Page 29 of Glorious Ruin
Down on one knee in the damp sand, with the golden light of the Caribbean sunrise glistening off the black tungsten band, I held my breath.
Silas froze.
Every inch of his body went completely rigid as the towel slipped from his grip, falling onto the sand. Wide brown eyes flicked from the ring, up to my face, and back down. His lips parted, but no sound came out, and I swear he stopped breathing entirely.
As I looked up at him, every single wall, every defense, every cynical piece of armor I had ever worn, fell away.
“I was a kid running from a nightmare, who never thought he was worth a damn thing. I never thought I was worth the family that took me in, and I definitely know I’m not worth a man like you. I’m terrified every single day you’ll wake up and realize you’re way out of my league.”
Silas let out a shattered gasp, his hands flying up to cover his mouth as tears spilled over his dark lashes.
“I told Evan I wasn't leaving this island as your boyfriend,” I continued, the tears burning in my own eyes. “We lost seven years of our lives to the dark. Seven years of surviving alone, because we were too terrified of what the world would do if we actually let ourselves be together. But I’m done. I’m not staying in the shadows anymore.
“I want mornings on your grandfather’s old porch while we watch the sunrise. I want to make you coffee every single day and then give you absolute hell for drinking too much of it. I want the loud, public life we were supposed to have, and I’m done giving a fuck who sees it.”
A sob tore its way out of Silas’s throat, and his shoulders shook uncontrollably.
“You’re the only living thing I have ever truly loved,” I vowed, holding the ring up between us on the empty beach. “Youare my legacy. So, I’m asking you right now, in the open daylight, where I’m praying you’ll stay with me. Silas Scott Reed… Marry me?”
Time stretched, with the only sound on the island coming from the ocean. Like the entirety of San Juan was holding its breath with me.
And then, Silas collapsed.
With a slosh of the wet sand, he dropped directly to his knees and crashed into me so hard we almost tipped over. His massive arms wrapped around my neck, pulling my head to his chest as he sobbed and buried his nose in my hair.
“Yes!” he cried, “God, yes. Cal, of course I will.”
I let out the breath I felt like I had been holding for a decade and wrapped my free arm tightly around his waist. We stayed with our knees in the sand, holding onto each other like we were drowning, until Silas finally pulled back enough to look at my face.
His eyes were rimmed red, and his cheeks tear-stained, but he was grinning so hard it looked like it hurt. He looked down at the box I still gripped tightly and let out a watery giggle, wiping his face with the back of his hand.
“So…” Silas sniffled, a breathless laugh escaping him. “Do I wear the ring like a chick would, or what?”
I let out a loud, watery laugh of my own, my chest lighter than it had been in thirty-one years. “Fuck yeah, you do.”
Silas beamed. “Well, put it on my finger, then.”
I pulled the black tungsten band from the velvet and grabbed his left hand. My fingers shook so badly I barely managed to get it over his knuckle. But the second it slid into place at the base of his ring finger, it looked like it had always belonged there.
Silas stared down at his hand and touched the metal adoringly, before letting out another choked, disbelieving laugh. He looked up at me, a mixture of raw overwhelming emotion on his face.
“You asshole,” Silas whispered playfully, tears spilling over his cheeks again. “I was going to propose to you.”
“I know.” A slow, snide, incredibly-possessive smirk spread across my face.
Silas blinked. “What?”
“Evan spilled his guts to me. I know you’ve had a ring for months. I know you were trying to find the perfect time to do it when we got back to the Reed Land. Don’t worry, you’re still proposing to me. I want to see if you can top mine.”
Silas rolled his eyes, a devastatingly beautiful, deeply in-love smile lighting up his entire face. “Under one condition.”
“Name it.”
“You wear your ring too,” he said in a demanding tone as he grabbed the front of my shirt. “Even in the locker room. I want everyone to see it.”
“Absolutely,” I agreed without a single second of hesitation.
“Then you’re on.”
