Page 105 of Doc Showmance
“Amen,” I whispered. “Eggnog omelets…” We both shuddered as we recalled last year’s disaster.
Marino trudged down the hallway behind Bruno, rubbing his eyes.
The front door burst open. Ian pushed inside with several bags in each hand. “Looks like Marino’s getting a late start. Guess I’m on time.”
I rushed to him and jumped into his arms. He dropped the bags to catch me. “You made it.”
Pinot danced around him, barking.
Ian managed to keep a hold of me while giving the little dog a pet.
“Of course, I made it. The trip might’ve involved a private jet and me sucking up to my dad, but he was surprisingly aggreable when I called him for help. I think he only did it to impress you.” His husky chuckle breezed across my neck. “I missed you.” He whispered a couple of dirty promises before charting a course of kisses down my neck to my shoulder.
“Your father accepts me because I’ve become instrumental on a Congressional panel and am now a national figure speaking out for animal rights. And I passed my board exam to get a lot more letters behind my name.”
“Power impresses him. You laying down ground rules this Thanksgiving helped.”
“It’s important your family be a part of your life even if they have questionable values. Plus, I might’ve reamed his ass in the hallway when you weren’t there about his behavior toward you. Told him to clean up his act or I wasn’t letting you visit him again.”
Ian’s kisses spread goose bumps over my skin. The emotion in his eyes confirmed how much he loved me. He didn’t need to say it out loud. It was in the way his hands moved down my back and he kept staring at me.
A voice cleared behind us. Bruno clapped his hands. “Stockings and gifts, people. You can lock yourself in the bedroom and have your own magical Christmas later. Don’t ruin mine.”
“I have something for you,” Ian and I both said at the same time.
I awkward laughed. “Uh, you first, I guess.”
“Let’s do it at the same time.”
I ran to the sofa to get his stocking and handed it to him.
Ian dug through the bags to come up with a small gift bag. “Okay, on three. One. Two. Three.”
I thrust mine at him while he handed his to me.
I tore into the gift bag at the same time he excavated his unwrapped gift from the stocking.
Both of us held up jewelry boxes.
“You didn’t,” I said suspiciously. “I thought of it first. Open yours first.”
“What if mine is different from yours? What if we weren’t thinking of the same thing?” He jiggled his little box. “How about if you go first?”
“Yours can’t be as important as mine,” I said. “You first.”
“Mine is really important.”
“For fuck’s sake,” Bruno broke in. “Do rock, paper, scissors or something. One of you open up and get on with it.”
“Open it, Amber,” Ian said softly.
I popped the lid and stared at the diamond and emerald ring in the box. Tears blurred my eyes. “It’s beautiful.”
He got down on one knee. Flashes of that Valentine’s Day prank consumed me. “In front of all these people who’re our family with no camera in sight… Look at me, Amber.” He waited until I met his gaze. “This is real. You’re it for me. Marry me, Amber?”
I leaned forward and popped open his box to show him the wide platinum wedding band. “I had the idea first. Will you marryme?”
He stood up. “I’m certain I shopped for this a lot longer than you. And in far more countries. I started in September.”
