Page 106 of One Kind Soul
“Well, let’s not keep those delicious eats waiting a moment longer.” He opened the door behind him and tugged her outside, loving when she gasped at the scenery.
“Chrissy . . .” She put a hand to her chest. “It’s magical out here.”
“I wanted our last night on Kauai to be enchanting.” He pressed a kiss to the back of her hand then led her to a seat at the table.
The sun was beginning to set, orange-pink-purple smears streaking a line along the horizon. With the ukulele music wafting in the sea-salted air, it truly felt like a Hawaiian dream.
“Let me grab the food,” he said, turning toward the door.
“I can help.” Nicole followed him.
“Nope.” He backed her toward the table again. “You’ve served resort guests all day, my love. I’m serving you tonight.”
With a little grin, she lowered into her seat. “Okay.”
He grabbed their dishes and bustled into the kitchen. He plated the grilled salmon and veggie kabobs on the white rice and adorned it with pineapple slices and parsley leaves. Reminding himself to be cool, he toted the full dishes out to the deck, laughing when Nicole’s eyes widened again.
“See something interesting, Nixen?” He set her dish in front of her.
She grabbed his free hand. “Christian, this is all so lovely.”
He slid his hand from hers and took the seat on the other side of the table after setting down his dish. “I hope this meal is good.”
“Why wouldn’t it be?” She angled her hands at it. “It’s gorgeous.” Her gaze flicked up to meet his. “Not as gorgeous as the company though.”
He winked at her and poured them each a glass of wine. Holding his up in salute, he said, “To a week spent closing one chapter and beginning another.”
“Together.” Nicole clinked her glass to his and they both took a sip.
They chatted through dinner. She told him about clocking in to work for the final time and not feeling sad about it. Christian told her about Jackson coming to stay in Vermont while he found new funding. They spoke of the farmhouse and seeing the cats and horses again. The candles grew short as the sky darkened above them.
“There is dessert,” Christian said after taking away their dinner dishes, “but I have something I want to do first.”
Now or never.
He held out his hand toward Nicole and when she took it, he tugged her to her feet and led her to the corner of the deck where the ocean was most visible. Enough moonlight lit the night to see the shimmering waves reach for the shore then retreat.
Christian’s dinner swirled in his stomach, but he bullied himself into manning up and reached into the flower wreath around the candle on the railing next to them. The small, square box he’d extracted elicited an adorable squeak from Nicole and he knew he had nothing to worry about.
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OhmyGodOhmyGodOhmyGod! It was a big enough treat to come home to a handsome man in a tux and eat a delicious meal, but that small box blasted everything up to the next level.
“Nixen,” Christian said in a low voice as he ran his free hand down Nicole’s bare arm then closed his fingers around her hand. His touch instantly goosebumped her skin, but she couldn’t take her gaze off that little box.
The box. The one a girl dreams about.
“Living together at the farm isn’t going to be enough for me,” he said. “I want us to truly belong to each other. I want to know we’re going to be together forever.”
Nicole could barely keep from launching herself at Christian. He was so sweet and her love for him quadrupled tonight.
He released her hand and opened the little box. An absolutely stunning, teardrop-cut diamond ring stared back at her and Nicole couldn’t stop her feet from doing a little tap-tap-tap as her finger itched to wear it.
Christian pulled the ring from the velvet slit in the box. He held it up between them. “Marry me, Nixen, and I promise to never make you regret saying yes.”
“Yes. Oh, Chrissy, yes.” She wiggled her finger. “Now get that ring on me right now!”
He gently slid the ring onto her finger and she gasped over how perfect it was. How perfect this night was.
