Page 75 of Michael's Awakening
His expression was serious as he spoke, “I once lived in darkness. Light was all around me, but I could never touch it. With my past and the mentality it brought with it, I never thought I’d find anyone who would love me and accept me for who I am and what I’ve been through.”
He hesitated and slowly reached over to grasp my hand, running his thumb in small circles over my skin. The serious look on his face softened as he watched me. “And then one day, you came along. Out of nowhere, you appeared and filled me with hope for the first time in my life. You were like a burst of light that lit me up from the inside out, and once I saw you, I never wanted to let you go.”
Gently squeezing my hand, he brought it to his lips.
I was speechless. I didn’t know where he was going with all of this, but his words touched me. He had a way with words, making them fall from his lips like the beautiful poetry he loved to read to me, and I was entranced as I listened.
Then, he brought his other arm up and I saw a small black box in his hand.
“I know it’s still soon and we’ve only been together for a handful of months, but I know I can’t live without you. You’ve become everything to me and I want to spend the rest of my life making you happy. I’ve been wracking my brain trying to figure out the best way to do this, but I just felt like this was right.” He released the grip on my hand and opened the lid to the box, revealing a beautiful princess-cut diamond ring. My eyes flashed to his as my heart stopped beating in my chest. “Will you marry me, Gabriel?”
Tears pooled in my eyes as I stared at him. He was offering himself to me in the most beautiful way I could ever imagine: completely himself and not trying to be something he wasn’t.
“Yes,” I answered as a tear slid out of the corner of my eye.
His entire face lit up with the most breathtaking smile and he gently grabbed my chin before leaning in to kiss me. He then took the ring from the case and slid it on my finger. It was girly and one-hundred percent me; he knew exactly what I liked.
But, the ring didn’t matter. The only thing that mattered to me was the man holding onto my hand. The man I loved more than anything in this world.
“We don’t have to get married right away. We can wait as long as you need to wait so you can be sure it’s what you really want, but that’s only a piece of paper,” Michael said and smiled, relief visible in his eyes. “To me, you’re mine and I’m yours. Forever. And this ring is a symbol of that.”
“I’ve never been more sure of anything in my life. I want to marry you, Michael, I don’t need to think about it.” My heart skipped a beat at the warm smile he gave me. He had never looked happier than he did in that moment. “I’m so freakin’ upset right now,” I said with a small sigh. Michael’s eyes filled with concern and I smiled to reassure him. “Only because I want to attack you with kisses and have you fuck my brains out, but I’m too sore to move.”
I chuckled and then winced as pain shot through my ribs.
He barked out a laugh and leaned in to kiss my cheek. “Don’t be upset about that, Princess. When you heal, I’ll fuck you as much as you want. Just focus on getting better for now.” He stood up. “I’m going to make you some lunch, you need to eat.”
Before he left the room, though, he walked over to the TV in the room and switched it on, putting a disk into the DVD player.
I smiled as I heard the familiar music intro toSex and the City. Snuggling into the blanket, I watched as the four fabulous women went about their daily lives and dealt with their men troubles, feeling thankful that I had finally found my perfect man. Even with his flaws, he was still perfect in my eyes.
He was my knight in rusty, tarnished armor and no one was more beautiful than him.
Within minutes, Michael returned with a bowl of my favorite fruit and a blueberry bagel and sat down next to me on the bed as I ate. I picked at my food and ate as much as I could, but soon, the pain medication slowly began to kick in and my eyelids became heavy.
Putting his arm around me, Michael gently ran his fingers through my short hair as I drifted off to sleep, feeling happier than I had ever been.
