Chapter 46
Chapter
Forty-Six
“Just let me know when you want to be picked up,” Lyric said before she pulled away from the curb.
Angelica stilled. This wasn’t really happening, was it?
She’d planned it all out, but those plans had changed so many times over, that she wasn’t entirely sure it would all work out in the end.
Her heels clacked against the cement as they walked down the steep hill toward the beach in front of them.
The sun had already set an hour ago, and Angelica had given up on even attempting to get out there before then.
It wouldn’t matter in the end anyway, would it?
She’d been enjoying the date with Hope too much to push the time and stress both of them out.
She just wanted to enjoy the few minutes of uninterrupted time that they had together.
“What made you think of coming to the beach?” Hope asked.
Angelica shrugged slightly as they stepped near the sand.
She didn’t hesitate as she reached down to pull her heels off and hook the straps on her fingers.
The first step into the cold sand was shocking, but Angelica didn’t stop there.
Looking over her shoulder at Hope, she simply waited for Hope to follow her lead and come out there with her.
She wanted to feel the water against her toes, the cold shock that would bring her back to the reality that she was creating.
Because if anyone had told her four years ago that she would be standing there with someone she loved and who equally loved her back, she would have told them they were a liar. She’d never thought…
“Angel! What are you doing?” Hope squeaked. But she ripped off her tennis shoes and carried them on her two fingers as she chased after her.
“Do you know how many times we’ve been on a coast, and we haven’t managed to get to the beach?” Angelica took Hope’s hand and walked directly toward the beach and down the edge of sand that would lead her to the water, to right where the sand would be wet and squish between her toes.
“I haven’t really counted,” Hope said as she followed closely. “But tonight? Really?”
“Yes.” Angelica laughed lightly, keeping up her pace and continuing in the same direction. Because she wanted to do this. She wanted to feel the lightness and freedom that she’d been searching decades for. Because that was exactly what she’d found in Hope. Eventually. “Come on!”
When they reached the water’s edge, Angelica stopped, letting the waves rush against her ankles and calves. Hope glowered, her black slacks getting wet instantly. But she didn’t complain. Not outwardly anyway.
“When’s the last time you took a walk along the beach, Hope?” Angelica held her hand tightly, fingers laced. And she wasn’t going to let go. Not until she had to.
“I honestly can’t remember.” Hope sighed lightly and seemed to relax finally. “Probably with Eva.”
Angelica tossed her a smile as she stared out at the stars and the dark sea in front of them. “Do you know how many people fear the ocean? Especially at night?”
Hope seemed to hesitate, but she also seemed willing to entertain whatever mood Angelica was in right now. Which was going to work to Angelica’s advantage. “Too many.”
“It’s a dark void that we can’t see into.” Angelica flicked her toes into the water, but the droplets disappeared into the black emptiness in front of them. “But when there’s daylight, when there’s hope, then we can see into it.”
“You’re worrying me a bit, I’m not going to lie to you.” Hope tugged Angelica’s hand a little. “You’re not going to jump in and swim, are you?”
“No.” Angelica laughed again, and she didn’t move any closer to the waves as they crashed onto the beach.
The water was freezing, and she’d have to move shortly, but not yet.
She was trying to explain something to Hope, and she wasn’t making herself clear.
She really should stay away from metaphors. “I love you, Hope.”
“I love you, too,” Hope answered, pulling Angelica a step closer and dropping a kiss onto her cheek.
“Marry me.”
“What?” Hope spun on her, another wave crashing onto their feet.
“Will you marry me?” Angelica corrected. “I know we haven’t talked about it or any details about our future going forward—”
“Yes.”
“What?” Angelica asked, stopping stunned.
“Yes,” Hope repeated. “Yes, I’ll marry you.” She lunged forward, grasping Angelica’s cheeks and pulling her into a kiss.
Angelica nearly dropped her shoes as she held on tightly to Hope’s neck. She parted her tingling lips as Hope deepened the kiss. Their tongues slid together. Angelica’s head spun, the heat from the embrace and the cold at her feet. It was nearly too much.
Thinking screw it, she dropped her shoes and wrapped her arms around Hope’s neck and pulled her in even closer. Their bodies melded together. The breeze hit her cheeks, whipping her hair around her. She dug her fingers into Hope’s hair, keeping them tightly locked together.
Moaning, Angelica tilted her head back and broke the kiss. “I do have an actual ring for you. This isn’t…this isn’t a whim.”
Why was it so hard for her to catch her breath?
“You do?” Hope moved slightly. “Not one of those ones Eva sent you, right?”
“God no.” Angelica chuckled. She lifted her left hand and slipped the emerald ring off her pointer finger and held it out to Hope in the palm of her hand. “It was my father’s family ring, but my mother never wanted it. After she died, Christian sent it to me.”
“Oh, Angel…” Hope picked it up carefully and turned to face the streetlights behind them so she could look at it more carefully. “It’s stunning.”
“It’s yours.” Angelica held her breath, handing over the only piece of her family that she’d ever liked to the one woman she trusted to keep it.
“Are you sure?” Hope asked, looking directly into Angelica’s eyes.
“Yes, I’m sure.” She touched Hope’s arm briefly and then waited as Hope slipped it onto her finger. Not the perfect sizing, but they could fix that later. “I didn’t want to wait any longer.”
“I’m glad you didn’t.” Hope kissed her again. “Jesus, Angel, how long have you been keeping this one up your sleeve?”
“Too long.” Angelica moved the ring on Hope’s finger, twisting it slightly. “I’m sorry. I can be a bit slow to make decisions sometimes.”
“I don’t care.” Hope moved in swiftly and kissed her again. “I really don’t care. I love you.”
“I love you, too.” Angelica held tightly onto her arm as they faced the ocean again. “I don’t suppose you have a plan for how to tell everyone, do you?”
“By everyone, do you mean the crew or the world?” Hope asked.
“Either. Or both.” Angelica let out a wry laugh. “God, I honestly never thought this day would come. I never thought that someone could… that someone would choose to love me.”
“It’s a pity no one has,” Hope murmured into her ear and nuzzled her neck. “You deserve all the love in the world.”
Angelica wasn’t sure about that. She tightened her shoulders slightly.
“But to answer your question, I don’t have a plan to tell anyone other than Eva.”
“And how do you plan on telling her?” Angelica faced Hope again.
“I thought I’d send her a picture of the ring.”
Angelica’s laugh echoed across the water. “That’s brilliant.”
“Whatever we do, Angel, we do this together, okay?” Hope whispered into her ear.
“Always and forever,” Angelica said back. “Let’s write our own fairytale.”