Big blossoms of color lit up the stadium followed by thunderous booms. Emma gasped with delight and stood from her chair, pushing her nose into the glass and watching the sky. Blue, gold, green, purple, and streaks of silver all sparkled against the dark night.
But there was more. Two red streaks flew across the sky and exploded into heart shapes. A third heart appeared, followed by what was clearly the letters J and E written in fireworks. Then the letter W and more hearts.
Emma turned and looked back at Jackson. He was grinning at her, obviously enjoying her childlike delight at the fireworks.
“Did you have them do that?” Emma asked, turning back to watch the colors lighting the sky. She’d never seen fireworks this good, even on the Fourth of July.
Jackson came and stood beside her at the window, putting his arm around her and looking up at the night sky as color blossomed and bloomed.
“I thought you would like it,” he said softly.
She turned to see the colors glimmering in his green eyes. He made her knees turn to jelly and her stomach heat. For a moment, she forgot everything. There was nothing in the world that could be more beautiful than the way he looked at her. Not even fireworks.
The fireworks came to an end with a brilliant display of light. Hearts made of red and blue filled the sky once again, and the thunder of the fireworks deafened everything. The crowd cheered, chanting “Weathers” throughout the stadium.
For a moment, Emma let herself believe that this was real. That he’d done the fireworks and the proposal simply for her, and not for the publicity it would bring his company. Deep down, she knew this was all a show, but she wanted it to be real.
She looked over at the handsome man beside her.
Even if this was all pretend, even if she’d lost her heart to someone who didn’t return her feelings, this was a pretty amazing way to live.
Chapter 22
Emma
* * *
“Did I surprise you?” Jackson asked. He reached over and took her hand, checking to make sure the ring fit her finger as they walked down the empty corridor toward their private entrance. It was strange not having to fight the crowds.
“Yes,” she told him with a grin. “I didn’t see it coming at all. You did good.”
He smiled, pleased with his success. He held her hand as they walked out of the stadium and directly into the limo. It took Emma a moment to realize just how quickly they’d gotten out of the stadium.
Private parking at the stadium certainly had its perks. Emma was used to waiting for the stadium to clear, waiting in the aisles as everyone filed out of the stands and tried to remember where they parked. It usually took at least thirty minutes to get out of the parking lot due to the sheer volume of people.
Because of Jackson, they were out of the stadium and on the highway in less than ten minutes. Emma didn’t even know that was possible until tonight. There were a lot of things she didn’t know money could buy, but she was finding out.
Emma looked down at the sparkly gem on her finger. It looked out of place on her regular hand. This was something that was meant for a princess or a movie star. She was just a normal girl.
“It looks good on you,” Jackson told her. “I rather like knowing that you’re mine.”
A hot flush traveled through her and she looked at the rock a little differently. This was a sign that she was Jackson’s. She liked knowing that he wanted her. That he had picked this out to mark her as his partner.
She leaned over and kissed him. She’d meant the kiss to be small and chaste. Just a peck on the lips. But he caught her head in his hands and pressed her to him. Her mouth opened for more of him and he happily obliged.
When she pulled away, she was panting and the heat in her core was growing. She licked her lips and grinned.
“I believe you promised me something,” she told him.
He frowned slightly. “And that was?”
She leaned over, putting her mouth next to his ear and whispered. “Sex in a limo.”
A slow smile crossed his face, crooked and cocky. “I did, didn’t I?”
She nodded slowly, her own grin growing to match his. He reached over and raised the privacy screen, the two of them smiling at one another like little devils as it raised. She knew that the driver probably knew exactly what was going on back here, but she could pretend that he was oblivious.
Besides, now that it was up, Jackson was looking at her like she was delicious and that he hadn’t eaten in a week. His pupils dilated as he looked her over. “Come here.”