Page 39 of Masked Indulgence
I had to wonder what the man had up his sleeve. With him, I just didn’t know what he was upto.
A thought hit me, and I stopped.What if he’s bought me an expensivecar?
Trying to steady myself for the shock of that, I thought about how scared I’d be to drive something so expensive. I’d only ever had old pieces of barely held together crap. Could I pull off being excited instead ofafraid?
Moving on, I shook off the nerves and got to the top of the stairs. The rose petals went all the way down the stairs and on the floor at the very bottom, the entire floor was covered in a circularpattern.
It looked as if something was missing from that circle, and I had to wonder what that could be. Okay, maybe he hadn’t bought me a car. Maybe it was a really large gift, and he hadn’t gotten it inside yet to put itthere.
Should I go back and wait a few moreminutes?
As I stood there, thinking about what I should do, I noticed something else. Two suitcases were sitting by thedoor.
Now why in the world would those bethere?
Was he surprising me with a trip of somekind?
I had absolutely no clue what he was up to and had no idea if I should turn back to wait or not. I didn’t want to screw up his big surprise when he’d gone to so muchtrouble.
No one had ever done anything nearly as grand as all this. I looked over my shoulder, wondering if I should go back to the bedroom to grab my cell so I could take a picture. I wanted to remember this sceneforever.
Just as I turned around, I heard a noise—the sound of rustling met my ears and I turned to see what itwas.
Down on one knee and wearing a black tuxedo, Nix held out a box. The stone in the ring was so big, I could see it all the way from the top of thestairs.
His green eyes met mine as he gazed up at me. I took each step one at a time, slowly, so I could take him all in. The way he smiled up at me. The way his eyes sparkled. His clean-shaven face, bare of the beard I’d gotten so used to. The cute dimple that I could now see he only had in his leftcheek.
I could barely breathe. He was about to propose to me, and I knew damn good and well what my answer would be. Some people might think it was too fast, but I knew I loved the man and was positive there was no other one out there in the world for me. Nixon Slaughter wasit.
He waited so patiently for me to get to him. When I did, he finally spoke. “You look beyond beautiful,baby.”
I was close to crying, but I managed to say, “You too.” I ran my hands over my own cheeks. “Youshaved.”
He nodded. “Yeah, I wanted the pictures to benice.”
So he planned on taking some more pictures. The man would make sure we had something to remember all of our pivotal moments. He was perfect thatway.
Today would be the day we got engaged and celebrated our first Christmas. One day there would be a wedding. One day there would be the birth of ourchild.
“I’m sure they will be nice, Nix.” I smiled at him and loved the way his dark hair was so nicely combed, parted on one side, making him even morehandsome.
“I’d like to ask you a question,” he said. “Is that okay withyou?”
I nodded. “Yes.”
“Good, I’ve gotten my first yes, now I’ll shoot for more.” He chuckled, and his eyes shone with amusement. “Katana Grace Reeves.” He stopped and winked at me. “I snooped in your purse last night and found your driver’s license, that’s how I know your middlename.”
“I see.” I laughed lightly. “Please, goon.”
He cleared his throat before he moved on. “Katana Grace Reeves, I love you.” My heart pounded, and I felt the first tear break free. “I’ve been a fool for you since the night we met. A night I know neither of us will ever forget. I’m not asking you this just because you’re carrying our baby. I’m asking you this because I don’t want to think of a life that doesn’t have you in it—right by my side—until death do us part. And I mean that. So, I’m asking you if you love me too, and if you’ll become my wife. Today. In LasVegas.”
Today?
I swayed a bit, feeling like I’d been knocked back. Not only did he want to marry me, but he wanted to do it right now. My mouth went dry. My head spun. And my heart lurched in mychest.
Tears poured down like rain as my lips parted. “I love you, Nixon Slaughter. Nothing would make me happier than marrying youtoday.”
His smile got even wider as he stood up and slipped that huge diamond engagement ring onto my finger. “Thank you, baby. I promise you’ll never regret youranswer.”
