Page 44 of Time Served in New York
The light changed and people swarmed around us, but I was rooted to the spot as I stared at the ring Hook had handed to me. I turned to look at him and realized he wasn’t standing next to me anymore. Instead, he was down on one knee staring up at me.
“I love you, little one, and I’m going to keep loving you until I take my last breath. Now it’s up to you whether that’s by your own hand or you let nature take its course,” Hook said with a nervous laugh. “But, either way, my life isn’t complete without you. Will you marry me?”
“You want to get married?” I whispered.
“I want to spend the rest of my days watching you smile and making you laugh, whether you take my name or not.”
Time seemed to stand still as the frigid wind cooled the hot tears on my cheeks, and Hook stared at me with love in his eyes. I rested my hand on his cheek as I leaned down and kissed him like my life depended on it. And, in a way, it did. My life wouldn’t ever be complete without him in it.
“I’d marry you right this second if I could,” I whispered before I kissed him again.
He pried my hand open and took the ring out before he slipped it on my finger. Hook kissed the ring and then the back of my hand before he stood, pulling me into his arms and holding me with my feet dangling above the concrete as our mouths met in a fiery kiss.
When we were both breathless, he touched his forehead to mine and said, “For the rest of our lives, New York City will have this memory for us. Every time we visit, we can stop here and remember how we feel right now.”
“Really cold?” I joked.
“Yeah, little one. That’s what I’m feeling too.”
“I love you,” I said with a grin as he let me slide down his body until I was back on my feet.
“Let’s go back to the hotel, and you can show me just how much.”
Hook started walking in the direction we’d come from but stopped when he realized I wasn’t beside him. He turned around and asked, “Are you okay?”
“I’m just staring at this rock on my finger wondering if I’m having some sort of hangover hallucination or something,” I admitted.
“That is one shiny diamond, isn’t it?”
“It is. How long have you had it in your pocket?”
“I’ve been planning to propose for a while now but wanted to wait until I’d talked to Zach in person before I bought the ring.”
“You bought it here?”
“I’ve found that all the best things come from New York,” Hook teased as he wrapped his arm around my waist and pulled me closer. “ Stamp’s ex gave me one hell of a deal on that diamond.”
“You met Marla?” I asked as we started walking again.
“And Carlo.”
“That’s a blast from the past,” I admitted as I looked around the bustling street, wondering how in the world I’d ever missed this now that I’d experienced the laid-back pace of Tenillo. “I don’t miss this place at all anymore now that I have a life with you.”
“Good because I’m ready to go the fuck home and relax where’s it’s quiet and calm.” Hook thought about what he’d said for a second and then laughed. “Not that life with you will ever be quiet or calm.”
“And you wouldn’t want it any other way.”
12.
FRANKIE
“Is everyone ready to get glamorous?” I asked as I walked into the meeting room that the staff had converted to our salon for the day.
“What in the world are we all doing in here?” Blue asked.
“Per the email sent to all of you, this is where we’re getting ready for tonight’s party,” Bernadette barked, still a little bitter that everyone kept asking what was going on or happening next.
“I have some gifts for you,” I explained as I motioned toward the couches and chairs that were set up at the end of the room. “The other day when we went to get measured for the wedding attire, I had the staff pay attention to the different dresses each of you commented on and then had the one you seemed to like most delivered for you to wear tonight along with complementary shoes.”
