Now that I truly believed we were in it for the long-haul, and building a real partnership, I could relax. I knew that he would listen to me in the end, and that made his stern pushiness adorable instead of claustrophobic.
For the first time in my life, I genuinely knew in my bones that everything was going to be fine.
After a makeshift dinner of leftovers, with a dessert of corn chips and guacamole, we crawled into bed to stretch out and snuggle some more.
“Which side of the bed do you prefer?” Taylor asked. “Last night you took the left, but I forgot to ask.”
“I’ve never slept in a bed big enough to have two sides,” I laughed.
“Well, do you like waking up with the sun in your face, or would you rather be closer to the washroom? I really don’t have a preference.”
I love that he was so set in his ways about some things, but was so eager to hear every detail about me and willing to adjust. “How about I sleep on the window side for a week, then we’ll switch?”
He switched sides by carefully rolling over me like a steamroller, making us both laugh. Then he dug into the drawer of the bedside table, pulling out some brochures.
“Whenever you get a minute, you can choose the color for your new car,” he said with a grin. “Any color you like, as long as it doesn’t induce highway racing, or blend with the concrete.”
“I still don’t know whether I can accept a car as a gift,” I said, shaking my head.
“Oh no, it’s not for you,” he said, wrapping an arm around me. “It’s purely so that I know you’re safe. I don’t want you taking the bus, or being stranded somewhere. Knowing that you have a reliable car is purely for my own benefit.”
Although his logic was a bit faulty, I decided to let it slide for a moment. Then I looked at the other brochure and gasped. “It’s…what’s this for?”
Taylor simply shrugged while I stared at the glossy brochure of diamond ring styles.
“I don’t know a damn thing about jewelry. You’re going to have to figure out what you want. Take a week or two, then we’ll go get your finger sized and everything so it’s perfect.”
“I don’t…I mean, I can’t–”
Taylor silenced me with a long, slow kiss, then smiled gently. “Sugar, I think in terms of security, remember? I anticipate the moves of bad men. I want a great big ring on your finger so that nobody could possibly think that you were available. But mostly, I want both of us to look down at your hand and think about us being a couple as often as possible.”
“I want that too.”
He grinned almost wickedly. “I love knowing that you’re going to say yes.”
“If you keep me in the loop and always ask the right questions, sure.”
As his strong arm wrapped around me and cuddled my body against him, I felt utterly content. My entire life had changed in the span of a few days. A future husband, a safe home, and the security of knowing I had someone to rely on.
“Sweet dreams, sugar,” Taylor murmured with his lips against my hair.
“You’re the dream I didn’t even know I had,” I whispered, leaning forward to kiss the circle tattoo on his chest.
“Mmm,” he murmured as he rocked me for a moment, then grew still.
The comfort in being quiet with someone, and knowing that he was sharing everything important with me, made a single tear slip from my eye.
/> For the first time, I had nothing at all to be anxious about. I didn’t even care if we won the contest. I’d won an incredible man, and a wonderful new life.
Epilogue One
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Alice
* Three Weeks Later *
I’d never been in a business meeting in my entire life. Countless job interviews, and meetings with professors, but never an occasion where real money was on the line.