"You never will again. Come with me to Europe and stay with me while I do the shoot over there."
"Not fair. I have a career here running Speed Motorcycles. You can't just ask me to give that up," he said, but I knew he was teasing from the smile twinkling in his eyes.
"Fine, don't come with me then," I called his bluff.
"Well, as it turns out, I also have to go to Europe to supervise a new modeling shoot. We've hired a terrific girl to be the new face of our ad campaign. She's a gorgeous blonde, really sexy and sweet."
"Sounds like I should be jealous. Maybe I don't want you working with this girl," I teased.
"Don't worry. You have nothing to worry about. She knows I'm married."
"What?" I sat up in bed.
"That is, if you'll have me." He reached over the side of the bed where his jacket was laying and pulled out a ring. Holding it out to me he said, "Kayla Brandt, will you marry me?"
"Yes, a billion times yes," I cried out happily, and tears of joy rolled down my cheeks as he slipped the enormous, princess-cut diamond ring onto my finger. It was the second most beautiful thing I'd ever seen. Ethan's eyes when he looked at me was the first.
I kissed him passionately. When we made love for the first time as an engaged couple, it was even more amazing than it had been before.
"I don't think I've ever been this happy," I told Ethan, as we cuddled afterwards and I held my hand up so we could admire the way my diamond ring sparkled in the moonlight that was streaming through my bedroom window.
"Me neither," he confessed, but there was a subtle strain in his voice and I picked up on it. He sounded stressed, or worried, and I had to know why.
Looking him straight in the eyes so there would be no secrets between us, I asked him, "What's the matter?"
"Nothing."
"You don't have to act invincible with me. I can tell when something is bothering you. If we're going to spend the rest of our lives together, you're going to have to get used to sharing all your hopes and fears with me. Now what's wrong?"
"Nothing. That's what's wrong." Ethan sighed heavily, and I didn't understand. Caressing my hair, he explained more clearly. "All my life, something has always been wrong. This is the first time I've been truly content and it scares the shit out of me."
"I'm scared, too," I confessed. "All the men in my life have wanted to use me and didn't really love me. Never before have I felt truly secured and cherished."
"So, I guess we're just two people who are scared shitless together." He grinned, and I couldn't help but laugh. "That's how we know we're meant for each other."
It wasn't the most romantic way to put it, and yet it was perfect. Ethan was right; we were meant to be together, and the fact that he was just as afraid of it as I was proved it.
Chapter Forty: Ethan
"Smile for the camera," someone said. I put my arm around Kayla and I stared into the lens with my best grin as she smiled radiantly beside me. The view of the ocean was behind us, with the sun starting to set on the horizon, creating a stunning background for the perfect picture.
"Perfect, thanks." The photographer looked at the image on his digital camera, and nodded with satisfaction. "This will be the new cover of Speed Magazine."
"I don't
think so. I'm not the model; my wife is." I swiped at him, trying to grab the camera, but he moved just out of my reach.
Joey was one of Kayla's favorite photographers and followed her everywhere. She was as used to having her picture taken as she was breathing air, but I found it a little harder to get used to.
"That's what makes this perfect," Joey said in response to my objection. "The owner and CEO of the company Ethan Colson celebrating his one-year anniversary with the love of his life, supermodel Kayla Brandt-Colson. The two of you are one of the world's hottest couples and the media will eat it up.
“People will be clamoring to read next month's issue of Speed Magazine when they see this image of you and Kayla cheek to cheek on the cover. Now give me one more shot, this time of the two of you kissing."
"No way; our intimate personal time is private. No photography. Now get out of here before I'm forced to fire you and take your camera," I shouted out, but there was no anger in my voice, just love for my wife.
Joey was right; the public craved images of us together, and since we kept our private life well-guarded, images of us as a couple were rare, making them even more sought after. We had a contract with Joey that we would buy any photographs he took that we didn't want to go public. It kept him loyal to us and gave us control of all photos seen by the public.
"How do you deal with having your picture taking all day? It's exhausting," I said to Kayla as I leaned back into a reclining chair on the beach and a waiter brought us each fresh drinks.