Page 20 of Emily's Escape

Derek cups my cheek with his hand and gazes at me for a long moment. Then he kisses me. It’s not a hard and desperate one, like he gave me after pulling me from the car. It’s sweet. Gentle. Treasuring. “Then we’ll order delivery from Carlotta’s,” he continues. “Eggplant parm and garlic twists and those Italian cookies you like. And when we’re so full we can barely move, we can binge that new series on Netflix.”

“The one about the LARPers whose story comes to life?”

“Yup.” He smiles. “Then I’ll carry you to bed.”

“For some sexy time?” I ask hopefully.

“You’re still recovering?—”

“From bruises,” I clarify. “Nothing serious. And sex is therapeutic, you know.”

One eyebrow arches up. “Therapeutic, you say?”

“Yes.” I kiss him back, nipping his lower lip just the way he likes. “It’s therapeutic. Good for stress and getting to sleep. If we’re supposed to be having a relaxing day, we really should.”

His lips twitch. “Far be it from me to argue with that.”

“I guess I’m emailing my boss, then,” I say. “I’m sure she’ll understand once I explain.”

“I’m sure she will.” As Derek looks at me, he takes my hand, turns it over, and strokes his thumb in small circles across my palm. “I really love you, Em. So much.”

“I love you, too,” I reply. “You kept me strong. Thinking about you, I mean. Wanting to be with you again. And I thoughtabout what you’d tell me to do. I imagined I could hear your voice in my ear. It made me feel less afraid.”

Emotion darkens his gaze.“Em.”

“I’m not telling you to make you feel bad. I guess I just… I wanted you to know you were with me. Even when you weren’t there physically. I could feel you just the same.”

His eyes close briefly. When they reopen, they’re shining. “I wasn’t giving up,” he says. “I would have done anything to get you back. I couldn’t bear to think—” He stops. Swallows hard. Then he leans over and reaches into the nightstand drawer.

Sitting back up straight, he shifts slightly, so he’s facing me. The depth of emotion in his gaze makes my nose prickle and my throat go thick. “I didn’t plan on this,” he adds, opening his hand to display a small velvet pouch inside. “I was going to wait. I had this idea of taking you on a weekend getaway to a romantic bed and breakfast and having champagne in a hot tub beneath the stars.”

My breath catches. “Champagne in a hot tub?”

He nods. “With rose petals floating on the water. And those fancy chocolates you like for after.”

“And what does that”—I angle my chin at the pouch—“have to do with it?”

“I thought I’d give it to you then,” he replies. Loosening the drawstring at the top, Derek tips the pouch over and a delicate ring falls onto his palm. As he holds it out to me, the light catches the facets of the diamond and sets rainbows spinning out from it. “But.”

I tear my gaze from the ring so I can look into his eyes.

There’s so much love within.

So much hope.

“But?” I ask. My heart races so quickly I’m lightheaded from it.

“But today…” He exhales a shaky breath. In all the time I’ve known Derek, I don’t think I’ve ever seen him this nervous. Glancing down at the ring, he says, “This was my grandmother’s ring. I got it from my mom last night. Because I knew I was going to ask. I just didn’t know when.”

“Your grandmother’s ring?”

“She and my grandfather were married for sixty years. And when she passed, she said she wanted me to have the ring. She said it would bring as much happiness as it brought to them.”

My heart is a puddle. Tears sting my eyes. “And you want?—”

“I don’t want to wait, Em. I just want to marry you. Maybe it’s selfish; not planning a whole romantic proposal, but after today… I can’t bear the thought of waiting another second.”

“It’s not selfish.” I lean in to kiss him, tasting the salt of my tears on my lips. “It’s perfect. Because… after today, I don’t want to wait, either.”