July 9th
Seven months later
Macayla
The mattress sagged, and I woke to fingertips sweeping my hair from my neck before his lips brushed just below my ear.
He’s back.
“Happy birthday, Rainbird,” he whispered, his arm snaking around my waist from behind and drawing me back against his chest.
I opened my eyes and turned my head to peer at him over my shoulder. “You remembered my birthday,” I teased.
He chuckled. “Smartass.”
I smiled at the rare sound and tucked it away inside me, so I’d always have it with me. “I didn’t think you’d make it back in time.” I linked our fingers.
He kissed down the side of my neck and I arched into him. “I promised I would.”
He had. He promised he’d never miss my birthday again. But when he’d texted from the airport yesterday, the plane had been grounded due to weather. I didn’t know where he’d been flying in from because Vic still kept that part of his life separate. I knew it was to protect us from that world, and I’d accepted it. I was okay with it. As long as he came home to me.
“Did you put on your red tights and fly, honey?”
He groaned, and in seconds had me flipped onto my back, my hands locked to the mattress above my head as he straddled me. “Fuck, I like when you call me honey.” He leaned forward, his mouth a breath away from mine and eyes burning with raw hunger.
I bit my lower lip as pixie-fairies twirled in my belly while lighting fireworks. “I missed you,” I said, my husky morning voice cracking.
There wasn’t a single second that I didn’t think of him. Miss him. Jackson was the stronger one whenever Vic left, and he’d had to a few times in the last seven months, but he always came back.
Vic’s lips brushed mine, and I moaned, lifting to try to kiss him, but he wouldn’t let me. “Vic, kiss me.”
His warm breath grazed my ear. “It’s your birthday. Need an answer, baby.”
Vic had been gone three weeks. He’d had to leave in the middle of the night, and as he promised, he’d woken me up to say goodbye. When I got up in the morning, there was a little black velvet box perched on his pillow.
My heart nearly exploded when I opened the box and saw the gold engagement ring. It wasn’t opulent and gawdy, it was simple, and it was beautiful and it was me. It was us.
It was an aquamarine and diamond infinity twist with sheet music engraved along the band. The noteheads were all tiny diamonds. Underneath the box was a note. “Your birthday, Rainbird. I need an answer.”
I’d kept it on my nightstand ever since, waiting for him to come back. I never tried it on, but I opened the box and looked at it a million times when he was gone. I’d wanted Vic to be the one to put it on me for the first time.
Vic shifted his weight to the side and locked my wrists in one hand. He trailed his fingers down the curve of my neck, between my breasts, and then to the seam of my yellow panties. “Baby, answer me.”
I sucked in air as his fingers slipped beneath the material. “Yes.”
“Yes, what?” he demanded, nipping the lobe of my ear while he teased my clit, slowly circling.
“Yes, I’ll be yours.” I shuddered under his fingers.
He growled low in his throat and shoved two fingers up inside me. “I want to hear you say it, baby. Or I’ll have to resort to my more convincing tactics.”
I laughed, but it was cut off with a sharp gasp as he withdrew his fingers and sank three up inside me.
I trembled. “Vic. God.”
His fingers stilled and my body arched, begging for more. “Promise you’ll be my wife, Rainbird.”
I stared into his eyes, loving every piece of him whether he’d give them all to me or not. It was enough. “Yes. I’ll marry you, Vic Gate.”