“Damn. This isn’t how I meant to do this…”
“Do what?”
“Marry me, Caroline Pike. Be my wife.”
My jaw drops.
“I mean it. I should drop to one knee, but my jeans are preventing that. I should give you the biggest fucking rock in the universe. I will. I’ll do all that. I already have one picked out. But right now, I just need you to say yes.” He cups both my cheeks, kisses me lightly on the lips.
I swallow, my heart racing.
“Well?” he asks.
I pick up my jaw from the floor. “Donny, are you sure? We haven’t known each other for that long.”
“We’ve known each other for years.”
“You know what I mean.”
He brushes his lips over mine again. “I know exactly what you mean. I also know that this is right. Everything about it screams right. Apparently, we Steels are known for very short courtships. We fall fast and we fall hard. I watched it happen to Dale. And I’ve heard about my mom and dad’s whirlwind romance. I believe in us, Callie. I believe in what I feel for you, and I want it to last forever.”
“Oh, Donny,” I say. “I love you so much.”
“Ditto, baby. I have to tell you, I wasn’t sure this would ever happen for me. You know, being one of the Three Rake-a-teers.”
“I’m glad it happened. And if you’re sure, yes, I will marry you, Donovan Steel.”
His lips plunder mine then. A kiss of possession. Of passion, of enduring love.
Funny thing is, I don’t need him down on one knee. I don’t need a rock the size of my fist. I never needed any of that.
All I need is this man. This man and his love.
That’s all I need to be complete.
CHAPTER FORTY
DONNY
Back at the house, my phone buzzes. “Drew? What do you have for me? Did you finally trace ownership of the ring?”
“You’re not going to believe this, Don.”
“Yeah? Try me. I’ve recently come across a lot of things I wouldn’t have believed a mere month ago.”
“This one’ll throw you for a loop for sure. The last known owner of this ring was Daphne Steel.”
The phone slips from my grip, but I catch it and return it to my ear. “Daphne Steel? My grandmother?”
“She’s the one.”
“Then what about the LW?”
“I don’t know. The papers don’t show any prior ownership, unless they’ve been tampered with, but that’s unlikely.”
Not as unlikely as you might think. Apparently my family likes tampering with official documents.
“All right. At least it belongs in my family. How the hell did it get to me? If it was my grandmother’s, it should still be with the family.”