“I would have still saved you in the warehouse,” I joked.
She laughed, but I could tell she was still trying to get together the words for whatever she was trying to say. “At this point, I can't picture my life without you, either,” she said finally. “You've really become the guy who I always hoped that I would meet. I can tell how much you care about Emma and how much you care about me.”
I took a deep breath, thinking of the box that I had stored in the top drawer of the bedside table. I had wanted to save it for one of our date-nights, to propose to her someplace romantic. Maybe after a good meal and a good bottle of wine. But something about this felt right. Just being there in bed with her, curled up together. Like we belonged together.
I rolled away from her, my mind made up.
“Hey,” I said to her, rolling back over and putting the box in between us. “Lexi, believe it when I say, I can't picture my life without you and Emma in it. And I know that I've made a lot of mistakes and that it's sometimes hard to believe that I really want you here. I also know that you really want to get your life together before we move this any further along. But I want you to know that I'm committed to this, one hundred percent. You may want to hold off on accepting this ring, but Lexi, would you do me the honor of becoming my wife?”
Lexi stared at me for a long moment, her hand over her mouth. “You're the one who's always been afraid of commitment,” she finally joked, but her voice sounded garbled, as though she was having a difficult time getting the words out.
“That's true,” I agreed. “But this time, it seems easy. I've never wanted anything like I want this.” I paused. “I'm not asking you to marry me tomorrow. I know that we're still settling in together, and I know that we haven't really known each other all that long. However, I really think that you and I could be something special, and I don't want to spend another day without you.”
“I would be so glad to be your wife,” she finally said, reaching out to hold my hand. “Andrew, I would be so glad. You make me just as happy. I never thought that I could have this in a relationship, especially not once I had Emma. I thought I had too much baggage. But I love every moment that I spend with you, and I can't imagine giving that up. And it's not just about me. I know that you'll make a great daddy for Emma. You already do. We are the luckiest girls in the world.”
I smiled at her, pleased to hear her accept my proposal. “There is just one thing,” I told her. “One condition to the proposal.”
“Oh, really?” Lexi asked, raising an eyebrow at me.
I nodded sternly. “You're going to have to earn it. I think I've had my fill of gold diggers in this lifetime.”
Lexi burst out laughing. “Deal!” she said. “I'll start by announcing that I'll be going to work on Monday at Katherine's office, working as an administrative assistant.”
“What?” I asked, surprised to hear that. “You didn't tell me that you had actually decided to interview there.”
“Katherine coerced me last weekend into just dropping by and checking out the work that they do,” she told me. “I don't know. I felt moved by it. I really wanted to take part. Plus, they need an accountant. You should see their books. They're abysmal. I think I can help them get everything organized and turned around, though.”
I kissed her gently, jostling the ring box as I did so. I tapped on the top of the box. “So, that was a yes, then?” I asked her, just to hear her say it again.
“Yes,” Lexi said firmly. “I would be honored to become your wife.”
“Good,” I said. I reached out and opened the box, revealing the big, vintage-style ring that I'd selected with Katherine's help.
“Oh, Andrew, it's gorgeous,” Lexi said, looking almost as though she might cry.
“If you don't like it, I bought the full buyer's insurance, and we can exchange it,” I told her nervously. “Katherine helped me pick it out. Emma, too, but I think Emma would have been just as happy if I'd gotten you a cheap plastic ring from a dispenser instead of this.”
She laughed, but the sound was strangled by emotion. I took that as a good sign.
Slowly, I removed the ring from the box and caught her hand, sliding the ring easily onto her third finger. It fit perfectly, just like it was meant to be.
Not that I believed in that sort of thing.
Lexi stared breathlessly down at the ring for a moment, watching the way it reflected the light. Then, she gave an almost animalistic growl and pounced at me, rolling me onto my back and straddling my hips. She bent down to kiss me heatedly; no
holds barred. Her tongue snaked into my mouth, and her hands slid down my sides. She rocked down against me, her mons burning with desire where it contacted with my member. I could feel myself rapidly hardening, and when she pulled away, Lexi was smirking.
“I guess I'd better start earning it now, shouldn't I?”
Chapter Thirty-Nine
Lexi
No matter how many times Andrew and I had sex, it always seemed novel. Whether it was because of the positions that we got into or because of some new trick of his, he always found the fastest way to work me towards my climax.
My eyelids slipped shut as we continued to kiss. Despite the fact that we had already had sex and my orgasm wasn't that far in the past, I couldn't help melting into the delicious friction as I rocked against him, careful not to let him slip inside just yet.
I wanted this to last.