Page 107 of Liberating Bells
“Why are you looking at me like that?”
Her eyes dart away, and she digs her fork into her dinner. “I don’t know. You just seem weird all of a sudden.”
“Weird how?”Shit. Gotta get it together, man.
Izabel shrugs and offers me a smile. “I’m not sure. I’m probably just imagining it.”
“Maybe I’m just enthralled with your cooking skills. This is really good.”
She laughs and raises an eyebrow. “It’s out of a box, Ryan. But thanks, I’ll take the compliment.”
Smooth.
Thankfully, she drops the subject, and we finish our meal. When we’re done. I watch her put away the dishes. I’m perched at the table, my chin in my hand, perfectly content, when my phone chimes. My eyes dart down to my screen, and I see Josie has sent me a thumbs-up emoji.
Here goes nothing.
I scoot my chair back, the feet squeaking against the hardwood floors of the cabin. Strolling over to where Izabel is standing at the sink, I wrap my arms around her waist. My hands come to rest on the slight swell of her lower abdomen, and I smile. Leaning down, I press my lips to her neck. Izabel tilts her head off to the side, giving me better access.
“Want to go for a walk with me?” I ask her.
She turns around with wide blue eyes. “It’s dark outside.”
“So?” I ask her with a wry grin.
“So, what if there are bears?”
“I’ll protect you, Bells,” I murmur against her neck with a chuckle.
“It’s cold out, though.”
Jesus, just take the bait, woman!
“We’ll bundle up. We’ve been cooped up all day. I need to get out and roam a little bit,” I tell her. “Here, how about you go on awalk with me, then we can come back and take a nice warm bath, hm?”
Bells turns around to face me, my hands now resting above her rear. Her arms wrap around my neck as she looks at me. “You sure know the way to a girl’s heart.”
“Just this girl’s,” I say, leaning forward and kissing the tip of her nose.
“Fine,” she says with a sigh. “Let me get my coat.”
She strides toward our bedroom and emerges with her coat only a minute later, giving me a grin. “Let’s go.”
I reach for her hand, and she gratefully takes it, lacing her fingers with mine. We walk out of the cabin and are hit with a brisk breeze on the front porch. Bells steps closer to me, burrowing deeper into her coat. It is definitely colder than I thought it was.
The daylight hours got much warmer, hovering in the low fifties, and effectively melting the snow we got last night. But now that the sun is gone, the chill is back in full force. The night is clear, though, and the stars up in the sky are vast and twinkling. One of my favorite parts about being out here is seeing the stars without any interference from the city.
The underbrush crushes underneath our feet as we walk. Bells keeps her hand in mine, seeking warmth, but she doesn’t say anything. I glance over at her a few times and am relieved when she looks content. The ring box burns in my back pocket as we walk a little farther.
I lead her over to the clearing where Josie and the gang got everything set up. As we round the corner, Bells gasps next to me, her hand coming up to cover her mouth.
The trees surrounding the small clearing are wrapped in white fairy lights, making their trunks look like they’re glowing. On the path in front of us are paper bag lanterns. The white candles inside the bags illuminate the direction we’re supposedto follow. The whole scene looks utterly enchanting. Josie and Jules were able to pull it off exactly how I wanted them too.
Izabel grips my hand harder and looks at me with wide, confused eyes. “What’s happening, Ryan?”
I stay quiet until we reach a spacious area. White rose petals are strewn across the ground, making it look like the snow that was there this morning. My heart is about to burst with anticipation and love for this woman. If I don’t get this over with, I might die. This is years in the making, and though it’s miraculous I waited that long, I don’t think I can hold out another second. I turn to Izabel and take her other hand in mine, holding her awed gaze. My pulse is skyrocketing with nerves and adrenaline.
Then slowly, so that I don’t fall over, I bend down to one knee in front of the woman I plan to love for as long as I’m alive.
