“There’s a robe in there, as well,” Neil said. “Do you like it?”
“Do I…” My mouth dropped open. I rubbed the silk on my face. It was as soft as I imagined Lily Cole’s skin to be.
“Put it on,” he urged. “This is almost as much a present for me as it is for you.”
“How thoughtful,” I said wryly as I stood and let my bathrobe slip from my shoulders. Neil’s gaze raked appreciatively over my naked form as I lifted the nightgown over my head. The silk was absolute heaven, like the softest, sweetest oil slick. It floated to my ankles, skimmed my every curve, hugged my body perfectly.
Neil’s big hands closed over my hips, and he pulled me forward to nuzzle his face against my belly.
“Hey!” I jumped back, out of his grasp. “Your stupid beard is gonna snag my fancy new nightie.”
“Stupid?” he gasped, rubbing his hand over his jaw. “I thought you’d grown to like it!”
I tried to avoid his reach when he started to grab me, but he’s a tall guy and mostly arms and legs. There was no eluding him, and he tackled me to the bed, both of us laughing breathlessly. He rubbed his rough chin into my neck, making me squeal and squirm as he pinned me beneath him. And just as quickly as the moment had turned playful, it became tender. He lifted his head, smiled his crooked half-smile down at me, and stroked my hair back from my face.
“This is weird,” I whispered, gazing up at him, searching his eyes for something I wasn’t really sure was missing. “This house, this country, the language… It’s a whole separate part of your life. It’s like I didn’t really know you.”
“You knew me,” he said, sleepy, confident. “You just didn’t know me in this context.”
I flipped to my belly, relishing the slide of the silk between the duvet and my body. He slowly walked his fingers up my spine as I spoke. “No, seriously. I’m fascinated by this change.”
A smile curved his mouth, then he rolled to his back and pulled me against his side, cradling my head on his shoulder. He combed through my hair with his fingers and sighed contentedly. “I suppose it’s because I’m home. I spent a large part of my childhood here—the happiest part, really. When I was in the ICU, I thought I would die. And I thought…I can’t die without seeing my brothers again. And I can’t die before I take Sophie to meet them.”
A lump rose in my throat. In addition to our couple’s’ therapy, Neil had been seeing someone about the PTSD caused by spending weeks in isolation in the ICU, sedated and on a ventilator. He had a difficult time talking about those days, and I was worried for him now. “We don’t have to talk about that, if you don’t want to.”
“Actually, I’m not that bothered; it’s getting easier. And this isn’t denial. I feel relieved to be telling you all this. I want you to share every part of my life with me. And I want to share every part of your life with you.”
“We do sha—” I began, and his hand gently covered my mouth.
“Sophie,” he said softly. “Do shut up. I’m trying to propose.”
Propose? My head went light and my chest got heavy. My eyes flared hot and watery, and my skin tingled.
It was the single best anxiety attack I’d ever had.
He eased his arm from beneath me as he reached with his other hand for something in the nightstand drawer. I sat up, certain my face was bright red from the blood pounding into it.
He leaned back on the pillows, turning a small clam-shell jewelry box like a Rubick’s Cube in his nervous hands. “Sophie… I love you. I’ve tried to think of a thousand different ways to say this poetically, but I really feel that the unadorned truth is utterly necessary right now. And if you don’t want to marry me, if you think it’s too old-fashioned an institution or against your principles, then that’s fine. Nothing has changed. I just needed to tell you… I love you so much that I regret having memories that don’t include you. I look back on my life before I met you and I see where you should have been. Some of my greatest achievements, the things I am most proud of, seem empty because you weren’t there beside me. You are the other half of me. And I would be so incredibly grateful if you would marry me.”
I lunged forward, grasped his head between my hands and kissed him hard. And by hard, I mean, our teeth scraped together unpleasantly. But I didn’t care.
I gasped when our mouths parted. “I love you so much.”
He smiled against my lips, his arms wrapping around my back. “Do you want to see the ring?”
I nodded.
He rolled me smoothly beneath him, settling between my thighs as my nightgown rode up. Braced on his elbows, he opened the box and handed it to me. Inside, a huge, cushion-cut yellow diamond flared brilliantly, surrounded by a border of smaller white diamonds, set in flawless platinum. It was absolutely gorgeous, and absolutely me.
I held out my hand, and Neil slipped the ring from the box onto my fingertip, sliding it down easily over my knuckle. It was a bit loose, and I giggled.
“At least it’s not too small,” he said with an embarrassed laugh.
“I’ll get it sized.” I kissed him again, letting him pull my hand to his chest and cover it with his own palm. I looked down at our entwined fingers. “You’ve had this with you the whole time?”
He nodded, smiling ruefully. “It was in my pocket when we went to the lake. I thought I would propose to you there, but I chickened out.”
“This is so beautiful. Really. I love it. And so romantic. I’m not as good with words as you—”