Page 75 of When I Come Back
“Lemon… you know I’m constantly hungry for you.”
I thread my fingers through his hair, still untamed from sleep. The long strands streaking white with flour. The sight makes me laugh as I pull back from him to take in the picture in front of me. “Oops, sorry. I got you a little dirty.” I try to wipe it away, but it doesn’t budge.
Suddenly, Cary lifts me up onto the counter, a surprised yelp leaving my lips. His mouth comes down to my neck instantly, nibbling at the skin then kissing the sting away.
“Hmm, looks like it’s my turn to get you a little dirty then,” he rasps, the husky tone has arousal pooling between my thighs. His lips slide down my neck, leaving a trail of kisses as he slowly leans me back onto the counter where the flour is scattered. Once his face is at the junction between my breasts, his elbow knocks over the bowl with the remaining flour, spilling it all over the floor. We both break out in laughter, the rumbling of his chest reverberating up through my body. His arms are wrapped around me now, my hands placed firmly on his neck. We’re both covered in the white powder, still laughing uncontrollably.
I throw my head back, just barely touching the counter as my leg wraps around his waist. Cary’s hand leaves my side and nudges my foot away from his ass. Before I have time to wonder why, he pulls me down from the counter and gets down on one knee.
I’ve barely had a moment to register what’s happening, when he pulls a small box from behind his back.
“Oh—oh my God, Cary!” My hands fly to my mouth, tears spring into my eyes, blurring my vision. He’s in front of me, down on one knee, opening the ring box.
“Lemon,” he starts, and a sob leaves my throat. “Baby,” he laughs, “let me get through this, okay?” I shake my head, not allowing myself to speak. “Years and years ago, I told you I’d put a ring on your finger one day. I vowed to again just two months ago. And I won’t lie, it wasn’t supposed to happen today.I only have it in my pocket because the jeweler got it back to me yesterday after getting it resized.”
Confusion sparks in my eyes, and he must see it because he stops his speech to say, “We’re getting there.” I just barely nod my head, silently asking him to keep going.
“I had a whole thing planned. But this, Lemon… I want to do this with you every day of my fucking life. I want to wake up and know you’ll be my wife, and I get to spend forever with you. So, fuck the plans,” he laughs nervously, “we were never good at them anyway.”
I blink away the tears still falling down my cheeks.
“I don’t want to live another day not knowing if you’ll be mine forever. I should have known the second I got the ring back that I’d be itching to put it on your finger. I didn’t even make it twenty-four hours.” A half-sob, half-laugh breaks through my lips. “You’re the one thing I need in this life, Thea. More than my career, more than any accolades I could ever get, more than the air I breathe,youare what keeps me going. You are what makes me feel alive. And my greatest accomplishment—if you say yes—will be being your husband. I’ve known I loved you since I was a kid—and if we’re being honest, I knew back then that I wanted to spend forever with you. No one else ever stood a chance. And I know,I knowwe got off track, and we lost so much time. And I know this is quick, I promise, I do. But I don’t want to waste any more time. So, Thea Carina Ashford,” he pauses to pull the ring from the box, and I swipe the tears from my eyes so I can see it. “Would you make me the happiest, luckiest fucking man in the world, and marry me?”
“How did you—” I start when I realize it’s Hazel’s ring that Owen proposed to her with, sobbing again at the sight of it.
“Brooks found it among their things. I took a chance by asking about it, and he immediately handed it over but surprisingly pocketed their wedding bands. And he of coursehad to add a sarcastic remark about me finally getting my shit together.”
I reach down to grab his elbows, pulling him up from the floor and crashing my lips into his. He pulls away but only enough so he can speak, “Is that… a yes, then?”
With our foreheads still pressed together, I look down at the ring in front of me, still clasped in his hands. “Yes, of course. The answer was always going to be yes.”
He slides the ring on my finger, and I reach around his neck as his hands run down my back until he’s cupping my ass and lifting me into his arms. My legs wrap around his waist as my lips find his.
In between kisses, I make sure to tell him, “I love you, Carrington Dillon Grant.”
The End
Meanwhile…
Brooks
A Night of Hope Gala
Fuck, fuck, fuck.
I knew Thea would be pissed. I also knew she’d rip me a new fucking asshole, but seeing how disappointed she is really makes me feel like shit.
I hadn’t intended to be late for the stupid event or to even go to Hayes asking for a fight. It just… happened. Which is getting old, even to my own ears. What am I supposed to say though? I can’t tell her what I was doing. I can’t tell anyone. None of them would understand. They’d all just tell me how stupid and irresponsible I’m being. I don’t need anyone to remind me, I already know.
But Thea is right, of course she is. It’s a fucking domestic violence prevention charity event. I can't walk around looking like I got the shit beat out of me and somehow not cause a scene or raise questions about RED’s involvement.
“Fuck!” I yell into the empty space of the distillery as the door shuts behind me. I need to do something to make this better. She’ll probably be even more pissed off later, but the least I can do is call Cary and get him here to help.
I pull the phone from my pocket, using my other hand to wipe the running blood from my cheek as I scroll until I find his name in my contacts. I press the call button, knowing he’ll answer immediately. I don’t exactly call anyone very often, so seeing my name on his screen is sure to raise suspicion.
He answers on the second ring, “Hello?”
“Hey, bro, listen—any chance you can come to RED?” I say as I break the seal on a new bourbon bottle from the most recent batch.
