Page 106 of The Artist
When I opened my eyes, Mason was caressing my shoulder.
“Morning, beautiful.”
“Good morning.”
“Did you sleep well?”
Covering my mouth, I yawned before I answered, “Feels like I slept for a total of twenty minutes.”
As soon as I tried to move my body, my muscles protested and I winced.
“Are you sore?”
“Like I battled an army of demons.”
“You sort of did.” Mason stopped circling my shoulder and pulled his hand away. “Or at least you helped me tamemydemons. I promise to be gentler with you.”
Spying a bag of teeth cleaners on Mason’s nightstand, I stretched over him to grab one and put it in my mouth. The taste of spearmint spread as the rice-grain-sized cleaner worked its way around my mouth.
When I tried to roll back, Mason held on to me and turned me to lie on top of him. His warm breath on my face had the same minty scent.
“Belle, I meant what I said last night. I want to go to bed with you every night and wake up with you every morning. I want to watch the bump on your stomach grow with our child. And I want to make love to you as many times as you’ll let me.”
Leaning my forearms on his strong chest, I lifted my head and looked deep into his eyes. “And what happens after the baby is born and you get tired of me?”
“This isn’t Old Europe. We don’t have casual sex before moving on to the next. I’m talking about spending our lives together as husband and wife.” Mason cupped my face and looked deep into my eyes. “Please, Belle, it would mean everything to me if you became my wife. I would be so fucking proud.”
Emotions made my throat itch and moisture gathered in my eyes. “You’ll make me cry.”
“I’ll try not to. I’ll be good to you, Belle, I promise. This is all new to me, but I’ll give you permission to kick my shin if I’m being unreasonable.”
“No, I meant right now. You’re making me cry.” All my life, I’d been taught not to let emotions take over, but at that moment, twenty-four years of suppressed emotions came rushing out like a new avalanche threatening to bury me alive.
“What’s wrong?” Mason asked, but I couldn’t explain myself. I tried to roll down from his body, but he rolled with me, closed his arms, and held me tight. “Don’t go. Talk to me, love.”
His acceptance of my breakdown made me cling to him while I cried my eyes out.
“It’s okay, I’ve got you.”
I don’t know how long it took before my crying stopped, but Mason held me and soothed me the entire time.
“Breathe, sweetheart. Just breathe.”
When I could finally speak again, I dried away my tears and looked into his eyes. “Do you love me?”
His worried gaze softened. “Yes. I loved you long before I admitted it to myself. I see that now.”
“Mason.” I gathered all my strength and let my heart speak for me. “When I said that I didn’t want to marry you, that wasn’t true. What I meant was that I don’t want you to marry me out of a sense of obligation.”
“I’m not!” His eyes glowed with an earnest intensity. “I love you.”
“I love you too.” My voice broke. “And there’s nothing I want more than to be with you.”
Mason’s eyes widened. “You mean that?”
“Yes.”
He dipped his chin and stared at me with hope in his eyes. “So, you’ll marry me?”
