased his hair, my heart beat just for him.
Our wedding would be perfect. It could rain, hail, or be blistering with heat. I wouldn’t care. All that mattered was that by the end of the day, I would be his wife. He, my husband.
I couldn’t wait to get a gorgeous dress, a cake, pick a theme, select decorations, and make sure we had every trim and treat for our nuptials.
I stared at the enormous rectangle diamond sparkling on my finger. My heart filled my chest.
I was engaged. To my love.
Oh yeah!
Bring on the wedding plans.
Nothing was going to stop me from marrying the man of my dreams.
Absolutely nothing.