Page 77 of Unraveled

“I just… I really like you. I know I already said that, but I mean it. I know you care about me, and I… care about you. I feel closer to you than I’ve ever felt with anyone else, like you just… get me.”

“I like to think so,” he murmured, his hands tightening on her waist.

“So, um… I hope you don’t mind me using your closet,” she said, indicating it with a jerk of her head.

His eyes narrowed at the abrupt change of topic. “It’s yours as long as you want it.”

She peered up at him. “I bought something today.”

For some reason, it seemed important to her that he know this. “Glad your shopping trip was beneficial.”

“I bought a dress.”

Not quite following, he started to nod, then froze as the implication sank in. She had spent her day at a bridal salon.

“A white dress,” she clarified, still watching him closely.

“Oh?”

Not the most intelligent response, but he couldn’t come up with anything else at the moment. He wanted to ask her exactly what that meant, what she wanted, but he let her lead the conversation, gradually taking him wherever she wanted to go.

“I just… I wanted to tell you that I…” Her voice cracked, and she licked her lips before she continued. “You told me you loved me.”

Her gaze darted back to his, and he nodded slightly but stayed silent. “I didn’t say it back to you then, but I should have.”

He opened his mouth to speak, but she stopped him with a brief shake of her head. “I was scared—afraid of putting myself out there again and getting my heart broken. I think I’ve known for a while, but I wasn’t ready to admit it. But I don’t want to spend another day without telling you how I feel,” she whispered shakily. “I don’t want to spend another day without you.”

He admired her so much for being brave enough to trust him with her heart. “You’ll never have to,” he promised as he cupped her beautiful face in his hands. “I will never hurt you, and I’ll never leave you.”

She stared up at him, her teeth cutting into her lower lip, looking vulnerable. “I love you.”

His heart swelled at the softly whispered words, and he pressed his forehead to hers. “I love you, Audrey.”

Her lips were soft and sweet beneath his as he dipped his head and their mouths came together. Her lips parted on a sigh, and he curled his tongue over hers, stroking and tasting. Before he was ready, he forced himself to pull back.

“You said you bought a dress?”

Her cheeks flushed pink with embarrassment. “I know it sounds crazy and impulsive, but… yeah. I did.”

“Good.” He gave a single nod, then grabbed her hand and hauled her across the room toward his dresser. He dug inside for a moment as he spoke. “Then it’ll go perfectly with… this.”

He held up a small blue box, and her eyes widened, her free hand coming up to her mouth. “Are you… Is that…?”

He released her hand just long enough to open it, revealing the diamond inside. “I told you I was serious. I knew you were the only one I wanted.” He dropped to one knee and gestured between them. “I just want you to know, this is not at all how I pictured this happening in my head.”

A huge smile exploded over her face. “It’s perfect.”

He pulled the ring from the box and grabbed her left hand. “Audrey Stanton, would you do me the honor of being my wife and spending the rest of your life with me?”

“Yes!”

Her hand trembled in his as he slipped the ring on her third finger, then rose to his feet and pulled her in close. “I love you so much.”

“I love you, too.” She stretched up to kiss him before pulling back and admiring the diamond that sparkled in the light. “I can’t believe this. It’s so… wow.”

“I had a really awesome proposal planned,” he complained good-naturedly. “Now you’ll have to tell everyone I proposed in the middle of the afternoon in our bedroom.”

Her eyes turned dark with desire, and her teeth raked over her lower lip as she planted her hands on his chest and pushed him toward the bed. “Let me make it up to you—in our bed.”