Page 33 of Protecting Her

“What?” she asked, her eyes only on the ring in the box.

“Will you marry me?” I felt a tight knot in my stomach grow when she looked into my eyes, hers filled with tears.

I felt that knot grow even more when she put her hands over her mouth and sobbed. Her eyes were on the rock in that box. A small diamond surrounded by an intricate gold lace that would suit her finger perfectly. Small, tasteful, just like Ember.

“Ember? Please?” I whispered as a knot had formed in my throat that I couldn’t speak around.

She sank down to her knees, onto cold pavement, and placed her right hand over my cheek. “I would love to be your wife, Kevin. Yes, I’ll marry you.”

The crowd, now a little bigger, went wild and I didn’t care. I pulled her back to me and kissed her with all the relief I felt inside.

When we finally stood up I didn’t want to take my eyes off of her, but there was a woman, a waitress if the apron around her waist was any indication, came up to Ember and hugged her.

“That him?” I heard her ask and wondered who she was to Ember.

“That’s him. Oh, that’s him.” Ember grinned and introduced us.

“Hi, Pam, great to meet you.”

“You too, Kevin. You have a special lady there. Take care of her from now on. And get her back to Tennessee; it’s too cold for her up here in the frozen north!” We all laughed at the last part, then we were sent on our way.

Ember gathered her bag, paid her bill, and we left the sidewalk where I’d proposed with a shiny new diamond on Ember’s finger. I couldn’t believe I’d found her, and I wondered if I was still asleep. I knew I wasn’t, but I had to wonder.

“I can’t believe I found you,” I said as we walked hand in hand in the direction of her apartment. She hadn’t done bad, if she’d already found an apartment and had herself set up.

“You know me too well, I guess.” She smiled up at me, and I kissed her on top of the head.

We went into the warm building, up the elevator, and she walked me into her apartment. It was clean, minimalist, and didn’t suit her at all. It was nice, for New York, but it wasn’t her kind of place. It was too cramped, with nowhere for her to hide.

“So can you tell me what happened?” I asked once we were on the couch, hot coffee on the table in reach. She sat down beside me, her feet tucked under her with her arm on the back of the couch.

“I got spooked, I guess.” Honest and direct, that was my Ember.

“What spooked you?” I knew, but I wanted her side of the story.

“This woman showed up, this beautiful, gorgeous woman who looked like she knew exactly which moisturizer to use at night and which to use in the morning. She had a picture of a kid. She said you’d talked her into a threesome and had then left her. Denied the baby was yours.”

“I did. I stood right in a courtroom and denied it,” I told her as I swept a lock of hair behind her ear.

“You did? How could you, Kevin? Fuck, that’s just, that’s so wrong.” She’d jumped up off the couch by then and had started to pace. “You should at least support him.”

“But he’s not mine, Ember. I’ve never met the woman. She’s got a mental illness and a fixation on me. I went to school with her brother years ago, and well, she’s not very healthy. I’m not sure how she ended up in Tennessee, but I’m sorry about that. None of what she said was true. I’d never do anything like that. If I had a child, I’d take care of it and be part of its life. I wouldn’t abandon it like that.” She paused, looked uncertain, then came back to sit with me.

“Really? She’s crazy?” She sighed and looked sad. “I knew there was something wrong with her when she came in; she frightened me, but then she calmed down.”

“She’s on a lot of medication, Ember. We can’t really be angry with her, but last year I told my side of the story. She’s not supposed to come anywhere near me. I guess the restraining order from England doesn’t work here, but if you want me to, I’ll get another one for here. Somehow.” I wasn’t sure how that would work, but I’d get our legal team on it, just in case.

“I guess that’s all then. I should have waited, but, well, you know me? If there’s a stupid choice and right choice, I always go for stupid.”

“No, Ember. You choose with your heart, not your head. That’s nothing to be ashamed of.” I took her hand and pulled her close. My body screamed at me to get her naked and to taste every inch of her flesh, but my mind said to take it slow. It wanted to just be with her and enjoy the feel of her warm and solid against me.

My phone buzzed, and I moved to pull it out of my coat pocket. I had to reach across the back of the couch to get the phone, so it stopped ringing by the time I’d pulled it out and opened the case. There was another missed call on the display.

“You called me?” I asked, not sure how I’d missed the call. I should have felt it vibrate, but maybe I’d been distracted.

“Yeah, I wanted to find out if I could come back. I hated myself for how I’d left it and decided that I’d made a mistake.”

“It’s alright now, Ember. We don’t ever have to be apart again, not like that anyway.” I pulled her into me and knew peace at last.