Her lips parted.
“You and me? We’re the endgame. I don’t care if we’ve been together for weeks, months, years, or decades. We. Are. The. Endgame. So if you’re asking me if I’m going to get distracted, or fall out of love with you because you need a little independence, just look at that box. I’m in this.”
Her lower lip trembled. “You don’t think it’s too fast?”
“I told my mom I was going to marry you when we were five years old,” I whispered, leaning forward to brush her lips with mine. “I wouldn’t call twenty-one years too fast. And the truth is that I know you might not be ready, and that’s okay.”
“It is?” Her brow furrowed.
“It is. That ring right there will wait until you’re just as certain of us as I am. No rush. No wedding date. No pressure. Just the promise that the minute you’re ready to say yes, I’ll be here to slip it on your finger, whether that’s tomorrow or in ten years. My love isn’t going to waver.”
She glanced toward the box. “And if I said I wanted it now?”
My pulse skittered. “Then I’d drop to one knee and ask you to marry me. That’s how certain I am that we’re going to make it.”
She pushed at my chest, and I backed away, my stomach falling to the floor. Then she hopped off the counter and gave me a shaky smile. “Prove it.”
I blinked. “I’m sorry?”
“Prove it. I want it now.”
My heart stopped. Breathing, thinking, moving…it all stopped.
“Roman?”
I sucked in a breath, snatched the ring box from the counter and fell to one knee on the linoleum. I’d probably thought of this moment a thousand times throughout my life, and now that it was here, my thoughts were all a jumbled-up mess, but I managed to crack the lid on the box and hold it up.
She didn’t even look at the diamond. Her eyes were fully locked on mine.
“Teagan Ray Hall, I’ve loved you since we were kids. I’ve been in love with you since we were teenagers. I will love you every day for the rest of my life. I’ll ask as many times as you need and wait for as long as I’m still breathing. Will you do me the incredible honor of being my wife?”
“Yes.” Her smile would have sent me to my knees if I wasn’t already there.
“Really?” Smooth.
“Yes, really!” She laughed.
I scrambled to my feet. “It doesn’t have to be right now, or anything. We can wait however long you want.”
“I got that part.” She arched a brow, her eyes sparkling with the sheen of unshed tears. “I love you. I can’t think of anyone else I’d want to spend my life with. You’re everything, Roman.”
I cupped her face and kissed her hard, nearly losing control of the ring box. So much for having some of the steadiest hands in the NFL. “Where do you want me to put this?”
“On my finger!” Her laughter was contagious, but somehow I managed to slide the tiffany-cut solitaire onto her left hand. It fit perfectly. “Roman, it’s gorgeous!”
“Just like you.”
She shook her head. One day I’d get her to believe that.
“I swear, we’re the only couple who gets engaged the day they move out of the same house.” She snorted.
“It’ll just be that much sweeter when you’re ready to move back in. Or we’ll buy a new house. Something that’s just ours.”
Her gaze jerked to mine. “Absolutely not! I love your house!”
“Then it’s our house. Whenever you’re ready for it—whenever you’re ready for me.” I kissed her softly, sealing that promise, but just like every other time we kissed, need erupted between us.
I lifted her into my arms and carried her back to her bedroom.
We tried our damnedest, but we couldn’t pop that bed. It held firm as I slid deep inside her. It rocked slightly when she begged for me to take her harder. It didn’t give under her hands when she gripped the headboard and leveraged so she could rock back against me with even more force.
It was only after I’d taken her twice and brought her to orgasm three times that I realized she wouldn’t be getting her security deposit back.
Yeah, the bed had held up all right…held up right through the drywall.
She laughed and kissed me, swearing it was worth it.
Hell yeah, it was. Everything was worth it when it came to Teagan.
Every year of waiting.
Every almost.
Every kiss.
Every tear.
And it was finally our turn to be happy…even if she had to move out to get us there.
14
Teagan
Sweet floral notes mixed with the light scent of vegetation as Roman led me through the gardens of the JC Raulston Arboretum. My high heels clicked against the cobblestone path as we made our way inside the venue the Raptors had secured for the event—a fundraising party to benefit Feed The Children, an organization dedicated to fighting childhood hunger.
Roman held the glass door open for me, and I smiled at him as I stepped inside. Chatter and music filled the space, all manner of Raptors and cheerleaders and celebrity athletes huddled around tables draped in cream linens, sipping from crystal and snacking on delicacies offered from silver platters.
We spotted our friends at a table near the far-left corner of the room—the walls made up of floor-to-ceiling glass windows offering a perfect view of the Finley-Nottingham Rose Gardens outside. The night sky was clear, but the chill in the air kept everyone happily inside. The view was beyond gorgeous—all lush greenery and still-blooming roses illuminated by twinkle lights and the moon high above.
“Have I told you how beautiful you look tonight?” Roman whispered in my ear as we made our way over to our friends.
A warm chill fluttered down my spine as his hand slid over my lower back. I grinned up at him, my heart stuttering at the way he looked in his black suit and red tie—an outfit to match my dress.
I ran my hands self-consciously over the red material. When I’d tried it on last week, I hadn’t been able to stop the doubts that automatically filled my head at choosing such a dress for this event. An off-the-shoulder with a sleek A-line, the fabric hugged every curve and put my sizable breasts on display in a tasteful yet confident way. It had a flirty above-the-knee length in the front, only to trail behind me at floor-length in the back. After I’d shaken off the nerves, I’d stared in the mirror, smiling at the powerful red color and the lace adornments over the ribs. It screamed sexy and confident…powerful.
I’d bought the dress with the hopes that it would blow Roman’s mind.
It hadn’t disappointed. When he’d picked me up earlier tonight, he’d been ready to blow off the event and keep me all to himself.
My fiancé.
The title clanged through me, filling my heart. The diamond on my left-hand ring finger a welcomed, comforting support.
“I’m glad I went with the red,” I said, grazing my fingers over his cheek as we continued to walk. “And I’m even more glad you went with the suit,” I said, eying him. “You look good enough to eat.”
Roman flashed me a smirk, tucking me into his side as we stopped at our friend’s table. “Later,” he whispered the promise into my ear, and my pulse spiked.