Chapter Nineteen
Dana could never explain afterward exactly how all the women ended up in a coffee shop in Hermanus, but Caitlin’s mom, Brenda, probably had a lot to do with it.
The setting was idyllic. The coffee shop was close to the old harbor, and from the terrace, the whole of Walker Bay lay in front of them.
Back at Don’s home, the men were making a fire for a barbecue later.
There was still a niggling worry somewhere inside her, but for the moment she was ignoring it.
“I can’t believe it’s Christmas next week,” Dana said. “So much has happened over the last few weeks.”
“She wants to talk about Christmas.” Caitlin smiled. “As if she doesn’t have stars in her eyes in spite of everything that has happened.”
Heat crept up her cheeks. “I—” she began, but didn’t know what else to say, so she put her hands to her burning cheeks.
“So, tell me.” Zoe giggled. “What has happened since my wedding? I left you scowling in David’s direction, only to find you drooling over the guy a month later.”
Dana laughed. “I don’t know where to begin!”
“According to my mother-in-law here,” Caitlin said with a twinkle in her eye, “David fell for her the moment he met her at Rosa’s!”
Brenda beamed. “I knew it. There was just something in the way he looked at her, you remember?” she asked Rosa.
Rosa nodded, her eyes suspiciously bright. “I remember. It took him a while to figure it out, but I have complete faith that my boys will eventually choose the right partner. Well, except for Darryn,” she said and frowned. “I worry about him.”
“He’ll come round,” Brenda said before she turned to Dana again. “So Dana, when is the wedding?” she asked.
Dana blinked. “Um…”
Rosa threw a hand up. “Don’t tell me—he hasn’t said anything?”
Dana shook her head, not quite sure where the conversation was heading. But now she knew what that niggling thing was she’d been carrying around for the past few days.
She was happy with David, would be whatever he did, but… he hadn’t said anything about marrying her. She was okay with that, but she had been thinking about it. A lot.
Didn’t he want to get married? Or didn’t he want to get married to her? And what happened if he met someone he did want to marry?
Zoe patted her hand. “Let’s have cheesecake and stop worrying. These two,” she said and pointed to the two mothers, “will sort it out.”
*
They were on their second beer when Don slapped him on the back. “So have you talked to Dale like I said you should or have you discovered all on your own what else you should do?”
Dale frowned. “What are you talking about?” Don laughed and waved Dale over to them.
“Come and tell our brother here what else he should do before we leave him to the mercy of Mom and Brenda.”
Dale smiled. “You mean he also doesn’t know what to do to make sure he gets the girl?”
By this time David felt like throwing his beer in their faces. “I got the girl—I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“Did you ask her to marry you?” Dale asked. “I mean in so many words?”
David opened his mouth to say he did but then realized he never used those specific words. “I told her I love her. Doesn’t that include everything? I mean, of course, I want to marry her—why the hell would I tell her I loved her otherwise!”
Don and Dale laughed. Darryn grimaced.
Dale patted him on the shoulder. “You have a lot to learn. Lesson number one, you have to tell them what is going on in your mind. You have to spell things out, letter by letter, to make sure there is no misunderstanding.”
“Surely she knows?” David asked, dazed.
“Welcome to the club of clueless husbands.” Don smiled. “But you’ll learn!”
“So what do I do?” he asked.
Don rolled his eyes. “Darryn, why don’t you listen as well? Because one of these days, you’ll also need to know the answer.”
Darryn swore and walked in the direction of the kitchen. “I am the only sane one around. I’ll fetch the meat for the barbecue,” he said brusquely.
Don shrugged. “Well, then we’ll tell you,” he said and sat down next to David.
*
It was late by the time David took her home.
He was very quiet, had been throughout the evening. Every time she had looked in his direction, his eyes had been on her, and he’d mostly stayed close, always finding ways to touch her.
David walked with her to her front door but didn’t go in as he normally did. “Will you be okay on your own tonight?” he asked, and her heart sank.
“Why?” she began before she could stop herself. She swallowed. So this was his way of backing away. “Yeah, I’ll be fine,” she said, tears welling up in her eyes.
She quickly went into her house and started closing the front door behind her, but David caught the door before it closed.
“I… there’s something I have to do. Idiot that I am, I didn’t know that I… that you… but I’ll see you tomorrow. I love you.” He kissed her. Possessively.
Before she could blink, he was gone. Slowly, she closed the door behind her. What was going on? He said he loved her, but he didn’t want to stay with her? And what was it he had to do?
She was tired. All the emotions of the past few days that she had been keeping bottled up finally burst open, and the tears started to flow. She stumbled to her room and fell on the bed.
She’d always known her dad was innocent, but for so long she’d been the only one who believed that.
Finding out that her beloved dad hadn’t taken the easy way out, as so many people had accused him of, at least gave her some closure.
That her kind and loving father had to die in such a brutal way would probably always haunt her, but at least now the people who were responsible for his untimely death were behind bars.
Hopefully, she’d pass out immediately. What exactly was going on she didn’t know, and her brain was just too tired to try and figure it out at this stage.
David did kiss her, and he did tell her he loved her. That was all that really mattered though, wasn’t it?
*
When the knock on her front door came, she was showered, dressed, and had already had her first cup of coffee. She was ready for him.
She opened the door with a big smile. “Hi David. It’s so nice to see you. Won’t you come on in? I’ve made coffee,” she babbled, and turning her back on his, she walked back to the kitchen.
His hand shot out and caught her arm, and the next moment he’d bent her over his arm and was kissing her thoroughly. Only when she could feel her legs turning to rubber did he lift his head, his eyes dark with desire. He pulled her up and put his hands on her hips.
“Apparently, there was one more thing I had to do. I thought you’d know, but my brothers tell me I still have to figure out how a woman’s mind works.
And I wasn’t sure how to do it. I could make this grand gesture, wait for Christmas, put on a Santa suit on a hot day, take you to an island, have a plane fly over us with the question, write it on the sand at one of the beaches here in Hermanus, or I can just ask you. ”
She’d stop breathing at “apparently” and realized she had to get some oxygen into her lungs. Inhaling deeply, she put her hands on his shoulders.
“Ask me what?” she said.
“If you will marry me, damn it,” he said crossly. “I assumed you’d know. I said I love you, of course I want to marry you!” he nearly shouted.
She swallowed a smile. Never again would she have this kind of upper hand.
Lifting her hand, she caressed his face. “No, I didn’t know you also wanted to marry me. You have to ask me if that’s what you want to do,” she said solemnly.
Astonished, David looked at her. “But I just asked you!” he cried out, not quite sure what was going on. But then he saw the twinkle in her eyes, and his heart that had been pumping away at a ridiculous pace settled down.
“Ask me nicely,” she commanded.
And he finally remembered all Don’s and Dale’s and his mother’s coaching.
Patting his pocket, he got down on one knee.
Dana’s eyes nearly popped out of her head.
“Dana Roux,” he said and took out a little box from his pocket, “will you please marry me? Damn it, I didn’t think it would be this difficult!”
She looked down at him, obviously stunned for a few minutes. “Why?” she asked, her eyes wide open.
And then the words were there—he knew exactly what to say.
“I’ve always followed my instincts with you.
Kissing you was done on instinct, and I asked myself last night what would have happened if I’d never kissed you.
I would never have known what it feels like when someone touches my essence, my core.
But I listened, and now I know. And I don’t want to live without that again.
I love you, Dana. And it’s a deep, irreversible, forever kind of love, so if you say yes, you’re stuck with me for life. ”
And then she fell forward, into his arms, tears streaming over her face.
Alarmed, he touched her cheek. “What?”
She sniffed. “Happy tears, they’re happy tears,” she said brokenly and kissed him.
“Of course I’ll marry you. But why didn’t you tell me last night?
I was ready to send you away this morning.
This whole process has taught me one thing—life is short and one stupid decision could change your whole life.
I’ve decided I have a lot of love to give and I was going to tell you I want to get married, and if you didn’t want to, I’d have to find someone who did. ”
“I didn’t have the ring last night!” he cried.
“Believe me, it was the hardest thing I had to do to leave you here alone. But I still had to get the bloody ring, and I could only do that this morning. Don knows the guy. He bought Caitlin’s ring from him as well,” he said, lifting the little box again.
He fell backward dragging her with him so that she was lying on top of him.
She giggled and opened the box. For long minutes she stared at the ring but didn’t say anything.
Worried, he pushed her hair out of her face. “If you don’t like it, we can return it. There is just one jewelry store in Hermanus, and this is the only one I liked. I’ll buy you a big, glittering diamond when we’re back in Cape Town.”
“I love it,” she said, her eyes glistening with tears. “It’s beautiful.”
Slowly, he took the ring out of the box and put it on her ring finger. “Just please tell me I’ve done everything I should have now?” he nearly pleaded.
Slowly, she sat back on her haunches. “I’m afraid not,” she said and lifted her top over her head. “You still have one more thing to do,” she said, shoving his T-shirt upward.
She spread her hands over his chest and lowered her head. “Or maybe two, I’m not quite sure,” she whispered against his skin.
Groaning, he lifted her up so he could claim her mouth. “Gladly. And I want to be very thorough, so this will take some time,” he whispered against her mouth.