She fisted his tuxedo jacket, smiling and burying her nose in his shirt, inhaling deeply. He still smelled delicious, and she could never get enough. “I love you so much.”
“I love you, too.” He kissed the top of her head, his hands splayed on her lower back. His chest and arms tightened around her, and he let out a sigh. “There’s something missing from your wardrobe, though.”
Pulling back, she chewed on her lower lip nervously, tugging on the crown necklace Brian had given her all those years ago. Some things would never change, and she refused to remove it. It was a reminder of Brian, and what he’d meant to her. It was a shout out to him, as well, because if not for that bucket list he gave her…
She never would have found Leo again.
Thank you, Brian.
“What’s missing?’ she asked nervously.
“You need more…” He rubbed his chin, staring at her thoughtfully. “Diamonds.”
She stiffened. “Seriously? I’m practically a walking jewelry store already.” She moved over to the mirror, studying herself critically. “And to be honest, I feel like the tiara is a bit much. I mean, it’s not like I’m a princess. Just a small property holder.”
“You might not be a princess,” he said, his voice gravelly from behind her. “But I want you to be my queen. Turn around, Alicia.”
“I—” As she turned, the words she’d been about to say died in her throat. Because there, kneeling behind her on one knee, was Leo. He held a ring in his hand that had more diamonds on it than she had dollars in her bank account. It was white gold, or platinum, and it had a princess cut diamond smack dab in the middle of all the other ones. A huge, several carat diamond. “Oh my God.”
He gave her a huge, beautiful, brilliant smile. “Having you back in my life has made me the happiest man on this earth, and knowing you’re here, by my side, is all I want. You’ve taught me how to laugh, how to have fun, and how to stop taking everything so damn seriously. You’ve made my life…a life…and I cannot imagine living it without you at my side, whispering little things in my ear that make me laugh at inappropriate times.”
She covered her mouth, tears filling her eyes. “I—”
“And before you spew a whole lot of logic at me, about how you just became a lady, and how we should wait to announce this, or hold off on taking as huge a step as this, you should know I don’t give a damn.” He held the ring up, “You were there with me when I lost my father, and you helped me pick up the pieces of my life that fractured because of his death. You forgave me, and him, and you accepted me as I am, faults and all. I love you. I want to spend the rest of my life with you, as my queen. And more than ever, I want to call you mine. My lover. My partner. My queen. My wife.”
She pressed her fingers against her lips, speechless.
“I missed out on ten years with you by my side, making my life brighter, and I refuse to lose even another second.” He locked eyes with her, took a deep breath, and asked, “Alicia Forkes, will you do me the honor of being my wife?”
Nodding, she gulped in a huge breath, but it turned into more of a sob than anything, as she fell to her knees and framed his face with unsteady hands. “Yes. Yes, yes, yes, yes.”
Laughing, he dropped the ring between them and pulled her into his arms, kissing her until she forgot all about the party out there, and the people, and everything else that was making her nervous. Because all that mattered was she’d have Leo by her side, holding her tight, and when the party was over…
She’d fall asleep in his arms.
And that was all she needed.
Him.
He broke off the kiss, laughing again, picked up the ring and said, “I’m clearly the luckiest bastard alive. Give me your hand.”
With blurry eyes, she watched him slide it onto her ring finger. It, of course, fit perfectly. “It’s beautiful.”
“It was my mother’s, and her mother’s, and so on. It’s the royal ring, and it’s been passed down for over four hundred years.” He tightened his grip on her fingers and lifted his face to hers. The happiness, tinged with a bit of possessiveness, she saw in those dark blue depths stole her breath right out of her lungs. “My future queen,” he said reverently.
“My king,” she whispered, pressing her hand to his cheek.
He kissed her gently. Smiling at her, he stood and offered her his hand, his light dusting of freckles playing on his cheeks. “Are you ready to show everyone their future queen?”
With him by her side? She was ready for anything.
She slipped her hand into his and let him lead her out into the hallway, down the stairs, and to the doors of the ballroom. As the butler—James—swung open the opulent maple doors, and she glanced at Leo and his staid, serious expression as he stood ramrod straight, she rose up on tiptoes and whispered, “Meet me in your office for a quickie at ten?”
He shot her an incredulous look, opened his mouth, closed it…
And laughed.
Everyone turned, watching them with a smile, and he leaned down, his eyes sparkling mischievously. “As you wish, my queen. As you wish.”