Page 102 of Forget Me Not

I end the call and do a happy dance, tapping my feet up and down on the floor. “I have cousins!”

“Well, yeah,” Alaric gloats. “I could have told you that. Marni and Axel Thorn. Pretty good kids. Got caught up in some weird shit a couple years ago, but they’re doing well. Married. Kids.”

I swat him playfully on the arm, my eyes wide. “You knew and you didn't tell me?”

“I haven’t had the chance and I figured it might be too soon to start talking about Grayson. But yeah, you’ve got living blood relatives.”

“Dex also mentioned something about Grayson’s estate and how Marni and Axelhave somehugenews to share with me.”

“It’s probably all yours,” Alaric says ever so casually with a shrug. How is he acting so nonchalant? This is insane.

“Well, if it is, then I have some big plans. The merger. The acquisition. We’re doing it.”

“Stop it,” Alaric sweeps his hand in the air. “First of all, that ship has sailed. Second, you don't even know for sure it’s yours.” He slides up to me, wrapping his arms around my waist with his hands resting on my ass. “Third, you don’t need that dirtbag's money. I plan to take care of you for the rest of your life.”

I rest my hands on his chest, peering up at him so he knows just how much this means to me. “I’ve never had anything that was mine, Alaric. After I finish my GED, I could do something great. Like open a women’s shelter, or a nonprofit that feeds the homeless.”

“The possibilities are endless.” He kisses me on the forehead. “And we’ve got a lot of time to think about it. Until then, we’re late for our reservation.”

“Shit. I completely forgot about that. I guess I just got too caught up in that call and everything Dex had to share.”

Grinning at me, he grabs my coat. “I know you’re excited, baby. And we’ll return to the subject. We’re late.” He kisses me on the forehead again and then grabs my purse off his dresser. Taking my hand, he walks me out of his room.

No man has ever carried my purse for me before, but Alaric has made it a habit. He also opens doors for me and runs my baths. He makes me feel like I’m the luckiest girl alive.

We walk out the front door and when Alaric keeps going, past his car, I tug on his hand. “Where are you going? Aren’t we late?”

“Just need to run into Taryn’s for a minute. Is that all right?” There’s a glint in his eyes; he’s up to something.

“You said we’re already late for our reservation. Can’t it wait?”

“No.” He shakes his head as he starts walking again. “Not really.”

I’m completely dumbfounded. Alaric has been acting strange all day, and now this. I side-eye him, trying to read his expression, but I get nothing.

We walk into Taryn’s and my tightly knitted eyebrows immediately jump to my forehead when I see the sight in front of us.

The space is completely empty, not a person in sight, and all the tables and chairs have been pushed to the wall. All but one. In the center of the room is a small table with a candle lit in the center, and on the floor surrounding it are hundreds of pressed forget-me-not petals.

I look to my left at Alaric, tears forming in the corners of my eyes. “You did this for me?”

He takes my hand and I can feel a slight tremble in his touch. Then again, it could be me shaking because I’m completely shocked right now.

Leading me to the table, he pulls out a chair and gestures for me to sit down. “What’s going on?” I ask, though I have an idea.

Alaric takes a deep breath and the second he drops to his knee, my hands fly to my mouth.

“Rhea,” he begins, a huge grin on his face. “Life hasn’t always been easy, and it’s not supposed to be. It won’t always be easy, but I promise to make it worth it. I can’t imagine a life without you in it. You’re the rainbow after a storm, and the sunshine after a cloudy day. I need you like I need air.”

Reaching into his jacket pocket, he plucks out a small velvet box I know too well. “Please allow me the honor of doing everything in my power to make you the happiest woman alive.”

Tears stream down my cheeks when he flips open the box. I gasp at the sight of the ring, though I’ve seen it before. “I’m going to try this again with the hope you’ll answer differently this time. Rhea Brooks, will you marry me?”

My head nods repeatedly as I shout out, “Yes!” I jump into his arms, nearly making us tumble to the floor as my arms wrap around him. “Yes, I will marry you.”

Alaric slides the ring on my finger, then grabs my waist and jerks me closer to him. “I love you more than you’ll ever know.”

“And I love you just as much, plus some.” It's the first time those words have passed my lips since my mother, but I mean them with a sincerity I don’t think I’ve ever felt. My mother did her best for me, but it was still a hard life for a child. Alaric fights for my heart every single day and giving it to him is as easy as breathing because I know he will protect it with his life.

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