Page 38 of The Virgin's Chosen Dragon

“Are you sure about this?” Max asked, picking up his phone. “This is a big step to take with a woman you’ve only known a week.”

“Eden is the only thing in my life that makes sense right now,” he said. “I love her, Max, I want to marry her.”

“Okay, I’ll see what I can do,” he said. “This is going to take a miracle and some cash to grease the wheels, if you know what I mean, and you’d better hope that Mateo is in a good mood this morning. He’s the only one on the island who can perform the ceremony.”

“Just call him, we don’t have very long to put this together,” he said, getting to his feet. “I have to go find Barbie. I hope she’ll have something Eden can wear. Can you find someone to do something about some food?”

“Anything else, Your Highness?” Max asked, his voice full of sarcasm. “And just so you know, you will be getting a bill for all of this.”

“You know I’m good for it,” he said, grinning at his friend. “Thank you, Max, for everything.”

“You’re welcome,” Max said, his face softening. “I’m happy for the two of you.”

“Hey, sleepy head,” Theo said, sitting down on the edge of the bed. “The sun is up, the birds are singing, I’ve got two cups of coffee in my hand, and we’re going for a hike today, so up and out of that bed.”

Eden groaned and opened one eye to look at him. “Does this mean we’re avoiding our parents today?” she asked. “Because if not, I’m staying right where I am.”

“Yes, but only if you get moving,” he said, waving the coffee around. “I got you double cream and sugar just like you like it.”

“Now, you’ve got me,” she said, sitting up and taking the cup. “You’re spoiling me.”

“I like spoiling you,” he said, leaning over and giving her a kiss. “But you’d better drink it while you’re getting ready. We need to leave in half an hour or risk the parents finding us.”

That got Eden moving, and they walked out of the cabintwenty minutes later. “I feel like a couple of kids sneaking away like this,” she said. “But thank you; I really don’t want to see my mother today. I’m not ready for another battle.”

“I was thinking the same thing this morning,” he said, taking her hand. “So, I did something about it.”

“Where are we going?” Eden asked. “I don’t think I’ve taken this path before.”

“Max told me about this place. It’s a bit like paradise, but it’s also a secret,” he said, grinning at her. “Wait until you see it, and you’ll understand why.”

They hiked for two hours, taking breaks to enjoy cool drinks of water, but also fiery kisses that kept their hearts pounding as much as the climb up the mountain in the middle of the island. Just as the sun reached it highest point in the sky, the trail looked like it dead-ended, and Eden looked over at him, her face full of confusion. He stepped in front of her and pulled back the vegetation revealing an even smaller path, and the sound of the waterfall reached them for the first time.

“Is that a waterfall?” Eden asked, an excited smile on her face. “Come on, Theo, you can tell me now. We’re here.”

He just shook his head. “I’m not saying a word,” he said, hoping she wasn’t going to hate what he’d done. “I want to see the look on your face when you see it.”

They walked a little further, the sound of water getting louder, then he pulled her to a stop. “You have to close your eyes from here,” he said, stepping behind her and putting his hands over her eyes. “I promise I won’t let you trip.”

“Theo, it’s just a waterfall, I’ve seen one before,” she said, but let him lead her down the path again. “This must be something special if you’re making such a big deal about it.”

“I hope you think it’s a big deal too when you see whatI’ve done,” he said, pulling her to a stop. “It took a lot of work to put this all together.”

He took his hands down from her eyes, but instead of looking around, she turned and looked up at him. “Theo, what are you talking about?” she asked. “What have you done?”

“Look around sweetheart, I did all of this for you,” he said, gently turning her head so she could see the waterfall and the people all gathered on the grassy open space in front of the pool of water at its base.

“Theo, what is all this?” she asked, a look of surprise on her face. “What is Barbie doing here?”

“Well, you said you wanted a big romantic gesture when I asked you to marry me,” he said, slowly walking around her, dropping onto one knee and pulling a ring out of his pocket. “I just decided to take it to the next level. Eden Bishop, will you marry me, right here, right now? I want you to be my wife, I want to spend the rest of my life with you.”

It took her so long to answer he began to get worried, then two tears trickled down her cheeks, and a smile spread across her face. “Yes, yes, yes,” she said, slightly breathless. “I’ll marry you, now, tomorrow, or next week, I don’t care when, I just want to be your wife.”

Theo jumped to his feet, pulled her into his arms, and swung her around. “I don’t think I’ve ever been this happy,” he said, then put her back on her feet. “I’ve got everything arranged with a lot of help from everyone here. Mateo is going to perform the ceremony, Barbie and Max will be our official witnesses, and there’s enough food up here for a big celebration when we’re done.”

***Eden***

That would make this better if Rose could have beenhere,” she said. “It’s fitting that we should be married here. Then Eden looked up at Theo, trying her best not to cry. “This is the only thing brought us together, and we should seal our connection here. Thank you for thinking of it.”

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