Page 35 of Taking His Heart

“Are you doing this because your father wants it, or because you want it?” I ask CJ.

“Really, Dani? You’re going to stand there and question my devotion to you?” He raises a challenging brow.

“No.” I shake my head. I’ve never doubted that CJ loves me. But I do know how loyal he is to his father. And if his dad wanted him to marry someone for the family, then I have no doubt he’d do just that. “I just want to be sure that you’re not agreeing to marry me out of obligation to your father.”

CJ smirks. “I wouldn’t marry someone out of obligation, Daniella.”

“So, you actually want to marry me?”

“Is that a proposal?” he asks.

Shit, is it? I think it is.

“These doubts I have about myself, about a future, are not just going to go away, CJ. Clearly, I’m messed up. But if you want to, I want to.”

“Okay.” He nods his head.

“Okay?”

“Let’s get married,” he says.

“If we do this, I want to do it because it’s our idea, not our fathers’,” I tell him. “I want to go find a chapel and marry you. Just the two of us.”

“You don’t want anyone there?”

“As much as I love my family, and yours, marrying you isn’t about anyone but you and me. I want it to be just us. First. Then we can just have a ceremony later with all our family. I think if I have to go through the process of planning a big wedding, it’s going to fuck with my head, CJ. I’m not indecisive. I want to marry you. But I know how my mind works and I know I’ll get anxious about everything,” I try to explain.

“If you become my wife and you run again, Dani, I will chase you. I will find you and I’ll fucking lock you away in our house somewhere so you can’t run from me a third time.”

“I don’t want to run, CJ,” I tell him, because I don’t. “But, if at any time in the future you want to end this because you decide I’m not enough, I’ll understand.”

“Come on.” CJ takes hold of my hand and starts leading me out of the office.

“Where are we going?”

“To a chapel, before you change your mind. Again,” he says.

“You really want to marry me, huh?” I smile. I’m actually doing this, and for the first time in a really long time, I’m not scared. I’m sure that feeling will come later. But right now, I’m good.

“I’ve wanted to marry you for a really long fucking time. Despite how much of a pain in the ass you’ve been,” he says.

Hand in hand, CJ and I walk into the first small chapel we find. I thought I’d be nervous, but a calmness has come over me. Like I’ve finally made a decision that’s not full of regret.

I turn to look at CJ, and he smiles at me. This is the CJ I fell in love with years ago, the same man I’ve never stopped loving.

“Thank you,” I tell him.

“What are you thanking me for?”

“For being able to forgive me, for not giving up on me.”

“I will never be able to give up on you, Dani,” he says. Stopping at the tiny reception counter, CJ turns to look at the older woman. “We’d like to get married.”

“Well, you’ve come to the right spot.” She smiles. “I’m Eileen. This is our catalog for service selection.” She hands him a folder filled with different themed ceremonies.

“We don’t need a theme,” I tell her. “We just want to be married.”

“Okay, no frills then. Do you have rings or will you need them supplied?” Eileen asks.