Page 51 of Her Billionaire Hero
“Well, you didn’t expand on what you said either. I think that was because the cops came into the room and your father was there. Your ex was lying on the floor as well. It was a little crowded in there.” He gently pushed my hair away from my face. “It wasn’t the right time for that. You were much too vulnerable then. I wouldn’t have said yes anyway.”
“And you would’ve been right to turn me down. I did have a lot going on.” But I didn’t have tons going on now. “I’m tired of being alone, Baldwyn.”
“Me too.” He kissed my cheek. “But I want to be sure you’re okay. So, are you okay, Sloan?”
“I’m not perfect, but I don’t think I ever will be. Mostly because perfection isn’t real. We all have our scars. I’m not the only person in this world who has ever been dealt a shitty hand.” I didn’t know if I would ever be the same, but I did know that I wanted to be with Baldwyn. “I know we haven’t spent much time together in the last nine months. And I’m probably a little different than I was before. But I’d like it if you could get to know the new me. You might like her, and you might not.”
“I will like her,” he said with a grin as he took me by the chin. “Wanna know why that is?”
“I would love to know why that is.” My heart felt like it was blossoming inside my chest as he looked into my eyes.
“I love you, Sloan Manning. I love every part of you and every aspect of you. I want what’s best for you and I know that’s me. Your pain is mine. Your happiness is mine. We share more than you know.” His lips touched mine, just barely.
I felt the charge of electricity as it built between us. He had to genuinely love me, or he wouldn’t have waited around for me for so long. For the first time in a long time, I felt no fear. None at all.
Throwing my arms around him, I kissed him hard, needing to feel him in a way I hadn’t in way too long. He kissed me back. His hands moved to caress my back and I ran my hands over his bulging biceps.
Standing up, he carried me to the sofa, laying me down and then covering me with his body. I moaned, delighted by the way his weight felt on me. I wanted more. Wrenching my mouth away from his, I found my voice husky as I asked, “Wanna take me to bed?”
He looked at me for what seemed like forever. “No.” Moving off me, he left me feeling a little odd. I hadn’t expected that answer.
Putting my arm over my face, I tried to hide the blush that came over me, feeling embarrassed for rushing things. Of course he didn’t want to get right to having sex after we’d been on hiatus for nine months.God, I’m an idiot!
“I’m sorry, Baldwyn. I don’t know what’s gotten into me.”
I felt his hands run up the front of my legs, then over my stomach before taking my hands, pulling me to sit up. “No need to be sorry. I just want to do something before we do anything else.”
I’m sure he had questions before he let himself get vulnerable with me. “Do you want to know how my therapy has helped me?”
Shaking his head, he grinned. “No. I can see that’s it’s been doing you good. You look better and you seem to be having no trouble showing your emotions.”
“What else could it be?”
“There’s just this one question that I have.” He let go of my hands and shoved them into his pockets. He was on his knees in front of me.
“Just one, huh?” I thought I knew what it was. Since we’d been sort of separated, I doubted that he’d brought any condoms. I’d never told him about me not being able to get pregnant.Now might be the right time for that.
He moved around, getting on one knee as he pulled his hands out of his pockets. In the palm of his right hand was a little black box. My heart stopped, my mouth went dry as a cotton ball, and I felt like I might pass out.
Opening the lid, he showed me what was inside. An absolutely gorgeous solitary diamond ring. “Sloan Manning, I’ve never known love, not true love, until I met you. You’re the one and only woman for me. And I believe that I am the one and only man for you. I promise to cherish you, adore you, and love you for the rest of my life. Will you marry me?”
I did not expect this.
I put my hands over my mouth. My eyes went from his to the ring and they stayed there. He wanted to marry me. He wanted us to spend the rest of our lives together. Even though I was most likely hopelessly broken, he still loved me.
And I loved him all the more for it.
Chapter Twenty-Nine
Baldwyn
When you have four brothers, you can’t pick just one to be your best man. So, all my brothers stood with me at the altar as my best men. I couldn’t marry my true love without them being a part of our wedding.
“Man, it’s sort of scary up here,” Stone mumbled. “I can’t believe you’re not running away, Baldwyn. I’m having to fight myself not to run. Aren’t you afraid? I mean—this is it, bro. No more women for you. Just one. Sure, Sloan’s a great one—the best. But no more flirting. No more touching other women. You’ve gotta be scared.”
“Actually, I’ve never felt less afraid of anything. We’ve been through some tough stuff and through it all, my love for her has never faded even a little bit. This is right. I know it is.” I shifted my weight to the other foot, as we’d been standing there a good ten minutes.
Patton craned his neck to try to see farther down the aisle than possible. “The preacher said she was ready. What’s the hold up?”
