Chapter 34
Marley
“Thank you very much. We enjoyed those massages. Didn’t we, babe?” I glanced at Charlie.
“We sure did. Thank you.” He smiled. “Now, can we?—”
“Shush.” I placed my finger on his lips. “Now, we’re going down to Jacques Bar for a birthday drink.”
“Why? We can have a birthday drink up here. I already scoped out the bar area.”
“Charlie?” I cocked my head.
“Alright, babe. A birthday drink down at the bar sounds wonderful.” He kissed my lips and got dressed.
We sat down at the bar, had a couple of drinks, and talked until a text came through that our dinner was ready in our room.
“We have to go. Come on.” I stood up and grabbed Charlie’s hand.
“Babe, I’m not done with my scotch yet.”
“Doesn’t matter. Bring it up to the room.”
“Why are you in such a hurry to get back to the—ah, I know why.” A big grin crossed his face as we stepped into the elevator.
Poor guy. He thought we were having sex the second we got up there. Just a bit longer, and then I’d let him have all the sex he wanted.
I unlocked the door to the room and when we stepped inside, I heard Charlie take in a sharp breath.
“What is all this?”
“A quiet and romantic birthday dinner for two.” I smiled, kissing his cheek.
“You’ve thought of everything, haven’t you?” he asked.
“Just about.”
The dining table was laced with white cloth and fine white China that sat upon it. Candles flickered on the table, giving the room a romantic atmosphere. A bottle of the hotel’s finest champagne sat in an ice bucket while a four-course meal graced the rest of the table, and the fireplace was glowing with a roaring fire.
“Look at all this.” A smile crossed his lips. “I can’t believe you did this for me.”
“Why? I love you. And don’t forget I’m an event planner. Planning special occasions is my specialty.”
“I love you so damn much, Marley.”
“I love you too, Charlie. Let’s eat.”
I was getting somewhat nervous because I was about to propose to him. What if he changed his mind about wanting to marry me? After we ate the delicious meal the hotel prepared for us, it was time to light the candles on the cake.
“Stay there. I’ll be right back.” I smiled as I stood up and went into the bedroom.
A beautiful buttercream cake decorated with a man in a suit sitting on a couch holding a video game controller sat on the dresser, ready to be lit. After lighting the candles, I picked up the cake and sang my way back to the living area.
“Happy birthday to you.
Happy birthday to you.
Happy birthday, dear Charlie.
Happy birthday to you.”
“Oh my God.” He grinned when I set the cake down in front of him. “I love it.”
I took in a long, deep breath, my heart pounding out of my chest and grabbed his hand.
“Happy birthday, my love. Charlie,” I looked up at the ceiling to prevent the tears from falling, “I love you so much. I never thought I could love anyone like I love you and our babies. Once again, my entire life changed in the blink of an eye, but this time, it was a happy and welcomed change. You’ve taught me how to love. You’re that ray of sunshine that pops up when I’m having a bad day. The minute I see you, my day gets brighter. I’m a little crazy. I know that. And I thank you for putting up with my craziness. I know I can be a handful at times, but you’re mine, and you’re mine to keep forever. I can’t imagine my life without you. Will you marry me, Mr. Charles Stone?”
“Marley, are you serious?”
“Um, yeah.” My brows furrowed.
“God, this is not what I was expecting.”
Oh shit. Oh shit. Oh shit.
He brought his hands up and cupped my face.
“I love you so much, Marley. I can’t believe this. I’ve wanted for so long to?—”
“Give me this?” I reached into my back pocket and pulled out the engagement ring he’d bought me.
Charlie
I stared at the ring she held and then at her.
“You knew?”
“Yeah. I found it in your drawer. Well, actually, when the movers went to take your T-shirts out of the drawer, the box fell onto the floor. I felt so bad because I know I crushed you that night with all that gibberish bullshit talk about marriage. I’m so sorry, Charlie. I kept waiting for you to ask me, but you didn’t, and then the twins were born early, and our life was chaos. It is still chaos, but I wasn’t waiting for you anymore. I had to right my wrong. And what better time or way to do it than here with just us, on your birthday.”
“Marley, yes. I will marry you.” I grinned as I took the ring and slipped it on her finger. “You have no idea how happy this makes me.” He stood up, took me in his arms, and spun me around, kissing my lips. “I can’t imagine my life without you in it, and just for the record, you’re mine forever, too. There’s no way in hell I’m ever letting you go. And there’s no way in hell I’m waiting any longer to take you to bed.”
“Okay.” She grinned. “Take me away, fiancé. But can we do it my way?”
“Any way you want, babe. Just name it.”
“I want to turn off all the lights, spread out that big furry blanket over there in the corner, and make love in front of the warm fire.”
“Your wish is my command.” I set her down.
While she went to grab the pillows from the bed, I spread out the large, furry blanket in front of the fireplace. When I looked up, she was standing there, completely naked, with two pillows covering her.
“Damn.” I smiled as my cock instantly rose. Grabbing her hand, I pulled her down on the floor. “Babe, I don’t have a condom on me.”
“It’s okay. Just pull out.” Her lips met mine.
I thrust inside her slowly, listening to each pleasurable sound escape her lips. It felt so good to be buried inside her again as her warmth enveloped my cock. We needed to take it easy for now. I didn’t want to risk hurting her. She let out a long moan as her body shook with ecstasy, causing my cock to spasm. I quickly pulled out and exploded all over the front of her.
“That’s so hot,” she moaned. “You need to do that more often.”
“Anything you say.” I smiled, leaning down and kissing her lips.
I got up and went to the bathroom to get some tissues. After we cleaned ourselves up, we lay on the blanket and stared at the peaceful fire.
“I miss the twins,” I said.
“Me too.” Her lips touched my chest before she got up and grabbed her phone. “Let’s call and see how they are.”
She dialed Tilly and put the phone on speaker. When Tilly answered, all we heard was screaming.
“Hey, Marley.”
“Tilly, is everything okay?” she asked.
“Yeah. The twins want to be held non-stop. They aren’t taking no for an answer.”
“Are Penelope and Olivia holding up okay?” I asked.
“Olivia’s passed out on the couch. The crying was stressing her out, so she drank a bottle of wine. Penelope’s been a big help.”
“Okay. We have to go. See you tomorrow. Bye, Tilly,” Marley said and abruptly ended the call. “What was it that you said about missing the twins?” She cocked her head.
“I never said that. Nope. This, right here, is what I’ve missed.”
“Good answer. Me too.” She lay in my arms and lay her head on my chest.