Page 181 of Strange Seduction
We stepped through the front door, and I immediately understood what Theo meant by permanent.
It wasn’t just beautiful. It was intentional.
The entryway opened into a warm, open living space with tall ceilings, pale wooden beams, and moonlight lingering through the high windows. Soft, earthy tones painted the walls, and the furniture—minimal but luxurious—looked like it had been handpicked for me.
“You did all this?” I asked quietly.
Theo kicked off his shoes. “I had help. But yeah.”
I wandered further inside, my fingers grazing over the back of the leather couch, past the modern kitchen with its hanging pendant lights and marble countertops, through the dining area where fresh-cut flowers sat in a vase—peonies, my favorite.
I turned to him, heart in my throat. “This place looks like it came out of my head.”
He smirked as he watched me from the camcorder’s screen. “Then I’ve done my job.”
We moved upstairs, and Theo’s hand pressed lightly against the small of my back. The hallway smelled faintly of cedar and lemon oil. Doors lined both sides—guest rooms, office, bathroom, until we reached the last one at the end of the hall.
Theo paused, then turned the knob.
He didn’t say anything as he pushed it open.
I stepped in—then stopped dead.
The master bedroom had been transformed.
The whole space glowed golden from flickering candles. Flowers—white and blush-toned—were scattered across the bed and floor. A few were suspended in glass orbs that hung from the ceiling, swaying gently like they were floating.
There was music playing faintly.
Sade.
Her voice flowed effortlessly through the space.
I turned toward him, startled, my eyes already wet. “Theo…”
He stepped in behind me, placed the still recording camcorder that he aimed at us on the nearest table, and took both my hands, brushing his thumbs softly over my knuckles.
“You’ve had the worst month of your life,” he murmured. “And you still manage to walk through the world like you’re not breaking in half.”
I looked down, throat tight. “You don’t have to do—”
“I want to do all this. I want to be the one who holds you up when everything falls apart.”
He released my hands and slowly reached into his jacket pocket.
“When I asked your dad about this—”
Tears welled in my eyes. “You asked my Dad?”
“Of course I did.” And just like that, he was down on one knee. “He said to take care of you out here. And I plan to do that for a very long time.”
My breath caught.
The velvet box opened with a soft click. Inside was a ring, princess-cut with a golden band shaped like a stem. It was at least twenty carats.
Theo looked up at me with steady, quiet eyes.
“Carmen Reyes,” he said, voice low but unshaking.
