38. Keke

Chapter 38

Keke

E verything was perfect—almost too perfect. The restaurant was dimly lit, with delicate glass lanterns casting a golden glow across white linen tablecloths. The sounds of hushed conversations and clinking wine glasses added to the atmosphere.

I glance around, my heart thrumming with a mix of excitement and nerves. This is the kind of place where moments that change lives are crafted. And tonight, I am certain that moment is happening for us.

If I have to have a public proposal, then so be it.

The past month has taught me a lot. About me, Luke, love, and the way hardship can bring people together. Between bouts of morning sickness and helping him with his rehab, it’s been tough. When he invited me out for a nice date to show his appreciation, I had a feeling I knew what was really up. And this time, I didn’t mind the idea of doing it in public.

Those hours at his hospital bedside taught me one thing—life is too damn short to worry about getting the perfect proposal or what social media and the headlines are saying about my guy. It seems odd to say so, but his concussion brought things into focus for me. I wasn’t hung up on perfection anymore. I was just so grateful that he was alive and he had come out of it relatively unscathed that a nerve-shredding public proposal seemed like icing on the cake.

Luke looks across the table at me, a slight smile tugging at his lips as he watches me take it all in. “Like it?”

“It’s beautiful,” I reply, buzzing with anticipation. I don’t want to overthink it, but I can’t ignore the signs. Tonight is the night, I’m sure of it.

After that terrifying night at the hospital, I let the walls around my heart crumble. I didn’t need them anymore. I knew I loved him. I loved him more than I’d ever thought possible, and I was ready to take that next step.

I watch him now from across the table, the thrill of what’s to come hitting me over and over, as I wait for him to pull out a ring and ask me to be his forever.

The appetizers arrive—oysters for him and duck wontons for me—and then nothing.

I make conversation but I’m distracted, waiting for every possible moment he might take to get down on one knee. But he doesn’t.

Okay, maybe he’s hungry.

Our salads and dinner arrive without any fanfare, just a normal dining experience.

Is he waiting for dessert?

As the evening goes on, I start to notice little things. Luke seems distracted. Every few minutes, he glances at his watch, his brow furrowing slightly. I try not to let it bother me, but with each glance, I feel my nerves spike.

By the time dessert arrives—a delicate orange soufflé dusted with powdered sugar—I am practically on edge. I look up, waiting for him to make a move, to pull out a ring or at least hint that he’s about to. But he just smiles, digging into his soufflé, oblivious to the mounting expectation swirling in my chest.

I force myself to smile, to enjoy the night, even as disappointment settles over me. Maybe he has something else planned. Wait—is it in my dessert?

I take small spoonful’s to make sure I don’t accidentally swallow my ring. But I dig and dig, finding nothing.

Maybe I’ve been reading too much into things. I’d already turned him down once. What if he never asks me again, too gun-shy to try? The fear gnaws at me. I’d finally gotten on board with the idea of marriage, and now, I could be left behind.

Maybe he has something planned at our next stop.

We walk along the quiet city streets, eventually arriving at the aquarium. I’d loved going there as a kid, but I hadn’t been in years. The lobby is nearly empty, the quiet of the evening creating an intimate atmosphere as we wander through the exhibits, watching vibrant fish and majestic sea turtles swim lazily through the water. It’s beautiful, romantic even, and yet, still nothing.

By the time we leave the aquarium, my patience is wearing thin.

He wants to take a walk through the park.

Seriously?

I smile and agree to the walk while what I really want to do is scream. The moonlight throws silver shadows on the path as the trees rustle in the night breeze.

Luke reaches for my hand, his thumb gently tracing circles on my skin, and my heart skips a beat, half-expecting him to stop, turn, and pop the question I’d been waiting for all night. But he just keeps walking, leading me along the winding paths, glancing at his watch every few minutes, a coy smile playing on his lips.

“Luke,” I finally say, unable to keep the impatience out of my voice. “What’s with the watch-checking?”

He grins, shrugging slightly. “Just keeping an eye on things.”

I narrow my eyes, trying to decipher what that means. “Are you meeting someone later? Am I keeping you from something?”

“Not at all. There’s no place I’d rather be.”

His words are reassuring, and the anxiety eases a bit, but the fear I’d missed my chance still nags in the back of my mind.

As we make our way back toward his condo, disappointment settles in my chest, reminding me of an old saying I heard when I was younger, “Money isn’t the root of all evil—desire is.” It isn’t the money itself that’s bad, but the desire for more that drives people to the brink.

I was getting close to that brink myself.

He isn’t going to risk another rejection and that’s completely my fault.

“What are you thinking?” he asks as he parks his car.

I can’t tell him. If I do and he proposes now, then I would never know if he did it because he wanted to, or because he felt pressured to. I want him to do it because he wants to propose.

I keep a phony smile on my face. “Nothing.”

He unclips his seatbelt. “Then let’s go home.”

His condo has become our home. But when the baby comes, we’ll need more room. I’ve been looking for a new condo for us while reading books, learning what the hell a pregnancy does to a woman’s body. It’s been one crazy thing after another—both the shopping and the pregnancy.

I follow him inside, still trying to make sense of what’s going on. As soon as we step into the living room, my heart stops and I freeze in place. My voice is hoarse as I ask, “What’s going on?”

The entire room is filled with candles, their warm light casting a glow across every surface. Fresh flowers are arranged in vases throughout, their petals vibrant among the candlelight.

The scene is breathtaking.

Luke turns to me as he takes my hand, guiding me further into the room. He reaches into his pocket, my breath catching as he pulls out a small, velvet box, holding it between us.

“Keke,” he begins, his voice low and steady, “I know I didn’t get it right the first time. I know I’ve been a mess, that I’ve made more mistakes than I can count. But I also know that I love you more than anything, that you’re the only person I want to share my life with. You’re my best friend, my partner, the one who makes me want to be better. You’re my person, and I can’t imagine my life without you.”

He drops to one knee, his eyes never leaving mine as he opens the box, revealing a beautiful, delicate ring that sparkles in the candlelight.

“Keke Graham,” he says, his voice heavy with emotion, “Will you marry me?”

Tears fill my eyes, and a lump forms in my throat as I look down at him. This man had fought his way into my life. He refused to let me push him away.

He’s shown me what it means to be loved.

Luke Smith is everything I never knew I wanted and so much more.

I nod enthusiastically, unable to speak as I blink back tears, indescribable emotions spreading through me. “Yes,” I whisper, “Yes, I will marry you.”

He beams as he slips the ring onto my finger. When he stands, he pulls me into his arms, his lips finding mine in a kiss that’s both tender and fierce, a promise of everything still ahead of us.

I am so glad I’m not showing yet because there’s no belly in my way as I jump into his arms and throw my legs around his waist as he catches me.

I knew he’ll always catch me.

I kiss him ravenously as he carries me to our bedroom, formerly his bedroom. I moved in when he came home from the hospital. I pull my dress over my head, not worrying about where it lands. He strips me naked quickly, and then we work him down to skin before falling into bed together.

He moves over me, kissing his way up my throat as hungrily as I go after him. “I need you.”

“You have me,” I whisper as I drag my nails up and down his back.

He groans when he enters me, and the pleasure of it sends my head digging into the pillows as I moan against his mouth. He buries himself deep then pauses, panting and staring until I meet his gaze. A faint smile spreads across his lips before he kisses me and plunges even deeper.

There is nothing in the world better than this, and it’s all mine.

Our bodies are intertwined, and somehow, I end up on top, riding him until I can’t hold back any longer. Ecstasy comes and goes when he clutches my hips and takes over, forcing my body back and forth on his length to make me come again. He cocks his hips up, jutting himself deep with every thrust. I cry out his name again and again, every time he makes me come helplessly on his cock.

When I’m too limp to sit up anymore, he holds me against his chest, and I listen to his heart beat as he keeps going. It’s too much—perfectly too much—and I tremble in his arms, craving the next thrust as much as I crave oxygen. I’m almost to my next orgasm when he comes hard enough to trigger it.

We become a tangle of limbs and whispered promises. It seems different this time, there’s a depth, a connection that goes beyond words, beyond anything I’ve ever known. As I feel every inch of him, I know that this is it—he is my person.

He brushes a strand of hair from my face, his eyes full of love as he looks down at me. I imagine him looking at me this way on our wedding day. “I was delaying our return home with that walk,” he says, a sly grin pulling at his lips, “So Whitney could set this up. I knew you wanted it to be private, something special.”

I giggle softly. “You talked to Whitney about this?”

“Of course I did. Well, not this part of the night, obviously, but the proposal part,” he jokes. “And I talked to your brother, too. I wanted to get it right this time. I want to get our entire life together right. I want to be the best husband I can be for you, and the best father I can be for our child.”

A fresh surge of emotion swells in my chest so intense it brings tears to my eyes, and I can’t blame my pregnancy hormones this time. He’d gone out of his way to make this moment special, to make it exactly what I’d wanted. He’d listened, making sure it was perfect.

I pull him close, tracing the lines of his face, his jaw, his lips, memorizing every detail as I kiss him again, slow and deep, feeling the weight of his words settle over me, filling me with a sense of peace I hadn’t known was possible.

“I love you so much,” I whisper, my voice barely audible. “And I’m ready. I want all of that, too.”

“With me?”

I laugh, and his serious expression cracks into a silly smile. It makes my heart skip a beat, and I know that this is what I’ve been waiting for my whole life.