Page 98 of Gluttony
A slow, wicked grin formed on Tony’s lips. His woman. Turning the tables. For him and his family.
He nudged her knees apart and slotted himself between.
“Tony?” She whispered, licking her lips.
Their gazes clashed, and he blurted. “I love you, Bailey Haze.”
Joy splashed across her face. He went in for a kiss, but she stopped him with a finger to the lips. “You’ll ruin my lipstick.”
“Well, then,” he growled, eyes scanning her luscious body. “I’ll just have to kiss you somewhere else. But first—” He shook his head to clear his derailing thoughts and reached into his pocket, pulling out a little velvet box. “I have to do this right.”
He cleared his throat. With two trembling hands, he held the box between them and opened it. A single diamond ring sat in the middle, glistening as bright as her eyes.
“I know I may not deserve this, and I should have tried harder, but I promise to do better. You’re everything that makes me whole. Bailey Haze, will you marry me?”
She choked up. Her palm fluttered to her throat and her eyes glimmered, threatening to spill tears. Then she shut down. Her expression completely closed.
A coldness seeped through him. “Bailey?”
She inhaled and exhaled. “First, you need to promise me something.”
“Anything.”
“Never again will you keep your worries to yourself. If you have doubts, I want in. I want all of you, Tony Lazarus. Even the parts you’re not proud of. Do you understand?”
He blinked. He wasn’t crying. Nope. That was something in his eye. He nodded. “I get it.”
She grinned and moved to take the ring box, but he snapped it shut and pulled it away, much to her surprise.
“And I want you to promise me something too.”
She bit her lip, eyeing him suspiciously. “Okay. What is it?”
“The same thing. Don’t think you’re on your own. You’re part of this family. Whether we get married or not. I want no secrets between us. We talk about everything.”
A slow smile lifted her lips, and she slid her hands up his shoulders to cup his face. Her lids lowered, and she cocked her head to the side. “I know what you did for the sobriety house. Those kids are lucky to have you there.”
He stiffened. “You weren’t meant to find out. Not yet, anyway.”
“I know. That’s what I love about you, Tony. You didn’t do it because you expected something in return. You didn’t do it for the attention. And for the record, that is why I came tonight. Not because you bought me a pretty dress, but because I want to be with the man who put those kids first, even when we weren’t getting along. Even when—” she choked up. Pain flashed across her face. Her brows slid together and her eyes glistened. “You bastard. You did it again. You’re making me cry.”
He grinned, giving her the full force of his smile. “I want to kiss you.”
“You have to wait, dammit.” She tugged the napkin from around the champagne bucket and dabbed her eyes. “Let me finish.” She took another deep breath. “I was wrong. You’re not the man I thought you were when I first met you. You’re so different. And I love you.”
He leaned in, touched his lips to hers, and hovered. “So... is that a yes?”
She laughed and nodded, then took his face between her hands. This time, she made no hesitations and pressed her lips to his. “You’re the best decision I’ve made.”
“What?”
“Nothing.”
She quickly glanced down at the ring box. He opened it again and gingerly took out the ring.
“It’s perfect,” she whispered.
He slipped it on her ring-finger, trying to ignore the way his lungs seized up as it went on. When he looked up, she wasn’t looking at the ring, but at him. If he had any doubts, they were gone in that moment.Not the pretty. Him.
