Page 234 of Torrid Passion
A crowd of curious passersby has formed around us. People are pulling out their phones, capturing our special moment. Hayden, Stella and her brothers have already stepped into their roles of videographer.
“You can’t faint. Not now,” I tease.
“Yes, I can,” she argues.
“I love you,” I tell her.
“I love you too, but I’m confused.”
“What are you confused about, gorgeous?”
Her eyebrows knit together. “This trip had nothing to do with the fashion shows?”
“Not really.” I lean in and drop a soft kiss against her lips.
“Okay.”
“This spot is the beginning of our love story—”
“Stop it. Stop it right now, Lochlan Berkshire,” she cries.
“You don’t want me to continue?”
“This is too much,” she cries a little harder.
“Now you’re the one confusing me, gorgeous,” I chuckle.
“You’re making me cry,” she wails.
“Happy tears?”
“Oh, my God, Loki.”
I untangle my hands from hers and run my fingers under her eyes, wiping her tears away. Mom hands me a tissue. It doesn’t help much. Kyla’s makeup is a bit of a mess, but she’s still the most beautiful girl in the world.
“I can’t stop crying,” she laments.
“It’s okay, baby,” I console.
Mom is crying her eyes out as well.
Kyla’s mom is as emotional. So are her grandmothers. Even women in the crowd are crying.
“We’ve been living together for three years and it took me three years before that to go after what I wanted,” I say. “A little over six years ago, we were standing here on my last day in Paris. This is the spot I had to choose for this…” I take a step back and drop to one knee.
My father parts the crowd and hands me a small red box.
I’ll be honest, I’ve been a little nervous. I didn’t trust myself, so I asked him to guard my girl’s ring with his life.
“Thank you,” I say.
“You make me proud, son,” Dad says.
The crowd gasps and starts clapping.
“Mon Dieu!”
“C’est magnifique!”
