Page 89 of Volatile

“Well, not right away, of course. We’d still take plenty of time to make sure we’re taking the right step. I just thought if I were your fiancée you’d feel better somehow, knowing I was out there and still connected to you even when we were apart.”

“It doesn’t work that way.”

“Oh.”

“Do you think I’d feel better about you being in that apartment alone just because you’re my fiancée? If anything, it’d be worse.”

“Oh, okay.” Her face dropped. “It’s just... never mind.”

He cradled the sides of her face so she couldn’t turn and hide. “It’s just what, Ivy?”

She took what seemed like a bottomless breath before spurting it all out. “It’s just that I love you so much and I know you love me and I can’t imagine being without you but I also can’t imagine rushing too fast and ruining it all and that’s probably what I just did because you asked me to move in with you not get married but I really did think it was a solution for both of us but I know now that I spoke too soon and didn’t think it over enough and you probably think I’m one of those desperate pushy females who only wants—”

She cut herself off to take another breath, and before she could start another stretched-out sentence, he pressed his lips hard against hers.

He detached and touched their foreheads together. “Damn, you’re maddening sometimes.”

“I’m sorry. Can we please just pretend this never happened?”

“No.”

Now, what the fuck was he supposed to do? He’d been holding off for the right moment, not wanting to spring it on her until he felt she was ready to accept. That sure as hell wasn’t for his sake; he’d marry her this second if he could. He wasn’t the one who needed plenty of time or a long fucking engagement to be sure.

“Jonathan?”

He kissed her again. “Wait right here. Don’t move.”

He took the stairs down to his office, not bothering to dress. Now that he’d made his decision, he didn’t want to waste time. He keyed in the code, opened the safe, and pulled out the black velvet box.

He’d purchased it a few weeks before, and it’d given him peace of mind to have it ready and waiting. He’d assumed that living together first would be easier for her to swallow, but who the hell knew anymore? He could’ve never predicted her proposal, couldn’t predict half the things that came out of her mouth. She baffled the shit out of him, but she was a mystery he never wanted to solve. Only love forever.

Jon came back to the room with the box clenched in his hand. She was curled on the chair, legs tucked underneath her, looking... sad.

Fuck, no.

“Jonathan, please. I just want to forget all this and go back to how we were.”

“Not going to happen.”

“God, I really fucked this up, didn’t I?”

He smiled, kneeling down before her and stroking her cheek. If she would’ve looked at him, she might have noticed the object in his hand. Neither the timing nor the place was ideal—for one, he wanted her surrounded by flowers—but if he wished to be with this woman forever, he’d have to get used to the unexpected.

“Look at me, Ivy. The woman I know and love doesn’t back down.”

He could’ve waited for another opportunity, but then she might always wonder about his motives. She might question if his proposal was just a reaction to hers, a way to let her save face. No, their life together was not going to begin with suspicions. The proposal had to be now. And the more he thought about it, the more he realized how perfect it really was. A spontaneous proposal for a passionate, impulsive woman.

Her stare was misty. “So, now what?” she asked with a broken smile.

He popped open the box and held it in front of her. “Now, you accept my proposal.”

She opened her mouth to let out a slew of unspoken words. For all he knew, her ‘holy shit’ expression could be due to skepticism. Her mind could be trying to convince her that he’d scavenged the ring out of the dumpster and then threw it into whatever container he had lying around. Or worse.

“Ivy, will you marry me?”

“I....”

He slipped the ring onto her finger. A perfect fit. “You didn’t fuck anything up, Ivy. You made it better, just like you make everything better. I already intended to marry you. All you did was speed up the process. You caught me off guard tonight, that’s all. Vintage Ivy.”

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