Ignite My Passion (The Vegas Men 3)

That’s something I’ve noticed about Nova since we’ve been together, she talks a lot more now than she used to. It’s almost like she’s shaking off the shackles of oppression that Jeremy left her with and her tongue is loosening with every passing moment. I like it, it helps me to see deeper into her soul, which is, of course, all that I really want.

Clara tells me that she used to always be this way, the chatty one, but that Jeremy took that from her. Knowing that I’m helping her to be herself is all I have ever wanted.

“Oh, just look at the Eifel Tower!” she gushes as it comes into sight, my senses all now heightened instead of dull. “It’s so… romantic, isn’t it? The way that it towers above the city is incredible. When it’s getting dark it looks even better. I cannot wait to get up there and see a view of this incredible place.”

I nod, unable to properly form my words. I’m anxious now, feeling nervous that this is all going to fail. It shouldn’t, I’ve planned it perfectly and paid for it, but I’m scared.

“Come on.” Nova pulls on my hand. “It’s time to go already.”

My heart thunders as we make our way to the building and continue to do so the further we go up the building. I go over and over the words that I’ve planned in my mind, just hoping and praying that they stick. I need them to come out right to make this just perfect.

“Oh my…” As we step out of the elevator, Nora gasps and claps her hands to her mouth. “What is all of this? Is it normal? It’s just so… beautiful.”

My lips finally curl up into a smile. The flowers are everywhere, covering this floor that I’ve booked out just for us to have our very own experience here. “No, this isn’t normal.”

“Then what is it?” She moves over to the edge to peer over at the view. I half feared that she might be afraid of heights, but after everything that Nova has been through in her life, I guess this isn’t scary at all. “Is it some kind of event or something? Because this is perfect timing.”

I don’t need to answer because at that moment, the brass band makes an appearance and they play a romantic French song that my mom recommended. I can’t remember the name of it right now, but I know that after today I won’t ever be able to forget it.

“Zane, what is going on? This is all just so… I don’t know, I don’t have any words.”

Finally, I pull out the ring box that has been weighing heavily in my pocket the moment I first put it in there and I prize it open to show her the princess cut diamond that I spent weeks agonizing over. After the shitty life that she’s had and the bad times that we’ve had, I want everything about this proposal to be perfect, and thankfully so far, it’s all going to plan.

I drop to one knee and enjoy the delighted moan to fly past her lips.

“Nova Curtis, you are everything to me,” I begin, already getting choked up. “And I mean, everything. From the very first moment you walked into my office, I knew there was something special about you, although I couldn’t quite put my finger on it at the time.”

She giggles, her cheeks stained a beautiful shade of pink. “Oh, wow.”

“And then things turned very quickly. We sped down the tracks at a time that everyone else would have considered wrong but was right for us. We fell into each other’s arms, literally, because the pull between us was too strong. Neither of us could ignore it.”

“That’s one way to put it!”

“And ever since then, I’ve continued to fall for you. Every single day. You always surprise me, everything you give me is incredible, and I find myself deeper in love every single day. Now, I want to show the world that, I want us to be together every single day. I want to be the best husband that I can be, making you happy all the time. I want you to be my wife.”

I give her an expectant look, noting the happy tear streaming down her cheek. “You have to actually ask me, you know. You can’t just tell me what you want!”

I adore her sass as well. Her sass means that she’s comfortable enough to give me her opinion and after having it st

uffed down for such a long time, this is what I need.

“Okay, sorry about that.” I breathe deep a couple more times to steady myself. “So, will you make me the happiest man alive and agree to be my wife?”

She makes me wait, I can see the glee in her face as she tortures me. I almost want to laugh but the fear continues to rage within me. I don’t think I’ll be able to relax until I hear the yes.

“I don’t have the best experience with marriage,” she tells me regretfully, which makes me even more fearful. “But I have a feeling that with you, just like everything else, it will be an adventure. So, of course, I will marry you. I can’t imagine anything better.”

I leap up and wrap my arms around her, holding her tightly to my chest. The anxiety transforms into a burning happiness.

“Oh, my God, you had me worried for a moment there,” I confess.

“Oh, come on! You always knew that I would say yes.”

“I didn’t actually. There are many reasons you might not have wanted to be my wife.”

“Well.” She presses her lips to mine, officially kissing me as my fiancée for the very first time. “I desperately want to marry you, so I guess you’re stuck.”

I slide the ring onto her finger, grinning like a madman. “There’s no place I’d rather be.”