Page 114 of Crave

Jake gives me another kiss, a firm squeeze on my ass, and he walks out the door, leaving me to spend the rest of the day taking orders and helping with cake tastings for blushing brides. The thought of getting married was enough to make me break out in hives when I was with Derek, but now, it’s something I think about all the time.

It doesn’t help that about once per week, Jake will pretend to get on one knee, only to laugh and to pretend he dropped something or that he was tying his shoes. Just a few days ago, he told me he had a surprise for me. When I got to his house, he had it filled with pink roses.

My heart felt like it was about to burst out of my chest as I stepped inside the house and saw the flowers.. I just knew that he was going to ask the question, but when he pulled out a large jewelry box, I knew it didn’t contain a ring.

He opened it to reveal matching earrings and a bracelet to the pearl necklace Lil gave me. Though it wasn’t the ring I anticipated, it was the most beautiful gift I’ve ever received. Since I was wearing the necklace, I put on the earrings and bracelet and released his bad girl.

“Do you think I can go now, Mama?” Hours later, I pretend to wipe the sweat off my brows as I wipe down the counter.

She laughs and says goodbye to a bride and her groom, but scowls when she turns on me.

“Deedee, I need you until we close. Vivian have headache and Steve is with girl. Your sister is with Christopher’s family. Trouble can wait a few more hours.” She waves me off and marches to the back of the bakery. I angrily cross my arms across my chest, irritated at being here until six.

An hour before I’m supposed to leave, Jake texts me and tells me to meet him at his parents' house instead because his grill is acting up. Since his parents are out of town, that means skinny dipping in their pool. As soon as my mother puts the closed sign against the door, I kiss her cheek and make my way to the back door.

“Deedee?” she calls. “I make dessert for you and trouble.” She hands me a box, kisses my cheek, and thanks me for my help. I immediately feel guilty, but I push that feeling aside and drive to my house where I shower and change.

“Baby!” I yell as I walk through his parents' empty house. After being on my feet all day, I settled for a sundress. The top is white, but the multicolored skirt flares and rests right at my knees. Instead of high heels, I settled for a pair of low wedges. I pair my dress with my pearl necklace, earrings, and bracelet.

“Out here, Dee.” I put the cake in the fridge before going outside to greet my man. I wrap my arms around him as he works the grill and he puts his arm across my shoulder. “Missed you.” He kisses the top of my head.

“Missed you too. Smells good.”

“You want to get us some wine? I have a bottle of red on the table. There’s white in the fridge if you want that instead.” The thought of a glass of wine after my long day sounds good, so I reluctantly remove my arms from around his waist and walk back to the house.

“My mom sent cake,” I yell as I step inside. I pour him a glass of red, and I get myself a glass of sauvignon blanc for myself.

“Sounds good. I plan on eating it off your body.” We clink our wine glasses together.

“You want me to set the table?”

“Nope. You’ve had a long day. Sit down and I’m going to take care of you.” I gladly take a seat and watch as he grills our dinner. My mouth is watering by the time he serves me a ribeye steak with grilled sweet potatoes.

By the time we’re done, the sun has gone down and we’re shrouded in darkness.

“You want dessert?” I ask.

“Not yet. I just want to sit here with you for a little while.” He guides me to a loveseat, puts his arm around me and pulls me to him. We sit, my head on his shoulder, until I hear a popping sound.

“Fireworks?” I ask. He shrugs his shoulders.

“The neighbors must be having a party. They get fireworks for every occasion, it seems. Let’s watch.” I lean my head on his shoulder, and we watch in silence.

We watch as the fireworks pop and explode across the sky. It’s a romantic display of hearts and flowers. Pink hearts and roses grace the sky. It’s so beautiful and unexpected, I lose myself in the display. After a final explosion of what looks like falling flowers, we’re met with silence.

“That was amazing,” I say once it ends. Jake stands up and offers me his hand. “Want to get in the hot tub?” I ask, wiggling my eyebrows.

I start to walk towards the house, but the sound of more fireworks causes me to pause.

“Not over yet, baby. I don’t think you’re going to want to miss this part.” I turn and look up at the sky. When I see what’s written across the sky, my heart nearly stops beating. I look from the sky to Jake and back again. He smiles at the shocked expression on my face as he gets down on one knee.

I look again to make sure what I’m seeing is correct. Sandy, will you marry me? is flashing, and

I cover my mouth with both hands.

“Dee, I’ve done a lot of good things in my life, but the best thing I’ve ever done is love you. Since the moment I saw you, I’ve been drawn to you. I haven’t been able to stay away from you. I wasn’t in the best place when we met, and unbeknownst to you, you brought me out of that darkness. You are the single most beautiful soul that I’ve ever known. You give and give of yourself and expect nothing back. The best thing I ever did was love you, and the best thing that ever happened to me was that I was lucky enough to have you love me back. Sandra Etienne, will you do me the great honor of marrying me? Be my wife.”

I’ve thought of this moment, and I assumed I’d be screaming yes at the top of my lungs, but right now I’ve lost my ability to speak. I want to capture this moment in my memory forever. I want to remember everything we did leading up to this moment. I want to remember every sensation, every word, every sound, every emotion. I want to remember the saltiness of my tears as they roll down my cheeks into my mouth. I want to remember how fast my heart is beating. I want to remember every expression on Jake’s face, every movement of his body, right down to the glimmer in his eye and the nervous shake of his hand.

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