Chapter 49

49

A s soon as I get the text from Jack confirming that Charlie is home and settled, I feel some of the stress slide from my shoulders. Now that I'm not waiting by my phone, I take a shower, the scalding water washing away any remnants of worry. I know they'll take excellent care of Charlie and sweet little Summer. I have no doubt Charlie will call me if she needs a break from their fussing. I step out of the shower feeling like a new woman.

I wander down to the kitchen, rummaging through the fridge and then the cabinets, looking for something good to snack on. The house is dead silent, which means the guys must be working at Jack's. I could go over there and bug them, but I don't want to be a distraction when they're so close to finishing up. I plop down at the table, feeling oddly dejected. There was such a huge swell of emotion early in the day that it's making the afternoon seem dark and dreary in comparison. What I need is to get outside and get some exercise. I grab an apple from the bowl in the middle of the table and jog upstairs to grab a sweatshirt. Tying it around my waist, I head outside and down the path to the beach, mentally ticking off the things I need to check on before the ball next weekend. Now that I’ve been putting on these events for so many years, everything runs like a well-oiled machine. The only decision I had to make this year was the theme; this year, it was easy because I knew exactly who I wanted to dress up as.

I stop dead in my tracks as the cottage comes into view. The most delicious smell is wafting through the open windows, along with Post Malone's crooning voice. "Hello?" I call, poking my head through the door.

"There you are." Theo practically bounds out of the kitchen, enveloping me in a giant bear hug.

"What are you doing?" I ask, looking up at him. His hair is curling over his forehead from the humidity of the kitchen, making him look soft and boyish.

"I figured you wouldn't be in the mood to go out, so I'm making our dinner and then bending you over the back of that couch later."

Desire immediately tightens my stomach, warmth sliding through me like honey.

"Were you headed for a walk on the beach? I'll join you unless you'd like to be alone." He tucks a lock of hair behind my ear, tracing my jaw with the tip of his finger.

"I'll never choose to be alone over having your company, Theo."

"Good. Because I just put the roast in the oven, so I have a couple of hours before I need to do anything else."

"I'm sorry for the way I acted before," I blurt, needing to apologize and get some of this guilt off my chest. It's been weighing on me more every day. Especially now that I really know him. Yes, he's grumpy, but he's also the most loyal person I've ever met.

"Before? What do you mean?"

"When you guys first came to the house. And the weeks after that."

"Oh, you mean when Feisty Isla came out to play?" he asks, grinning.

I raise an eyebrow. "If that's what you want to call it."

"What would you call it? "

"Being a total bitch," I say honestly.

"You could never be a total bitch, Isla. You care too much about people."

"But I was, Theo. I was awful to you."

"Only because we ripped your life apart. Plus, I like that side of you," he admits, closing the door behind us. "You can knock a croissant out of my mouth anytime."

I do a horrible job of hiding my smile as we scramble down the path to the beach.

"There's no way you liked me back then."

"I assure you that I did. I had to rub one out in the shower that night just to get you off my mind for two seconds."

"You did not!"

"Did, too. Just talking about it is making me hot." He flattens my hand over the bulge in his pants, proving his point. "You're blushing," he says softly, pressing me against a rock and wedging his knee between my thighs. He nudges my chin up with his knuckle, holding my gaze. "I like every mood because it means I'm still by your side. And that's the only place I want to be.”

"Theo–"

"No. I mean it, Isla. You're it for me. There is no other woman on the face of this earth that could ever mean as much to me as you do. You give me purpose." He wipes a tear from my cheek, licking it off his thumb before capturing my lips with his. When we finally break away from each other, he presses his forehead to mine. "Marry me, Isla."

Shock rushes through my system, the world spinning around me as I struggle to remember to breathe. "We barely know each other," I protest, my voice raspy.

"That's a lie."

"It hasn't been long enough–"

"Says who?"

I stamp my foot, beyond frustrated. "This isn't the way I imagined my proposal, Theo. "

"You wanted a ring?" he asks, dropping to one knee and pulling a tiny box from his pocket.

Fuck. Suddenly, this is exactly how I wanted my proposal to be, with the ocean waves providing a soundtrack to one of the most important moments of my life.

"Isla MacLeod, you’re everything I never knew I needed. My best friend. My hope. My light. Please say you'll marry me so we can spend the rest of our lives annoying the shit out of each other."

"Yes, Theo." The words slip from my lips before I can even think about them because if there’s one thing know, I know I don't want a life without him in it. "A thousand times, yes." He opens the box and pushes the ring on so fast I don't get to look at it before he sweeps me into his arms, spinning me around and around.

"What do you think?" he asks the second my feet touch the sand.

"I haven't even seen it yet!" I laugh, holding my hand out and taking my first glimpse. It’s the most beautiful ring I've ever seen. A large starburst cut green pear-shaped sapphire is set in the middle, flanked by diamonds on a simple gold band.

"I knew the second I saw it that it was the one. I've never seen a stone the exact color of your eyes. It's made for you."

"It's beautiful, Theo." I want to say more, but I'm at a complete loss for words. It's perfect.

"I've been carrying that with me just in case the right moment presented itself."

"And this was the right moment?" I tease, pushing up on my tiptoes to press my lips to his.

"Every moment was the right one, Isla. I couldn't wait any longer. I needed to know we were forever. Come on." He tugs on my hand, pulling me toward the water.

'Where are we going?"

"We came down here for a walk."

"Walking is the last thing on my mind right now."

"Thank fuck," he groans, his shoulders sagging in relief. "Do you want to go back up to the cottage?"

I shake my head. "There's nobody down here, and there's a nice flat rock over there. But first, I want to skinny dip to commemorate the occasion." I drop my sweatshirt to the ground and pull my shirt over my head, the ring glinting in the sun, reminding me of the green flash at sunset. "Last one there has to do the dishes!" I yell, running backward toward the water as I unhook my bra, tossing it to the side. He's too busy watching my tits bounce to even try to catch up.