Page 61 of Defending What is Mine

This…

Like the air around us is charged with electricity.

This is it…

I pull back from the kiss to look at her again. Appreciating the face that haunted me while I was gone.

Now. Do it now…

The way Sam looks at me, groggy and tired-eyed, but happy and loving, I know in my soul this is the moment. My plan be damned. Nothing about her has gone according to plan, anyway. From the moment we met, to the way we fell in love, to how she showed up after the accident. Our entire relationship has gone off script. It seems only fitting that this milestone takes on a life of its own as well.

Everything that’s happened has been to bring us here. To this moment.

“Hey.” I lift her chin with my finger. “You know I love you, right?”

“Yes.” Sam smiles. “I do.”

“And I want you to know that I realize I owe you my life.”

Sam cocks her head. “Come again…? I think you lost me.”

I run my finger along her cheek. “After the accident, I was in hell. And I thought, if I didn’t push you away, I’d drag you down with me. Because there was no saving me.” I swallow hard. “But you did. You dropped everything and you came. And you saved me.”

Sam’s eyes well up. “That’s…I don’t know what to say.”

I reach into my pocket and dig out the ring, then drop to my knee. “Samantha Williams, I swear I will never lose sight of who you are again. And if you’ll allow me the honor, I will dedicate the rest of my life to serving you. To loving you. To defending you from anyone who might hurt you...” I hold up the solitaire. “Will you marry me?”

“Oh, Jack…” Sam fans her face. “Yes. Yes. Of course, yes.” She offers me her hand, splaying the fingers to provide access for the ring. “Oh my god, it’s so beautiful.”

“If it doesn’t fit, we’ll take it in Monday to have it sized,” I say as I slide the ring across her delicate skin.

Sam pulls her hand to her chest then holds it out, twisting it in the moonlight to make the diamond sparkle. “It’s perfect.” She motions around us. “This is perfect.”

“Come on, let’s get you inside so you can get ready for bed.”

Sam flashes a devilish smile. “I think we should both get ready for bed.” She steps backward toward the cabin, pulling me along by my shirt. “I hope you’re not tired. Not yet.”

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