Page 80 of Crow's Haven
I rest the oars for a second, letting us drift again.
She reaches out and runs her fingers over mine. “What did you want to talk about? Whatever it is, I’ll understand.”
“I thought the feeling would go away, but it didn’t. Instead of liking you less as time wore on, I liked you more.”
“Aw, that’s real sweet of you say,” she says with a tender smile. “I feel the same way about you.”
My throat tightens. “Thought I lost you when you ran. That I’d scared you off by being such an asshole.”
“We already talked about that, and I forgave you. I’m not a grudge holder and I don’t want you carrying around a bunch of guilt over things you said when you were in shock,” she says squeezing my hand.
“Yeah, know you did.” I tell her. “Those memories keep circling around in my head though. They won’t go away.”
“We need to be looking forward, not back,” she states with conviction. “We made it against all odds. We’re together and happy. We should concentrate on that.”
I nod, still feeling a bit less anxious about it. Maybe it’s like she said, and it’s all water under the bridge.
She tilts her head. “You okay, babe? You look like you have more on your mind than worrying about the past.”
I run my fingers through my hair, and I look away, pretending to focus on the riverbank. But my heart’s thumping hard now. It’s ‘cause I got something in that cooler that’s gonna change both our lives. And I hope to hell I don’t mess it up.
“Well, I wanted to tell you that you’re the strongest damn woman I’ve ever met,” my voice catches. “The way you helped the feds bring down those assholes responsible for that boy’s death and cleared your name all in one fell swoop was fucking impressive. Now, they’re all sitting in jail waiting for justice to be served on ‘em and you’re free to move forward with your life.”
She asks, “Is this about me deciding to work for Patch instead of going back to the hospital? I just couldn’t face it, knowing my former colleagues believed I could do something like that.”
Shooting her a worried glance, I shake my head. “No. It’s about you not needing me anymore.”
She swipes at her cheek, watery smile tugging at her mouth. “I want you though. Never doubt that, Crow. Plus if you hadn’t made it to the hospital when you did, that guard from Salinas Pharmaceuticals would have riddled me with holes.”
I frown, “That asshole’s lucky I didn’t fucking snap his neck.” Glancing away, I swallow thickly. “Guess what I’m trying to say is you ain’t just my old lady. You’re my home and hearth and my peace in a world that can be so fucking cruel sometimes,” I say, my voice rough.
She whispers, “You say that most surprising stuff, outta nowhere.”
I shake my head, steady and sure. “No, baby. It’s not out of nowhere. And I mean every fucking word.”
I shift and drag the cooler towards me. She watches, confused, probably expecting a cold drink or some half-assed snack.
When I pop the lid, she freezes.
Sitting right there on top of a folded napkin is a small black velvet ring box. I hold it up for her to take, and she reaches out with one trembling hand.
She’s facing me, legs curled to the side, one hand still pressed over her heart like she’s trying her best to hold it together. I’m balancing the ring box in my outstretched hand, like an idiot with one hand steadying the ring box and the other braced against the seat. “I want you to be my wife and my boys’ mother, ‘cause we fucking love you better than the sidecar.”
Her eyes are shining, but she chokes out a strangled laugh. “That’s a mighty high compliment coming from you and your boys.”
I can’t keep the smile off my face but make an effort to keep from turning into a complete fool by saying gruffly, “Do you want to be my wife?”
“Yes,” she replies breathlessly. “Of course I do. How could you think for even a second that I would say no?”
“Thank fuck,” I whisper under my breath. I grab her waist and haul her onto my lap, almost tipping us both into the river. She squeals, clutching my neck, grinning like sunshine after a storm.
I kiss her with every ounce of joy locked in my cold, hard heart. Every sleepless night I worried and wondered if she would take the final step with me turned out to be wasted effort. I should have known that my Ladybug would choose me.
When I pull back, I finally open the little velvet box and show her what I’ve been hiding for weeks. The ring’s custom made, made of white gold like her other jewelry.
“Oh my God, is that two little ladybugs holding the stone?”
I grin, “Yes ma’am, it is. It was the boys’ idea. They also wanted the garnet because it was the color of a ladybug.”
