Page 161 of Sweet Hate
I maneuver us both until she’s cuddled in my arms, and I can admire the pink flush I put on her breathtaking face.
She’s so beautiful. And she’s finally mine.
I’ll never get tired of this. Of her.
She’s my everything.
Her aqua eyes sparkle as they stare into mine, reflecting my love for her, and I know I can take on anything as long as she’s by my side. Gone is my aversion to relationships or family. Apparently that fear had nothing to do with my job and everything to do with not having my girl.
Although she has threatened to castrate me if I ever scare her like I did again.
I don’t know if it was my near miss in the fire or what came after, but I see it all so clearly now.
Despite fooling myself into hating her and thinking I had forgotten her, I never let her go.
I live above the bakery, for fuck’s sake. I could’ve lived anywhere, somewhere far more convenient for work. But this was where I first laid eyes on her when we were kids. It’s theplace that gave me my everything. To some degree, I had to be here to stay close to her, even when she wasn’t around.
“I love you, Fireman,” Haven whispers as she pushes up to place a soft kiss on my lips.
I grin back at her, not sure this will ever get old. Rolling us over, I cage her beneath me.
“I love you too, Hurricane. How about a little truth or dare?”
“What, now? We’re going to be late, Axel.” She groans as her hands shove fruitlessly against my chest. It’s cute she thinks that’ll do anything. “You big lug, it’s like trying to move a mountain!”
I roar with laughter at her indignant expression and damn does it feel good.
“Just one round, Sprinks. Promise.”
She sighs in resignation. “Fiiiine. Dare.”
That’s my girl.
“I dare you to marry me.”
“Wait, what?”
Her big eyes go wide with shock as I vault off the bed to grab the ring box sitting inside a tambourine in my nightstand.
On one knee by the side of our bed, I look up at her and flip open the box to reveal the intricate pink diamond solitaire I picked out, the platinum band twisted like leaves and branches around it.
I swallow past the lump of emotion in my throat, staring at my girl's glassy eyes before I suck in a deep breath and dive into the speech I’ve been preparing for weeks.
“Haven, you crash landed into my life in a blaze of Alfredo sauce and flaming glory and brought color back to my world. I may be the fireman, but you’re the one who rescued me. We wasted so many years because I was a total idiot. I can’t lose you again.” I brush my lips over her knuckles, the small contact instantly calming my racing heart.
Swallowing hard, I tighten my grip on her hand. “I need you Sprinks. Anywhere you go, I want to go too. I’ll be with you every step of the way.” I smile then. “And Ievengot you a tambourine, so I gotta be your favorite Verona now for sure. Marry me, please?”
I give the tambourine a little rattle as my girl's shoulders shake with laughter, tears streaming down her face. She nods frantically as she grabs me by the shirt, tugging me up off the floor to kiss me again.
Swiping the tears off her cheeks, I kiss her deep before sliding the ring onto her finger.
As I lift her hand and skim my lips over the promise I’ve placed there, a sense of satisfaction burns in my chest.
Fuck if this isn’t the best feeling in the world.
It may have taken over a decade, but my girl is finally mine.
EPILOGUE
