The slight freak-out progressed into full-blown panic as the day wore on with no word from Roane. Around dinnertime I finally texted him to ask him how he was and if we were meeting at The Anchor.
He didn’t reply.
Pissed, heart heavy, I decided I wasn’t going to sit around in the apartment all evening waiting for him to decide to call. Instead I threw on my best jeans and a shirt that did amazing things for my cleavage and strolled up to the pub. As it was the first week of August and the beginning of a holiday week, I’d expected the pub to be busy with diners finishing their meals.
However, it was a fairly quiet night, and I recognized all of the faces sitting at the bar. To my delight, I found Caro at a table by the fire, and moved toward her after I greeted Milly.
Caro had her head bent toward her open laptop.
“Hey, you.”
Her head snapped up and she broke into a wide smile. “Evie, just the person I wanted to see. I’m trying to design my website and I want your opinion.”
“Design your own website,” I said, impressed. “Is there anything you can’t do?”
She blushed. “I’m afraid I’m unable to flirt in any language including English.”
Chuckling, I squeezed her shoulder. “That’s something we can fix.”
“Ugh, perhaps one day. For now will you look at this and tell me what you think?”
“Sure, just let me grab a drink. Do you want anything?”
“A Coke, please.”
I wandered over to the bar, glad to have something to distract me from the horrible butterflies that had taken up residence in my belly. Still, once Milly served me and I sat down at the table beside Caro, the first thing out of my mouth was “Have you heard from your cousin today?”
Caro blinked distractedly at her laptop. “Oh, he collected Shadow at the arse crack of dawn this morning, but I haven’t seen him since. Why?”
“No reason.” I shrugged, realizing I didn’t want anyone to know Roane was making me feel insecure. It felt stupid to be feeling that way. Not even a whole day of lack of communication had passed. He wasn’t under any obligation to stay in touch with me every second of every day.
It was just unusual for him not to want to.
Attempting not to scowl ferociously in a public display of my feelings, I leaned into Caro. “Show me the website.”
Thankfully, I got so engrossed watching her play around with the design for her site, I would have forgotten about Roane entirely if it weren’t for those butterflies reminding me of him. Even so, she must have successfully distracted me enough because it took Shadow sticking his face right into mine for me to realize he and Roane had entered the pub.
“Shadow.” I smiled, my heart lightening to see him. I scratched behind his ears as I looked across the table to find Roane standing before us. “Hey.”
His expression was almost as intense as it was last night. If we hadn’t been in public, I would have demanded to know what was going on with him.
As if he saw the frustration on my face, Roane’s eyes flashed, and he rounded the table to me. “Caro, take Shadow,” he said without tearing his eyes from mine.
Okay, he was acting so strangely.
Caro did as he asked without a word, taking hold of Shadow by the collar and guiding him around me to her side.
“Roane . . .”
Then quite abruptly Roane Robson lowered to his knee in front of me and it felt like my heart jumped out of my chest and into my throat. I could feel the pulse there throbbing so hard.
That fluttering turned to pounding as he held up the black velvet ring box between us.
A gasp sounded behind me, followed by another, until the loud mingled chatter of the customers lowered to a murmur and then to silence.
He waited, staring into my astonished face, with a flush on his cheeks and a curl at the corners of his lips.
Then . . .
“Evangeline Starling”—Roane’s deep voice seemed to fill the whole place—“people will always say this is too soon. That we would be mad to do this. But from the moment you saved my dog, I have been yours. Days that were filled with only work and friendship have become days filled only with hours that I count until I can see you again.”
Oh my God. Tears filled my eyes.
“I know, the way the trees know they’re rooted to the ground, that I’m rooted to you. That no matter your answer here this evening, I am yours until I’m nothing but dust in the wind. Maybe even then.” His eyes burned with all the love I couldn’t believe was for me, and he snapped open the box to reveal a stunning teardrop diamond engagement ring. The white gold band glittered with tiny inset diamonds, and the teardrop itself was significant.
It was beautiful.
And he wanted me to have it.
My vision blurred as I looked up from the ring to stare into Roane’s face. A face I loved more than any other.
Marrying him would mean leaving my life in Chicago behind for good, but hadn’t I already decided I was going to do that as soon as Roane admitted he loved me? But marriage? Marriage was permanent.
“I’m yours, Evie,” he said softly. “Forget time, forget everyone else and what they think. What do you want? Because I want you to be mine, as I am yours. Will you marry me?”
It wasn’t that I didn’t want forever with Roane. I did. I’d known that from that first day we made love, maybe even before then. Yet I had to know for certain whether I could leave Greer, Phil, and Mom behind.
They are important to me, but they have their own lives. It’s time for me to start mine.
With that last thought ringing in my head, I laughed in disbelief and joy and he blinked as if he didn’t quite know what to make of my reaction. Afraid he’d take it the wrong way, I launched myself into his arms, peppering his face with kisses. “I’ve been yours from day one,” I promised him, leaning back to meet his gaze, his beard tickling my palms as I held him. “Roane, I’m yours. I always will be.”
He heaved out a shaky exhalation, his smile slow and relieved. “That’s a yes then?”
I gave him a huge grin, so huge my cheeks hurt. Everything inside me felt too much, like I might just burst apart from all the feelings that were too big for one person to contain. “That’s the biggest yes of my life.”
Roane kissed me, hard, no finesse, kissing my cheeks and chin and nose and making me laugh as hollers and shouts of celebration sounded all around us.
I giggled as he finally let me up for air to put the ring on my finger.
“It’s beautiful,” I whispered against his lips. “It’s perfect.”