Page 122 of Heartache & Playdates
He nodded.
“Okay, Idefinitelyneed all the details on that later.” I shook my head and tried to refocus on what I wanted to say. “But, like I was saying, I know that twenty years is a long time, but when I saw you again, it was like no time had passed. You sat down next to me and everything I’d ever felt for you came flooding back. All of it. The love, the loss, the times we’d spent together. Those six months were the best time of my life, because of you. You are the best of me. You see me, the real me. You never cared about who my dad was, or that I had to have a security detail sometimes. You always respected my boundariesandallowed me to change my mind when I wanted to cross them. I still remember how many times you asked me if I was sure I wanted to do this the first time we were together.” I felt a tear slide down my cheek. “You are it for me Maddox Cruz. And I know that if we tried to be together and it didn’t work out, I would be devastated, but honestly, I don’t want to spend another day without you being mine. Officially. I want to be with you.”
“I want that, too.”
I lifted my hand again to stop him from speaking. “I’m not done.”
As much as I appreciated hearing him say that I was so close the big finale and I didn’t want to lose my nerve.
He smiled and nodded.
“I know that I apologized before, but I need you to know that I am truly sorry for leaving you and not saying goodbye twenty years ago. And I’m sorry for leaving the reunion and not saying goodbye last year. But I promise you, if you give me the chance, I will never leave you again and I’d like to prove that to you by making it legal.
“You are the kindest, smartest, most loyal, loving, hottest,sexiestman in the world. When you look at me, it’s like everything else in the world disappears. All that exists is you and me. I never had a real home growing up, the closest was Nonna’s. But from the first time I looked into your eyes, you were my safe place, my happy place, my home. I know that we lost twenty years, but I don’t want to lose another day, another minute, without you being mine, officially, so Maddox Cruz will you marry me?”
Maddox stared at me for a second before his lips curled in a wide smile. “Are you kidding me?”
I was pretty sure I knew what that meant, but I still asked, “Is that a yes?”
“No, that’s a hell yes!” His mouth crashed onto mine as he wrapped his arms around me.
The kiss was filled with years of unanswered desire and passion. But suddenly, he pulled back.
“Wait. I don’t have a ring for you.”
“Oh, yeah, um well, I took care of that.” I reached into my pocket and pulled out Nonna’s ring. “It’s Nonna’s.”
“Nonna’s,” he said with me. “It’s perfect.”
He took it from my hand and looked into my eyes. “As much as I appreciate all of this, you did sort of steal my thunder.”
“I did?”
“Yeah, you’re not the only one who’s been planning something.”
“I’m not?”
“Nope.”
Maddox stood and pulled out his wallet and handed me an old looking folded-up piece of paper as he sat back down. I unfolded it and saw that it was a magic eye picture. I relaxed my vision and two words appeared. Marry me.
I clasped my hand over my mouth.
“When did you get this?”
“I had it custom made the day after I said I love you on Pier 39.”
I looked up at him in shock and in love. “And you’ve carried it around all this time?”
“Yep.” He nodded and I saw that his eyes were also filling with tears.
I threw my arms around his neck and hugged him. I had no idea what I’d done to deserve him or how he felt about me, but I would spend the rest of my life trying to make him feel as happy, loved, safe and special as he made me feel.
“The girls should be back any second.” He sniffed as he pulled back. “They just had to go to the bathroom”
“Oh, they’re not going to the bathroom. That was part of the plan.”
For being so smart, sometimes he missed things because once he thought something was a certain way, it was hard for his brain to think otherwise. Maybe that’s why he’d always loved me. Once his brain locked on to loving me it was a done deal. That thought was oddly comforting to me. It soothed some of my insecurities.
