Page 76 of Anything For This Love

I brandish her ring, pinching it delicately between my fingers. It’s been burning a hole in my pocket all night long and I’ve reached in there several times to ensure it was still there throughout the evening. If she noticed, she never said a word.

Her eyes fill with tears and she covers her mouth to muffle a sob. I wait for her to answer, holding my breath until I feel like I’m going to pass out.

Chapter Thirty-One

Abby

A million thoughtsrace through my head at Jacob’s proposal. My pulse quickens, the fluttering in my chest stealing my breath.He wants to marry me. He wants me to be his wife and there’s nothing I want more.

But how do we make it work? He still lives and works five hours away. We still haven’t made any plans regarding who’s going to move and uproot their life. Shouldn’t we have that conversation before we decide to get married? I mean, that seems like a pretty crucial element.

His blue eyes stare up at me hopefully with a love that tightens my chest. This man has loved me through everything. He loved me when I believed I wasn’t worthy of his love. He loved me when I was broken and full of self-doubt, believing I was somehow lacking because my mother didn’t love me enough to stay. He loved me when he thought I’d intentionally kept Chloe from him. He may have hated me then, too, but his love for me was enough to keep pushing, keep seeking answers, and not give up on us. It’s what got us through that difficult time.

He’s done so much to prove his love to me. Now it’s my turn. I will become his wife. If that means I have to leave my home to make a new one with him in Arlington, then that’s what I’ll do. I know what my answer is. I just have to tell him.

“Yes!” I cry, diving into his arms. He rises, lifting me to my feet and burying his face in my neck. His arms crush me to him as he whispers declarations of love against my skin. After a moment, he leans back and gazes into my eyes.

“I love you. I can’t wait to be your husband.” Before I can respond, he seals his mouth over mine, kissing me passionately as his hand fists the material at the small of my back. His kiss is desperate and drugging, and it only makes me crave more of him.

“Take me home,” I breathe, clinging to him, my fingers digging into his shoulders.

The ride home is full of delicious, nearly unbearable sexual tension. He laces his fingers through mine as soon as he starts the engine, his thumb occasionally grazing the band of the gorgeous ring he placed on my finger after I finally saidyes. His hand never leaves mine, but eventually his palm flattens on my thigh and slowly works its way up my leg, squeezing every now and then. I squirm in my seat, my body heating with his touch, the friction of my clothes almost too much to bear against my sensitive skin.

When we finally make it back to our hideaway cabin, we rush inside, eager to celebrate our new engagement. Jacob unlocks the front door and ushers us through. He picks me up and slams my back against the solid wood, pressing his hard body against me. His mouth finds mine and I open to him, letting his lips and tongue explore, diving in for a taste. He cups my ass, pinning me against him as he grinds his erection into my core. I tremble against him as I remember the look in his eyes when he asked me to become his wife. My entire body warms, the tingle of anticipation settling in my stomach.

Jacob pulls away from the door and carries me to our room, laying me gently on the bed. He leans up and removes his shirt before returning his lips to mine. “I want you bare. I want to see all of you when I come inside you this time.”

He stands, leaving me panting as he quickly undoes his belt and removes his pants. His erection springs free as he pushes his underwear past it and down his legs. He prowls over to me, moving as lithely as a jungle cat. My dress is already pushed up my thighs and all garments have been removed from my lower body. He pulls my dress over my head before sitting back to admire my naked form.

His eyes lift to mine without a word, but I can read his thoughts. He loves me, every single part of me. He doesn’t see my flaws. He just sees the woman who holds his heart.

I pull him back down on top of me and wrap my legs around his waist. He kisses me slowly, taking his time as he explores my mouth. His hand brushes loose strands of hair from my face as he leans back to watch me. Flexing his hips forward, he rubs his hardened length against my hot, aching core. I chase it, angling my body for entry, but he stays just out of my reach.

“Not yet,” he says, his mouth turning up in a crooked grin. His lips feather down my neck and lavish my breasts until I’m writhing beneath him, practically begging him to take me. He teases me for several long minutes, rubbing his cock against me but never breaching my entrance. When he finally slides inside with one long, slow thrust, my body is coiled so tightly, I nearly climax.

He makes love to me, worshipping my body and my heart equally, whispering all the things I long to hear him say. Everything he does and says to me only solidifies what I already know… that he’sthe one.

Knots formin my stomach as I get ready to leave for brunch. Jacob and I spend the night wrapped in each other’s arms, waking in the early morning hours to make love once again before falling back to sleep. When we finally roll out of bed, Jacob announces he’s taking me to brunch, but something eats away at me, a conversation that’s long overdue. I want to bring it up, but I’m afraid what his answer will be.

After a quick phone call to my grandmother to check on Chloe, we head to the restaurant. My stomach remains unsettled on the short drive over, but I try to hide my trepidation. I don’t want to spoil our happiness over getting engaged by bringing up all the concerns swirling in my head. My anxiety slowly eases and I relax next to Jacob.

He feeds me bits of his Belgian waffle, purposely smearing syrup just outside my lips so he has an excuse to lean down and lick it off. Yes, I realize we’ve become that sickeningly sweet couple at the diner, sitting on the same side of the booth so we can remain close, but I don’t care. There’s hardly anyone here to witness our antics anyway.

I let my gaze fall to the ring adorning my finger. It feels heavy and unfamiliar, but I like its weight. I like that I unconsciously swirl it around with my thumb.

“My ring is beautiful. I didn’t realize how gorgeous it was last night, but it’s truly stunning.” I admire the clear, cushion diamond situated in a square border of smaller diamonds. The ring has an overall vintage feel, but it looks shiny and new. I study it, turning my hand over and watching as it catches the light.

“I’m glad you like it.”

“Like it? I love it! There’s something so familiar about it. Like maybe I’ve seen it in a magazine or a display at the mall.”

Jacob shifts beside me as I turn my hand over, taking in the smooth band. “Does it look anything like this?”

I reluctantly pull my gaze from the ring and look down at his phone as he slides it to me. On the screen is a picture of my great-grandmother, who immigrated from Ireland in the 1930s. The image is cropped, only showing her from the waist up, but something catches my eye. My pulse kicks up as I realize why my ring looks so familiar. I zoom in on her hand, confirming my suspicions. My ring looks almost exactly like hers. I look up into Jacob’s icy blues.

“How did you…?” I stumble, my gaze darting back and forth between him and the photo.

“I had it custom made,” he replies nonchalantly, picking up his phone. “I took this picture to a jeweler in D.C. and asked him to replicate it with a few minor adjustments.”

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