Page 165 of The Protégé

I yanked at his hand. “You seek me when you’re cold and need me when you’re lost. You measure my life in hours, and I will serve you until I perish. The wind is my enemy, and the shadow is my friend. Who am I?”

He answered without a blink,“I’m your candle, baby.”

I smiled and whipped out another riddle. He replied without hesitation.

“Have you been studying my riddles or something?” I smiled, pride surging in me. This brilliant man was all mine.

“I studied Madame Sarcasm’s old website.”

Since he took care of all the tech stuff for my sites, he had access to all my information—all the old articles I’d ever written.

“That’s a lot of studying.”

“I can be an excellent student with the right teacher.” He gave me a wicked grin that made me think about all the intimate things we’d done together since moving into this house.

An idea sparked in me, but then it vanished, replaced by a distressed bouquet of dandelions lying on the outdoor table.

Oh boy.

He definitely made the sad-looking bouquet.

I cupped his face. “It’s adorable.”

“Please help me make it better.” He watched me as I unwrapped the paper and removed all the dandelions and accent plants.

A little box dropped out of the arrangement, and I looked at him, my heart racing.

His eyes gleamed with joy and mischief. “Open it.”

I took off the lid and a lopsided paper star sat in the middle. It had my name written in small letters at the center. “It’s adorable.”

“Since you gave me hundreds of paper stars filled with lovely messages, I figured I’d make one for you. Mind you, it took me forever to make this star.”

I could imagine him sitting at his desk, folding the thin strip of paper with his enormous hands.

“You did an amazing job. I’m not taking on new students, but I’ll make an exception for you.”

“Open it,” he said, looking nervous.

I stared at the tiny star at the center of my palm. It pulsed with hope and love.

I unraveled the paper, arched an eyebrow, and read the question out loud. “I am the sun burning for you, the moon making sure you have a good night’s sleep, and the stars making all your dreams come true. What am I?”

He stared at me, waiting for an answer.

I smiled at him. “I was going to say a dandelion, but you’re asking for a deeper meaning.” I placed the strip of paper on the table and placed two palms on his firm chest. “It’s you, Orion. You’re my sun, moon, and stars.”

Then he pulled out a box from his pants pocket and dropped to one knee.

Orion

I’d never been so scared to see a reaction from anyone until now. What if she said no? What if she was happy living together without wanting to be my wife?

I opened the silver and gold box and pulled out a ring with the rare taaffeite gemstone. “I didn’t know I was capable of this deep love until I met you. When you came into my life, I felt renewed. I love you with everything I am and everything I’ll ever be. I’d love for you to join me on this journey. Will you marry me?”

“Yes! I love you so much!” Tears streamed down her face as I slid the ring onto her finger.

I rose to my feet as she placed her hand against the sunlight. “It’s perfect. Isn’t this the gemstone from your secret room?” The glow on her face proved she loved it.

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