The Life That Mattered (Life Duet 1)

“Tomorrow?” He tried again, his voice a little muffed.

“I’m not sure what time I’ll get back from Denver. And again … manicure.”

“Christmas?” He sounded farther away, maybe the kitchen.

“Too cliché.”

“Evelyn, you’re being difficult.”

I combed through my hair, rolling my eyes. All he had to do was toss me over his shoulder, carry me to an altar, and say I do. The excruciatingly painful circus that was Lila’s and Graham’s wedding planning had turned me off to the idea of a “wedding.”

If I could have blinked and been Ronin’s wife, I would have. The health scares with my parents made me value life. Not the circus.

“I’m not being difficult. I just think I’m worth something that feels more real than random mentions of marriage and wedding dates. A proposal. Nothing grand. I mean…” I laid my brush onto the counter “…at least bend a knee and mold a paperclip into a circle, or—”

Oh my … god.

As I stepped out of the bathroom, my heart stopped.

Rose petals everywhere. Every color of rose imaginable. It was as if he took several trash bags full of rose petals and scattered them everywhere. I couldn’t see the bedding or the wood floor and rug because … petals … petals … petals. Where did he get all those petals?

The room smelled like roses.

Lavender used to be my favorite scent, but that day changed everything. Roses would forever make my heart skip, gallop, and melt into Ronin Alexander’s hands.

In the middle of the rose petal sea, Ronin waited for me.

On.

Bended.

Knee.

His hair was a mess, just like his wrinkled white tee and gray jogging shorts. He looked out of breath, nervous, but hopeful. Like my future.

Oh …

And pinched between his thumb and finger was a diamond ring.

Ronin swallowed and cleared his throat. “I’m fucking out of breath from doing this in under sixty seconds—and we owe Noah and Tami for the delivery. But here goes everything. You’ve seen my condo. The sparse amount of clothes in my closet. You know I could eat oatmeal for breakfast every morning and a bowl of soup for dinner every night. I’m a terrible gift-giver and a terrible planner. I don’t value things that much. And I’ve been content with my small family and ever-changing circle of friends who come and go from my life as I drift from one place to another.

“I wasn’t looking for anyone the day you walked into that cafe in Vancouver. But since that day all I can do is look at you. My mother once said I’d find something … some-one who would make me forget my purpose in life. Break my compass. Jumble my thoughts. And steal my heart.” He shook his head. “I didn’t believe her.”

I smiled through my tears, warm on my cheeks and salty as they slid over my lips.

“She was right. I can’t think straight. I have no clue where I’m going. And if you hold out your palm, you’ll see that pulsing thing that used to reside in my chest is now sitting quite contentedly in your hand.”

“Roe …” I swallowed my sob, taking a step toward him.

“Will you marry me, Evelyn Grace Taylor?” He took my left hand and slid the ring onto my finger because he knew the answer long before he asked the question.

Ronin kissed my finger over the ring, and then he looked up at me. “Will you?”

I grinned, wiping more tears with my right hand. “Probably.”

His grin matched mine as he stood and kissed me, lifting me off the ground. A breath later, my back hit the bed as petals scattered everywhere right along with our clothes.

CHAPTER THIRTEEN

A minister friend of my grandma’s married us a few days later on Christmas morning. Just us, Ronin’s parents, my parents, and my grandma. It felt bittersweet to get married without my two best friends there, but we didn’t want a wedding, and we didn’t want to wait.

I knew Katie would be pissed off, and Lila would feel like I trumped her big day by squeezing in my own wedding—well, really just a marriage. So we vowed to not tell Lila and Graham until they were married and past the honeymoon phase. I wanted Lila to have her fair share of attention and marital bliss.

It snowed that morning, so I insisted we slide our jackets on over our clothes—my simple white sheath dress and Ronin’s black suit—don our snow boots and get married in the clearing just beyond the wood pile. It felt like we got married in a snow globe. It really couldn’t have been more perfect.

“I promise to find you in every life … in every universe.” I smiled, blinking the snow from my eyelashes.

Ronin grinned. “I promise to carry you down every mountain.”

Everyone chuckled at Ronin’s humor.

He squeezed my cold hands. “And shelter your heart, keeping it warm and safe next to mine in this life … in every life … and every universe.”