Page 14 of Tattooed By Her Silver Fox

“Waiting for the right time isn’t the point,” I finally answer. “We’re years apart and come from different backgrounds with different ideas. That alone should have been enough to keep us apart, but we still found our way to each other. I guess the dating rule just feels like the final straw. Like the universe is saying this shouldn’t be.”

“For christ’s sake, Vi. Really? Aren’t you making it too easy for her to win?”

Maybe I am. “There has to be a reason we’ve hit a roadblock at every turn.”

“There is.” Claire stops short and glares at me. “Because you’ve let them.”

I’m stunned and staring at her when she adds, “Do you love him?”

I can only nod.

“Then don’t let Garcia or anyone else stand in your way.” She walks off toward the office, and I’m left in the hallway feeling like a complete idiot. What have I done?

One of the kids staying in after school cuts a hall corner short and bumps me, knocking my stack of papers to the floor. He smiles up at me and helps collect the documents before handing me an envelope with my name written in Bash’s handwriting. I’m almost brought to tears when I see it again. The lounge is at the end of the hall and I make my way there quickly, shutting the door and taking a seat at the lunch table. With a stiff breath, I slide my finger along the seal and lift the flap.

It’s a card. The paper is thick with a hand-drawn rose scrawled across the front. I glance down at my finger. The designs are the same. My fingers shake as I flip the top up and I spy Fox’s name signed at the bottom of the card.

Vi,

I know things haven’t been ideal, but I haven’t given up on us, and I hope you haven’t either. I have a plan for making this work. If you’re willing to try something new, meet me at the shop one afternoon. I love you, Sweetness.

Fox

I shut the card and slide it back in the envelope. What could he have planned that would fix this?

Twenty minutes later, I’m sitting in my car outside Fox’s shop, waiting for Denver to disappear into the back before I get out. I can’t face him. I can’t face anyone but Fox the way I’m feeling. It takes a while, but Denver finishes with a customer and steps into the back, leaving the front of the store vacant.

I open the door slowly, so the bell above doesn’t make noise, and I step inside. The buzzing from the back room is soothing. I notice the rose picture that had hung over the counter is gone, replaced with a colorful butterfly. My gaze moves from it to movement at the curtains, and Fox steps from the dark fabric.

“Vi.”

“I got your card. Sorry it took me too long to read it.”

“That’s okay.” He runs his hand over his hair. He has it all slicked back and looking so beautiful. How could I ever have thought being away from him was the right choice.

“You said you have a plan.”

Fox leads me to a seat and takes the one next to it. By the binders of paper, I’m guessing this is where he does his consultations.

“Hear me out before you answer.” He takes one of my hands in his, and his eyes are so intently on me; it’s hard to look at him. “I asked you this before, but now…” his voice fades. He’s worried. I can tell in the way his voice shakes. “Vi, I’ve never met anyone like you. I know I never will again. It’s been a short time, but it doesn’t take long to know when you’ve found the right one, and for me, you are it. I’ve asked you this before, but now that you’ve had time to think about it, will you marry me?”

I stare into his gray eyes in amazement.

“If we’re married, no one can make us feel wrong for our feelings.”

He’s right. I clutch his hand in mine and when he falls to one knee my eyes fog with tears. “Are you sure this isn’t just a way to get around a stupid rule?” I wipe my hand under my eyes.

“I asked you to marry me before I even knew there was a stupid rule, remember?”

He’s smiling, but I still see the emotion hidden in his eyes. He’s a gorgeous man inside and out. My heart flutters in my chest, and even though I’m sitting, my knees are weak. “I don’t know what to say.”

Fox squeezes my hand in his. “Then say yes, Sweetness. Become mine. Now that I’ve found you, I’ll never be whole again without you.”

The way he puts it is the way I’ve been feeling for days. A month ago, I didn’t even know Sabastian Fox existed, and now I can’t imagine my world without him.

Fox releases my hand and digs around in the pocket of his pants before bringing a small red velvet box up and placing it in my hand. My fingers shake as I pry the top open. It’s a ruby set in rose gold that’s made to look like a rose stem, and it’s the most perfect ring I’ve ever seen.

Fox isn’t like anyone I’ve ever known before, and he sees me. The real me I keep hidden deep down. His choice of ring proves it.

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