Say yes again
LINCOLN
MUCH LATER (until forever)
I swear London wasn’t half as cold as this when I left. Thankfully, I have the most delicious body heater with me.
It’s been years since I’ve woken up alone in a bed, and as usual, Ivy is curled tightly around me, her breathing slow and deep. Curls fan out around her head like a shield, as soft and wild as she is. I bury my nose in them, drinking my fill of the rose and citrus scent I’ve been addicted to since I met her.
I still remember her in that red dress, cut deathly low, her beautiful skin singing out to be devoured.
Fuck, I love this woman.
We’re only here for a few days. It’s not as long as most of our trips, but Ivy insisted we make time, since Mum will only turn seventy once.
Reed and Felicity and Darcy are here, which means the trip is planned down to the second, and any time I’m not taking the piss out of Reed for his ridiculous clothing choices, Darcy is capturing it on film so we can rib him about them later.
I’m kissing my way along Ivy’s shoulders as she wriggles awake. “Morning,” she says, voice thick with sleep. With her head still tucked safely against my chest, there’s no doubt she hears how my heart beats faster for her.
It’s rare for me to wake before her, a sign she’s been working too hard lately, but it’s worth it to have the chance to watch her blink those beautiful brown eyes open, shining back at me with a depth of feeling that still rocks me to my core.
“Good morning, gorgeous.”
I slide my hand under her shirt, enjoying the feel of her soft skin, until Ivy’s soft smile is shining back at me.
“How do you manage to get more beautiful every day?” I ask, cupping her cheek. “If you keep taking my breath away like this, I’m going to need to see a doctor.”
“Good idea,” she says, her eyes not leaving mine as she turns to kiss my palm. “You can ask why your hands are always so cold.”
“You love my hands.”
Her eyes sparkle with mischief before she’s taking my hand and turning it. My dick wakes up the instant she sucks on my index finger.
A quick look at the cheap plastic clock on the hotel side table informs me we have to be at breakfast in twenty minutes if we want to keep with Reed’s schedule.
Which I absolutely don’t plan on doing.
I brush my thumb across the tender skin under her eyes, where stress has been camping out for weeks.
In the years since she started working for my sister, the business has flourished in ways none of us could have expected. One offhanded suggestion from Ivy became her passion project, working with Felicity and the local shelters she paired with to provide training and job opportunities within the office and the factory.
She even engineered a positive hit piece about the company, highlighting the great working conditions and benefits, along with a personal challenge for their competition to do better.
Darcy says her candidness has made her a favorite in the company. I don’t doubt it. I can’t imagine any good person Ivy couldn’t charm.
As her phone alarm beeps— it’s honestly adorable how accommodating she is to Reed’s absurd organizing— Ivy pulls away with a long-suffering sigh. No doubt rethinking how far her budding friendship with my brother extends.
Silencing her phone, she buries her face in her pillow and mumbles something I don’t catch. Since Mum moved back to London, we’ve made visiting a habit, but the jet lag bowls Ivy over each time.
Plastering myself to her back, I begin to suck a fresh mark on her neck to replace the one that is slowly fading, groaning when she pushes back against my morning arousal.
“Forget my brother. Let me spend the day ravishing you.”
Ivy sighs. “Oh god, that sounds amazing. But Astrid and I are grabbing lunch with Francis later, and Darcy promised to come shopping with me first.”
With great reluctance, I let her go, watching as she shoots into the bathroom to freshen up.
I’m dressed and only mildly panicking by the time she exits again, looking fucking phenomenal in an oversized lilac jumper tucked into a yellow leather miniskirt.
My breath hangs in my lungs as she walks past the gift I’ve placed on the floor, which is what I was hoping for. Francis’s next show opens tomorrow night, and Ivy has no idea that our mystery date will include front-row seats.
“Oh,” I say, pretending to pat down the pockets of my dress pants. “I think I’ve dropped the invitation Reed gave us; do you see it anywhere?”
“Let me look.” Ivy turns around, searching, and yes, there, she bends down to get the tickets. “Is this it? Wait…”
Her face is already lit up with surprise when she stands and faces me, but her eyes go wide when she sees me on one knee.
“Ivy.” I open the ring box, my heart pounding in my throat. “I’m going to need you to marry me.”
“Be serious.”
“I am.”
She’s clasping the tickets to her heart.
“I’m sure you were expecting something with far more spectacle, and trust me, Mum will make enough of a ruckus to satisfy you later. She’s been on me about this for months?—”
“Lincoln,” she says, breathless. “You’re rambling.”
I noticed. Damn nerves.
“In any case, I can’t think of anything bigger than how much I utterly adore you, and short of pulling the stars from the sky, I may never find anything appropriately equal to your brilliance. So I humbly offer this: My complete devotion. For as long as life exists in the universe, it will be true that I love you.”
Her eyes shine with unshed tears, and for as many words as I’ve said, in this moment, Ivy has none.
As the seconds tick by, we stay like that, eyes locked, my breathing loud in my ears. Waiting.
“Lincoln…”
“Yes?”
“I’m.” She visibly swallows, then surprises me by falling to her knees, grabbing my face with both hands, and kissing me with force. “I’m so in love with you I’m a little sick about it. I want to love you every day for the rest of my life. It’s time for the rest of the adventure.”
Scooping her up in my arms, I get lost in her lips and hands and the way she lights up my future with a blinding magnificence I haven’t yet found the words for. Though I’m sure Ivy could come up with something suitable.
Fuck, she’s incredible.
“I don’t mean to be pedantic,” I say, finally pulling back. “But I haven’t heard a yes yet.”
The first tear hits her cheek as she laughs. “Yes, of course, yes. There’s no other answer.”
Well, thank the bloody heavens for that.
THE END (for real).