Page 165 of Until I Own You

I again shove my hands in my pockets and head down the length of the catwalk to the section of audience at the end of the runway.

I climb the steps until I catch Sonia’s attention.

She sits up, the corners of her eyes folding. Her worried look has gotten even more worried since the twins were born four months ago.

By the time I reach her and the section of our friends, she’s on her feet and extending her arms to embrace me. “Everything okay?”

“Just nervous,” I say.

She wraps her arms around me tighter. “Oh, it’s going to be great. Don’t be nervous.” She draws away and looks at the line of friends beside her. “Right? It’s going to be great, right, everyone?”

Nate, Mason, and Laney are the most vocal with their confirmation, followed by Jack, then Abigail who seems distracted with her phone.

Sonia narrows her eyes at Edwin who seems completely glazed over as he stares out at the empty catwalk. She slaps his shoulder. “Edwin!”

His body snaps to attention. “What?! What?”

“Tell Seth it’s going to be okay.”

Edwin smiles. The bags under his eyes look like they’re full of bricks.

I guess that’s what being over fifty with newborn twins back at home does to a person. “Don’t sweat it.”

It’s nice of them, but not helpful.

No one is worried Bridget might not say yes. For them, it’s been a given from the second she moved into my apartment about a month and change after our first real date.

Marriage has just been the next logical step.

Sonia beams and squeezes my arm again. “You know she’s going to say yes.”

“In theory…” But in practice?

She rolls her eyes. “Don’t be like that. You have the ring?”

My hand shoots into my pocket for the hundred and first time. Once again, I met with relief when I feel the ring inside. “Y-yes. It’s still there.”

“Oh, you poor thing.” Sonia sighs. “Let’s see it.”

I open the box for her, tucking it behind my jacket in case the light glints off the emerald and blinds everyone.

“Beautiful as the day you bought it. She’ll love it,” Sonia says.

Sonia and Abigail both went with me to pick the ring out.

I was set on an emerald. I like her in blue, but I wanted the ring to match her eyes. Spared no expense on the size of the emerald or the diamonds inlaid around the band. I was thankful to have the support of her friends.

The music shifts and lights in the audience start to dim.

I shove the ring as deep into my pocket as it will go. “I better go back to my seat.”

I turn and walk away before I can acknowledge any more words of comfort. I know I won’t feel the comfort. Just have to get it over with.

And I don’t want to feel that way. Because this is the most important moment of my life thus far. More important than telling Bridget I wanted her to be my sub, more important than collaring her, more important than telling her I love her.

Now, I’m going to tell her, in front of all these people, not just people we love, but strangers, that I want to be with her forever.

Throughout my life, I’ve risked more. Grandeur things, more expensive things, my life, even. And yet, this risk is paramount to all of them.

---