Chapter 35
“What are these?” All three boxes are light blue and they’re all different sizes. “You don’t have to buy me presents, Dallas. The clothes are so over the top already.”
“I’m not buying them because I have to, sweetheart.
I’m buying them because I fucking want to.
With the force of a thousand suns. You don’t work your guts out for an entire lifetime while meanwhile knowing for a fact that you’re destined to be lonely for eternity because you’re convinced you’re incapable of falling in love, only to then meet the hottest little bartender in New Orleans one random Friday evening and fall so fucking hard for her on the spot that she feels like your goddamn savior, to then not want to spend all the fucking money you’ve accumulated but hardly ever use—on the sweetest little hellcat who ripped your heart out of your chest and is now holding it her hands, looking so gorgeous while doing it that you fall for her all over again. ”
I smile, shaking my head a little. “You’re crazy, you know that?”
“Oh I know it, don’t you worry about that. I’m crazy for you. Now open the presents.”
I give him a look. A patient one, maybe. A mildly exasperated one. I don’t know why. Maybe because I don’t know how to act when people give me presents. I’ve never had many. So I start with the biggest one. I untie the white ribbon and open the lid. “What is this?”
“Take it out.”
It’s jewelry. It’s a gold chain with a pendant. I lift it out of the box. “It’s a fleur-de-lis.” Made entirely of gold and diamonds. “Dallas.”
“Do you like it?”
“It’s …” For someone who’s hardly ever cried in my entire life, I find it strange that I can’t stop crying now.
“It’s the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen.
” Looking past, just for a moment, the fact that the necklace is made of shiny, real (I’m pretty sure) gold and a lot of fucking diamonds …
almost more mind-blowing to me is that this gift is incredibly thoughtful.
He gets me. The fleur-de-lis might as well be the symbol of my heart.
“Here.” He takes it and eases it over my head. The chain is long and the fleur-de-lis sits directly over—you guessed it—my heart, like the two of them are soulmates who are happy to have finally found each other. “Now I can do this.” Gently, he grips the chain, pulling me closer so he can kiss me.
“I’m never taking it off,” I whisper against his lips. For someone so big and hard all over, he has the softest lips.
“Open the next one.”
I’m getting into the groove of this now. I choose the middle-sized box. “This one?”
“Yes.”
I open it slowly. Inside is a black credit card with my name on it. “What …”
“I know you’ve been hurt, Amelie. I know you don’t fully trust me yet and I understand why. This is so you don’t have to worry about money anymore. Mine or yours. It’s in your name. I can’t touch it. I can never take it away or spend any of it.”
“W-what …” He’s given me a bank account?
“I could only transfer three million overnight but I’ll add more this week. The account is synced to your phone’s wallet app. So, money doesn’t have to be one of your worries anymore. I’ve got shitloads of the stuff. I need to offload some of it.”
“I don’t understand.” Of course I do understand, but it’s too much. Three million dollars? This can’t be real.
“Open the next one.”
My head is spinning.
Dallas puts the smallest of the three boxes into my hand. “This is the best one.”
I open it. Inside is the biggest, shiniest diamond ring I’ve ever seen in my life. “Dallas.”
“I know you’re not ready yet. But as soon as you are I’m going to ask you to marry me.
Because I love you, Amelie Thibodeaux. You’re the one I want.
Yes, it’s too fast. Yes, it’s crazy that we’re taking this at light speed.
But I’m sure. I fucking love you. So once you’ve worked through all the stuff that holds you back, I’m going to fly you to Paris and I’m going to take you up to the top of the Eiffel Tower and get down on one knee and I’m going to ask you to be my wife and have my six babies and live happily ever after with me while we build a life together out of every single one of those wildest dreams.”
“Dallas.” It’s the only word I’m capable of saying, apparently. He’s blurry but he looks so damn beautiful it hurts my heart, which beats steadily against my diamond fleur-de-lis.
He takes the box with the ring in it from my hands and he closes it.
Then he places it on the windowsill above the headboard of his gigantic bed.
“We’ll leave it right here until you’re ready for it.
I know that day isn’t today, but the ring isn’t going anywhere.
It’ll sit right here until you say yes.”