Page 152 of Sing For Me

But I did like writing that music with Eva. Liked how we felt connected on a completely different level when we wrote together. And I liked playing with her tonight. Liked it way more than I had ever imagined I would.

So we’ll see. I’m trying to keep an open mind.

“I thought we were going home?” Eva asks when I pull up in front of the shop.

I chuckle. “You must be really in your head tonight. How did you not notice we were driving in the opposite direction from Malibu?”

She gives me a sheepish smile. “I think I was re-living the show. I forgot how much I love it, you know? Performing. It just does something to me.”

I lean across the seat to kiss her. “You do something to me,” I murmur, and she laughs, pushing at my chest.

“Did you forget something at the shop?”

A flood of nerves suddenly crash my system, way stronger than anything I felt going up on stage. “Yeah,” I manage to grit out, hoping Eva is still too moony about the show to notice how weird I’m being. I’m pretty sure all the blood has rushed straight out of my face. “Come in with me?”

“Sure,” she says, clearly not picking up on my sudden stress. I glance up at the shop as I walk around to open her door. The dark window shades are down, preventing me from seeing inside. I cross my fingers that my employees carried out my instructions.

“Are you cold?” Eva asks when I help her down from the truck. “Your hands are like ice.”

That makes sense, since I’m pretty sure I’m about to pass out. I give her a tight smile and pull her towards my shop. Then I drop the keys three times before I manage to open the front door. So far, this plan is going great.

But when I finally swing the door open, everything clicks into place. Lulu and whoever she’d forced into helping her had done exactly what I asked—more, maybe. The overhead lights are off, every surface of the shop covered in lit candles. Eva takes a step inside before she seems to realize that something is different.

“Will?” she whispers, staring around. “What…”

I swallow the huge lump in my throat and lean over to kiss the top of her head. “Just wanted to do something special,” I explain, voice husky. “To celebrate tonight.”

She looks up at me with wide eyes, the flickering candle light shining off her red hair. “This is so beautiful.”

I want to tell her that she’s way more beautiful than any scene I could ever create. But I’m staring down at her, standing in the exact spot where I’d first laid eyes on her, the knowledge of what’s about to happen heavy on my mind, and I can’t force a single word from my lips. Instead I kiss her softly, then take her hand again, leading her back to my station.

“This is where we met,” she says happily. I still can’t manage words, so I grab her by the hips and lift her up to sit on my table. “I was sitting right here, thinking how hot this grumpy, bearded tattoo guy looked.” She grins. “Happy memories.”

I sink onto my stool in front of her. I slip a hand into my pocket, feeling the comforting weight of the small box.Breathe, I tell myself.

“Will?” Eva’s looking at me with curious, happy eyes. “Are you going to tell me what we’re doing here?”

I nod. Swallow. Nod again.

Somehow, she still isn’t picking up on the magnitude of the moment. “Ooh, are you going to feed me? Do you have Ollie’s onion rings stashed in here somewhere?”

I choke out a laugh. I will be feeding her Ollie’s. But not yet.

“Oh, I know,” she says, smirking down at me. “You’ve been dying to put more of your ink on me, haven’t you?” I have, actually. I can’t begin to explain how much I love that my art is on her body, permanently. I’d love to put more of it there.

“Is that what this is about? Dazzle me with pretty candles and romance so I agree.” Her voice is disapproving, but her eyes are sparkling with amusement. “Will. Is this all a ploy to get me to agree to another tattoo?”

I finally find my voice, staring straight into her eyes. “Nah. It’s a ploy to get you to agree to marry me.”

She stills, the teasing amusement frozen on her face. “Will?” she whispers.

I take her hand in mine, the nerves dissipating as I look up at her. This is way too right to feel nervous about. “I knew you were dangerous the second I saw you standing in that lobby,” I tell her. “I knew you had the power to shake up my entire world.” I grin. “And that’s exactly what you did. You changed my world, Evangeline Lidell, in all the best ways.”

“Will,” she whispers again, tears gathering in her eyes.

“You returned so many things to me, things I didn’t even realize I was missing.” I think about how much has changed since she walked into my shop. “I was so unhappy before you, Eva. So fucking lonely. But then I saw you smile out in my lobby and everything changed.” I swallow, hard. “You brought laughter back into my life. Hope. Love.” My voice catches. “You gave me music again. You gave me myfamilyback.”

“Will—”