Chapter 5

My heart pounds against my chest the longer it takes for Rosie to say anything.

Fucking hell.

When she walked in, I was so fucking excited to see her, but I could tell something was off. She’d never been so… jumpy around me before, and yet here she was running away from me every chance she got.

My chest starts to pound as I follow her across the room, trying to figure out what had her acting so weird, until it clicked.

She knew I was going to propose.

Her lips part, and she continues looking at me with those bright blue eyes I fell head over heels for years ago, but she doesn’t say anything.

“Rosie,” I say, reaching out to lift her chin with my thumb. “You know, don’t you?”

She starts to shake her head, ready to deny it, but as her eyes meet mine, she relents and her shoulders slump as her head moves in a subtle nod. “I know,” she confirms.

Honestly, it kind of sucks that she found it before I was able to propose to her as a surprise, but I’ve got to say, I definitely prefer this situation over the thought of her pulling away from me for another reason .

It’s been nine years with this girl. Nine fucking years of hearing her sweet, soft voice tell me she loves me, and still thinking she’s way too fucking good for me, and that one day, she’ll realize that, and walk right out of my life for good.

Which is why the thought of finally slipping a ring on her finger brings me an ease I can’t quite explain. The idea of her being my wife, and being attached to me makes my stomach flutter like crazy.

I can’t believe there was ever a time when I thought I’d be alone, or couldn’t love anyone. Loving Rosalie is the easiest thing I have ever done in my life, and the best thing I’ve ever had the luxury of doing.

“How do you know?” I ask her, my brows dipping. “Did Gabi tell you?”

My angel bites her lip, her fair skin blushing, and for a second, my eyes drift down to that plump bottom lip pinned between her teeth, and I want to replace it with mine, kiss the daylights out of her. But I quickly shake the thought when I hear her sigh. “Well…”

“She did, didn’t she?” Letting out a harsh breath, I run a hand through my hair, and groan. “I fucking knew she couldn’t keep a secret. I swear to god, I’m going to—”

“No.” My beautiful angel reaches out, grabbing onto my hands. I stare down at her gorgeous face, my shoulders relaxing when I meet her eyes. “She just confirmed it, but I found the ring before that. I found it this morning.”

“This morning?” I repeat, my brows knitting together. “When? Where? ”

“You uh…” She smirks, and the tension in my shoulders ease. I love when she smiles. “You left it in the bathroom drawer.”

A light scoff escapes me. “I guess it wasn’t the best hiding spot.”

“Not really,” she says, scrunching her nose, before her arms wrap around my waist, and she tips her head back to look up at me.

I fucking love how she fits against me so fucking perfectly. “And?” I ask her with a smile on my face as I look down at her angelic features. “What did you think?”

The pink hue returns to her cheeks, and her eyes sparkle as a smile breaks out on her face. “It’s beautiful,” she says. “It’s exactly the one I wanted.”

“I know,” I confirm with a laugh, wrapping my arms around her slender waist before lowering my hands to her ass and hoist her up, her legs wrapping around me. “I didn’t stalk your Pinterest for nothing.”

A laugh leaves her lips and it makes my chest crack open. “How did you even know where to look?”

My lip twitch as I hold the one thing that brings me an indescribable amount of joy in this world. “I might fuck up sometimes, but when it comes to you, I’m not taking any chances. I had to make this perfect for you. I needed to know your dream ring, dress, venue… everything.” Her eyes turn glassy, and my heart feels like it’s about to break. I was such an idiot for ever doubting love could exist, because this right here, with her eyes on me, and my arms around her makes my chest pound so hard I feel like I’m going to die if I don’t kiss her soon. “But it looks like I fucked up already,” I admit, grinding my teeth together. “I should have hidden it better, or not confided in Gabi or—”

“No,” Rosie interrupts, shaking her head as her soft hand cupping my face. I barely have time to smile before she leans in and presses her lips against mine in a soft, sweet kiss. Just like my angel. “You did everything right. You could never mess up.”

A groan escapes my throat. “God, I can’t fucking wait to marry you.”

Her eyes widen, and her pretty pink lips part. “Is this—”

“No,” I confirm with a laugh. “I’m not proposing right now. Partly because Gabi already threatened to cut my balls off if I stole her thunder,” I start, smiling when her soft laugh makes my skin tingle. I swear she cast a spell on me with that laugh. It’s the sweetest sound I’ve ever heard. “And partly because, we both know you deserve a million times better than a random proposal in a hotel at someone else’s wedding,” I tell her, arching a brow.

“How long until then?” my sweet angel asks with a grin on her face.

I can’t help but laugh. I love how happy she is, how she can’t wait, and the feeling is fucking mutual. “Not long,” I promise her, loving when her grin widens. “But you’ll still have to wait a bit. I want it to be a surprise.”

I’ve pictured asking her to marry me for so fucking long I almost have the exact image memorized.

There’s going to be flowers, hundreds, thousands of flowers, each one reminding me of her. And I can’t fucking wait to make every one of her dreams come true.

“But it’s coming,” I promise her, dropping my forehead onto hers. “It’s fucking coming, angel, and when it does, I can’t wait to hear that yes.”

“Yes,” my girl says, eagerly.

A laugh escapes me, and I shake my head, pulling back. “Not yet,” I tell her. “But I bet I could make you say yes in another way.”

Her eyes light up with arousal, and I dive in, capturing her lips with mine.