Page 165 of Torrid Love
“Rose petals?!”
I shake my head.
“No? They aren’t rose petals?” she asks. Confusion paints her beautiful face.
“It’s much more than that, baby. Four thousand four hundred and eighty-three white rose petals, to be precise.” They’re spread from here all the way to the helicopter. “It’s equivalent to the number of days we’ve been best friends—twelve years and one hundred days since I’ve loved you. And there are nine hundred and thirteen red ones—two and a half years since I fell in love with you.”
“What’s going on, Rod?”
I approach her. “I don’t want to leave LA with my girlfriend.”
“Huh? You don’t?”
Her eyelashes bat furiously.
“No. I want to leave LA with my fiancée.” I take a step back and drop to one knee.
Her hands fly to cover her mouth. “Oh, my God.” That comes out muffled. Tears fall freely and her whole body starts to tremble. “I don’t know what I did to deserve you, Rod Wolfe,” she sobs.
I reach out and pull her right hand into mine. “You got it the wrong way around, Dom. I’m the one who’s at a loss as to how come I’m the lucky guy who gets to love you, care for you and protect you.”
“Stop it! You’re going to make me cry.”
“I think we’re well past that,” I tease.
She responds with a vigorous nod.
“I can’t picture my life without you—”
“Neither can I.”
“But this dating thing is getting old.”
“Are you saying what I think you are?”
“Why do you think I’m on one knee?”
She cries a little harder.
“Right after our first night together, I remember telling Loki and Roark, I didn’t think it was a good idea to pursue things further because I thought you’d want more… and I didn’t know how to give more.” I pause. “You taught me how to love and how to be loved, Dom.” I pause again. “I never thought our love could fulfill me like this. Thank you.”
She looks down at me, bewildered. “I don’t even know how to respond to that, Wolfe.”
As if I’m done.
“The last two and a half years together have been the best of my life. Before we started being honest with each other, I always thought I had it all, but our first kiss made me realize I had nothing. I know I’ve said it before, but I’m nothing without you, Dom. You’re my everything,” I say before choking up. “I want to spend the rest of my life with you.”
“Oh, Rod,” she wails.
“And I want to have ridiculously beautiful babies with you. Lots of them. Lots, and lots, and lots of them.”
She laughs through her tears.
I let go of her hand, fish inside the pocket of my jacket and pull out a red box with gold filigree. I slowly open it.
She gasps, blinking even harder now.
“That’s breathtaking,” she marvels.
