“I’m sorry. I just––”
“Stop,” I say, pressing a finger to her lips before softly brushing it back and forth. “I did all this to show you how much I care about you. To show you how much I adore you, that you’re the most important person in my life. To tell you I’m in love with you, Sophie Jameson. I just wanted to be the first to say it.”
Her lips curve up beneath my finger, and I pull it away. Taking my hands in hers, she grins.
“Pretend I didn’t say anything and tell me again.”
“I love you, Red.”
“I love you, too,” she says, her eyes filling with tears.
“And I want you to move in with me.”
“What?” she gasps, her head rearing back in surprise.
“I want you here, with me. Always. I want to go to bed with you at night and wake up with you in the morning. I want to cook you breakfast before I leave for work, and have your beautiful face be the first thing I see when I walk in the door after a long day. I want that, always, and one day soon, I’ll ask you to be my wife and make it permanent.”
Her eyes widen, and I tense up. I didn’t mean to say that last part, at least not out loud. Not yet. But this woman will be my wife one day, and I’ll spend the rest of my life making her as happy as she deserves.
“Okay,” she says slowly.
“Okay?”
“Yes. I’ll move in with you.” She pauses to take a deep breath and adds, “And when you ask me to marry you, I’ll say yes.”
I swoop her up into my arms and spin her around, making her squeal with delight. Then I set her back on her feet and give her a searing kiss. I pour every bit of my emotion in to it, and she gives it back to me tenfold.
Breaking away, I look into those blue eyes and smile. “I love you. Always.”
“I love you, forever,” she says back.
Always and forever. I like the sound of that.
* * *