*****
Elyssa blinked her eyes open, as Jaxon’s face came into focus. Beyond his head, the darkening sky tolled the setting sun. Where am I? The memory returned in an instant. They’d been kicked out of the movie, and then she’d passed out before she could properly tell him off. Could this day get any worse? What am I saying? Never tempt fate like that! She bolted upright, her head protesting the sudden movement.
“Are you okay?” His dreamy blue eyes were filled with concern. And his face was only a few inches away. Was he going to kiss her? She licked her lips, wishing she’d put on lip gloss, or at least some chap stick. She tore her eyes away from his inviting lips. I’m supposed to be mad at him, right? He helped her to her feet, and a wave of dizziness threatened to send her back to the ground. But Jaxon’s strong arms held her fast, crushing her against his firm chest.
The theatre doors burst open and folks came pouring outside. Mostly women. And some of them looked familiar. Oh no!
One well-heeled woman stopped, squaring off to face them, red-faced, with her hands on her hips. “I can’t believe you’re still here. You ruined the movie for all of us.”
Her friend pulled on her arm. “Come on, Molly. Don’t make a scene. It’s not like you haven’t already seen this movie ten times.”
But more women stopped to view the commotion, and several seemed to recognize her and Jaxon as the source of the disturbance during the movie. Molly, evidently encouraged by her growing audience, renewed her verbal assault.
“And the theatre wouldn’t give us our money back, even though you made us all miss the most romantic scene in the movie.” Murmurs of agreement rippled through the estrogenic group.
Jaxon waved his hands, catching the attention of the small mob of women. “I’m sorry to have ruined your movie, but it was a matter of life and death.”
“Yeah, right!” Molly didn’t seem any more convinced than the other women in the crowd.
“No, I’m telling the truth.” Jaxon raised his voice over their protests. “You see… I can’t live without this woman in my life, but I can’t seem to convince her to give me a chance. And if she won’t have me…” He paused, letting his voice drop. “I’m quite certain my heart will stop beating.”
“If you don’t want him, I’ll take him,” called a voice from the back, eliciting a chorus of chuckles.
Elyssa wanted to crawl into a hole and hide. But she had to defend herself. “That’s not how it happened,” she called out. “This man tricked me. He let me spill my guts and tell him I liked him while he was pretending to be asleep on laughing gas at the dentist’s office.”
“Ooooo!” “That’s pretty low!” “Yeah!”
Jaxon stepped in front of her. “I did that—I admit it. I shouldn’t have done it. But hear me out.” He pushed his hands through his thick, dark hair the way he seemed to do when he was frustrated. Unfortunately, his mussed hair was oh-so attractive, and the movement made his muscles ripple under his shirt. Elyssa heard a couple of hungry sighs, and she could tell he was gaining their sympathy along with their attention. “I only pretended to be asleep because I was embarrassed. I’m afraid of the dentist, and I didn’t want her to know.” He turned, and his piercing gaze pinned her in place. “I didn’t want you to think less of me for being phobic. And that’s the truth.”
“Awwww.” “That’s sweet.” “If you don’t want him, I’ll take him!”
“But how can I ever trust you? You’ve given me so many mixed signals.”
“I know. I know I screwed up. But that night when you almost died, I realized how empty my life would be without you. And when the doctor said I couldn’t see you if I wasn’t family, I told him we were engaged. It just came out of my mouth before I thought about it. Then I had to pretend we really were engaged.”
“You see—another lie. You’ll say anything to get what you want.”
Jaxon took her hands in his, lifting her fingers to his lips. “And then… then I started wishing it was really true. That you really were my fiancée.”
“I… I don’t believe you. You must want something.” Elyssa took a step back, but he followed.
“I do. I want something. I want you. With me. For the rest of your life.”
Elyssa swallowed hard. There could be no mistake this time. His words were succinct. His intent was terrifying. Is he really asking me to marry him?
The throng surrounding them fell silent, as if holding their collective breaths.
“Why?” she squeaked. “Why would you want… you know… to be with me?”
“Why do I want to marry you?”
A gasp echoed from the back of the crowd. Or did I make that noise?
His hands rose to cup her face, and he moved within inches of her lips.
“Because I love you. Every bit of your stubborn, independent, competitive, argumentative, supportive, creative, loyal, kind, caring being. I love you from head to toe. Inside and out.”
“How romantic!” “It’s better than the movie!” “If you don’t want him, I’ll take him!”