Chapter 17 #2
We went over the plan once more with Dr. Okoro before Larke and I left.
I walked her back to Juniper, Larke quiet the entire way, which told me that she was nervous but trying to put on a brave front.
We’d talked about this for weeks. Now, the moment was here, and it was unfolding much more rapidly than we’d anticipated.
Mistakes felt inevitable, and during a time like this, a mistake could potentially be fatal.
“I know you want to help,” she prefaced, reaching for an empty duffel bag. “But you have to meet up with Ronan for us to stay on schedule. I’ve got this. At this point, I’m an expert at putting together a bug-out bag.”
I didn’t want to leave her.
It was painful to even think about.
“Dez, we’ll see each other again.”
It was one of the last things my brother, Curtis Savea, said to me. It was right as he was dying, which was why it was the last thing I wanted to hear her say.
I cupped her shoulders. “Babe, if you think somebody’s following you, run like hell. Make sure to pack a knife, and I’ll leave you with a gun. Then I’ll make sure Ronan knows what’ll happen to him if you get hurt.”
“I’m sure he knows,” she quipped.
I pulled her closer. “Please don’t look at me like that.”
“Like what? Like I don’t want you to go? I mean, I don’t, but that doesn’t mean we won’t do what we have to.”
“But you have those eyes. They make me fucking weak.”
“My regular eyes make you weak?”
“You see regular. I see the future.” I kissed her knuckles. “One second. I have something for you.”
I went to one of the high kitchen cabinets, reached to the back, and pulled out a mug with a chipped rim. After dumping out its contents, I returned to take her hand, nudged her onto the bed, and sat beside her.
“First of all, I want to make myself clear.” I turned my palm upward.
“I’m not asking you to marry me. I’m asking you to be my wife.
There’s no Justice of the Peace. There are no wedding registries or certificates.
There’s no reason to have a long engagement, like we have to send out invitations and book event halls.
You know what you mean to me, and I know what I mean to you. ”
I’d spent weeks sifting through the stashes from supply runs to find the perfect ring.
The overall plan was to sell any jewelry the runners found in the Eden’s Square jewelry boutique as a way to get people to consistently spend their credits.
However, considering I’d known for a while that I didn’t want to stay at Totten, I took what I needed.
My ring was a titanium band that looked as if it had been crafted from stardust and meteorite.
Larke’s looked like something out of a fairy tale, with a platinum band that twisted like vines ending in a diamond that was just the right size for her finger, in my opinion.
They weren’t a matching set, but I preferred it that way. The rings mirrored our circumstances.
“I tied a string around your finger when you were sleeping. It should fit…if you’d like to wear it.”
“Dez…” She met my eyes. “Why are you doing this now? Is it because it’s the right time? Or do you want to make sure you ask, just in case you don’t make it?”
“A bit of both. But honestly, I’ve asked you like two or three times now. You keep saying no.”
“I’ve never said no.”
“You’ve never said yes, either.” I took her hand. “Tapley, we’re going to make it. We’re going to make it together and out of Totten. All this means is that I’m with you. That I love you. I’m with you forever, and I’m not too proud to beg. Please, Tapley. Please be my wife. Please. Pl—”
“Give me your ring,” she said, laughing.
I handed it over.
She took my hand and slid the ring to my knuckle. “With this ring, I thee wed.”
I took her hand and internally cheered when the ring perfectly circled her finger. “With this ring, I thee wed,” I echoed.
I slid the ring the rest of the way.
She did the same with mine.
Then, she scrunched her nose. “That was cheesy.”
“And you loved it.”
“Yeah.” She shrugged. “I really did.”
I watched her as she examined the ring, a tiny smile on her face.
“Do you like it?” I asked.
She nodded. “I love it. It’s beautiful. It’s perfect. What’d I tell you? You’re amazing. Only you would be able to pull off something like this right now.”
“I do what I can.”
Her grin grew.
Her smile made me smile.
“I just realized something.” She looked up, again meeting my eyes. “I don’t think you can call me Tapley anymore.”
My heart gave a hard, unexpected tug.
I couldn’t lose this woman.
Ever.
“If we had more time, I would ravish you,” I growled.
She cupped my jaw. “Once we’re out of here, I’ll let you do whatever you want to me.”
“Even—”
“Yes, even that.”
“Well, there’s a first time for everything.”
We left the bed and walked to the door.
“There’s a first time for everything,” I repeated.
“Dez, I’m in my thirties. I’ve…done stuff.”
“With who? Travis?”
She didn’t respond.
“With Travis, Larke?”
“I love your type of crazy,” she said, grinning down at her hand.
I watched, pleased with myself that she could barely keep her eyes off the ring. Then, knowing if I didn’t leave now, I never would, I cupped the back of her head and pressed my lips to hers like I needed them to survive.
“See you soon, Mrs. Harding.”
She grinned. “See you soon, hubby.”
I chewed on my bottom lip.
We didn’t have time.
This woman was so lucky that we didn’t have time.
“I love you,” I said.
“I love you, too.”
“And Larke…with Travis?”
She shoved me out the door. “Bye, Captain. And don’t be late.”