Chapter Twenty-Two
Jayce
“You’re kidding me,” Tilly said.
But she did as Jayce asked, even though she obviously thought he was crazy.
Now that Malika was a proper Western woman—her words, not his—she deserved a proper proposal. He’d come up with that idea, all on his own.
And now, he was ready. He didn’t know what made a proper proposal romantic, so he’d had to rely on Tilly and her internet skills. She’d handed him a list of the key elements.
It had to be tailored to Malika’s personality. That meant it had to be on a massively grand scale. The location had to be meaningful, the details thoughtful, and the accompanying speech heartfelt.
And he needed a ring.
Adam was the town’s procurement officer, so Jayce approached him for help.
“How much you willing to spend?” Adam asked.
Jayce gave him an amount.
“I have no idea how much rings cost,” he said. “I doubt if Malika does, either. But it’s got to be big, because she’s going to understand that.”
“Leave it to me,” Adam said.
“It’s got to be real, too,” Jayce warned him, because he might not know gemstones, but he knew how Adam worked. “She might find out if it isn’t.”
“If you’re going to place limitations on me…” Adam complained.
So now, Jayce had the ring in his pocket, the location picked out, and the accompanying speech all prepared. The details were thoughtful.
He hoped.
He knocked on Mavis’s door. Malika continued to live with her. The two women liked each other’s company, which he was happy about, but was also concerning.
Malika answered the door.
Jayce leaned in, swept one arm under her backside, and tossed her over his shoulder.
“This is a kidnapping, ma’am,” he said. “Don’t bother trying to resist.” He wore an athletic cup, just in case.
“Oh, my,” Malika exclaimed, sounding charmed, which was good. “An adventure. How exciting!”
Saber and Side-eye awaited. He helped Malika mount because she was wearing a dress.
“Where are you taking me?” she asked.
“You’ll see.”
She’d traveled the path through the woods many times, so it didn’t take her long to figure it out.
They arrived in the small meadow with serviceberry bushes and the shallow creek.
He’d arranged for a picnic. Not just a regular picnic, however.
This was for Malika, so he got Grady involved.
Grady said it was mezze. They had hummus—not something Jayce could see himself eating—and flatbreads and fresh vegetables for dipping, as well as mini meat pies.
There were olives and stuffed grape leaves—he was likely to starve—and some kind of yogurt drink he thought he might try.
“This is lovely,” she said. “You did this for me?”
“I did.”
He was pleased with himself. Malika had a need to feel as if she were important. He understood that much better, now. She might be the spoiled youngest sister of a very rich man, but she also believed she was the least important member of her very large family.
She was not going to be the least important member of theirs, and he wanted to make sure she knew it.
Her eyes narrowed. “Why did you do this for me?”
“Because,” he said, “I owe you a proper proposal.”
“You already proposed.”
“But I left out a few details that are kind of important.”
He helped her dismount. Saber was trained to stand, and Side-eye would stick with him, which would help with his training.
He escorted Malika to the picnic—pardon me, mezze—spread on a blanket.
Before she could sit, he took her hand and dropped to one knee. He felt around in his pocket and pulled out the ring.
Adam was excellent at procurement. He had done them both proud.
The ring was enormous, as requested. He’d chosen a pure, vivid green, rectangular-cut emerald for the center stone.
It was the exact shade of Malika’s eyes, something Jayce would never have thought of, and was surprised that Adam did.
Two diamonds offset the emerald. The band was white gold.
“It’s magnificent,” Malika said, which was her code word for happy.
He slipped the ring on her finger. It was a good fit. Adam was really good at his job.
Now, for his speech. The one Tilly had helped him prepare.
He cleared his throat. “On a scale of one to ten, you’re a nine, and I’m the one you need.”
Malika looked startled. “What?”
He blundered on. She was smart. She’d get it. He hoped.
“If being beautiful was a crime, you’d be guilty as charged.”
“Are you crazy? Have you been drinking?” she asked.
His stomach tightened into a knot. If she didn’t figure it out, he was going to look stupid. That wasn’t an especially big deal, because the ring was a hit, but it would ruin the moment, and he’d worked hard to make this just right for her.
“I think someone might’ve stolen the stars and put them in your eyes,” he said, determined to get his message across.
“Jayce,” she exclaimed. Exuberant joy backlit her eyes in a way simple stars never could. “You’re flirting with me!”
“There’s plenty more where that came from. If you and I were socks, we’d make a great pair.”
“We can work on when enough is enough,” she said.
Tilly told him that last one was a mistake. He should have listened.
Malika had gotten the message, though. That was what mattered.
“I love you,” Jayce said. “I want to spend the rest of my life flirting with you, making you happy, and making babies with you, in the bedroom and everywhere else.”
Her beautiful eyes sparkled and her lips curved. “The bedroom should be enough. Your parents might not be pleased if we make babies everywhere else.”
“Upon reflection, that might not have come out the way I intended,” Jayce said.
She flung herself into his arms, knocking him backward. She landed on top.
“I love you, too. We can make babies anywhere that you like, even at the risk of displeasing your parents.”
Jayce took a few seconds to ponder his luck. He’d once believed another woman was perfect. Perfect was boring, she tried to explain, but he hadn’t listened.
He was glad that he hadn’t. Perfect wasn’t boring at all.
Not when he’d found the one woman perfect for him.