Page 79 of The Honest Affair

In the movie, of course, they were temporarily thwarted when the heroine got into a terrible accident at the bottom of the building. But the hero’s intention was clear. If she had managed to meet him up there, their real lives together, an eternity, would have started at the top of the New York institution.

Which meant…

This time, I really couldn’t breathe. I didn’t even want to think about what might be happening right now for fear that it wouldn’t.

“I was going to take you up there at dawn,” Matthew said as he took my hand in his. “Not at sunset like everyone else. But in the morning, when we could be alone and watch the sun rise over New York. And I was going to tell you that even if I couldn’t lay the world at your feet, I’d never stop trying. I was going to show you the city and promise you that one day, we’d make it ours again. We’d cover every damn inch of it with our love, Nina, not the shadows of our pasts.”

The raw vulnerability in those deep green eyes had me shaking. Was he…no, he wasn’t. He couldn’t. Matthew wouldn’t.

“Matthew,” I whispered. “What are you saying?”

A shy smile spread across his face like jam on toast. Perfect and impossibly sweet.

“I’m saying I don’t need a fancy building to show you I love you, doll. I don’t need to wait for the perfect moment, because every moment with you is perfect. For the last year, I’ve been living for those moments—every second I get with you.”

I melted toward him. “Oh, Matthew. I’ve lived for those moments too. I have.”

“But the thing is, living for the moment isn’t enough for me anymore. I want the next moments too. I want tomorrow, Nina. I want forever.”

I watched with awe as Matthew sank to one knee in the middle of the mess I’d made, the mess that somehow matched the two of us perfectly. I was in nothing but my undergarments, Matthew wore only his street clothes. All our pretenses stripped, the world around us in shambles. And yet, just beyond our window, the beauty of Florence glowed in the golden light of the future. And Matthew’s eyes still shone with pure, miraculous love. For me. For us.

“I know it won’t be easy,” he said solemnly. “I know we’ve got a hell of a fight ahead of us. I want to fight with you. I want to do everything with you and for the rest of our lives, Nina. All I want to do is show you how much I love you. And it starts here. It starts now.”

He held up his other hand and, with his thumb, opened a small blue velvet box, then turned it toward me.

I couldn’t breathe.

It was a ring. Nestled in its velvet slot, the white gold of an intricately filigreed band sparkled in the sun, curving around an exquisite cushion-cut diamond. Two carats, at least. Antique. It had to be. I couldn’t imagine how Matthew could afford something so precious, so unique otherwise.

Matthew’s voice was low, almost a whisper. But strong. Certain. “Will you marry me?”

“I…”

I could only stare at it. It was so beautiful. He was so beautiful.

And I didn’t deserve any of it.

“But, Matthew,” I said unable to keep the sudden tears at bay. “I’m still married. How could you want—how could you ever—”

He shot to his feet, tossing the ring to the mattress in order to grab my wrists and hold me steady. I pulled, but he wouldn’t let me go.

“Shh, shh,” he crooned. “It’s all right. It’s just a question. That’s all it is.”

I looked at the ring, gleaming in its box on the bed. That was much more than a simple question.

“And I didn’t say we’re going straight to a church.”

Matthew brushed a loose strand of hair away from my face. The simple gesture brought my focus back to him.

“It’s a promise, Nina. It’s simple. I want the future with you. I want forever with you. Do you want it with me too?”

I hiccupped. “I—It’s not that. I—Matthew, what will we do? How can you want to marry me when I’ve cost you so much? When I’m still tied to someone else?”

“Well, I know we can’t skip over to city hall when we get back, doll,” he said. “But it doesn’t mean the intent isn’t there. Nina, you have me. I don’t know how else to prove it to you. If this isn’t enough…” He shook his head, shoulders slumping with sadness and regret.

“It’s enough,” I said quickly, suddenly choked. “Oh, Matthew, it’s more than enough. Please believe me, it’s all I want.”

He looked up again, eyes reignited with hope. “Then I’m going to ask again, and I want a straight answer. Nina Evelyn Astor de Vries, when all this is over, one day, when you’re free like I know you will be, will you be my wife? Will you let me be your husband? Woman, will you please fucking marry me?”

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