Page 36 of One Wild Night
As soon as she kicked off her heels, a knock sounded at her door and she wondered who that couldbe.
She didn’t think it would be Scott because it looked like he had gotten the message earlier. He didn’t come after her again when she ran off years ago, and, apart from that intense moment during the vows, he had kept himself to himself throughout thewedding.
She opened the door and was genuinely surprised to seehim.
“Hi,” hebegan.
Her breath stilled within her chest as she looked at him. “Hey.”
“Can I comein?”
She nodded and stepped aside so that he could comein.
“Just so we’re clear, this is me coming after you. I saw you leave the reception. I didn’t try earlier when we spoke because I thought you needed time to cooloff.”
“Scott, it doesn’t matter.” She was trying to be strong, here, but was finding ithard.
“It does, Abi. Tell me something… Will you forget me when you leavehere?”
She narrowed her eyes at him thinking the question strange. “No, of course not. I’ll rememberyou.”
“Will that be because I’m Margo’s brother, or because I’m ScottEmmerson.”
“Scott, that is a fruitless question. What kind of an idiot question isthat?”
“It’s not an idiot question if you think about it. So just answerit.”
She sighed, feeling frustrated. “I’ll remember you because you’reScott.”
“And you love me?” He looked down at her, holding hergaze.
“I can’t do this.” She shook her head at him. Telling him she loved him earlier had been a mistake. It just came out beyond hercontrol.
“Please, just tell me. Tell meagain.”
It was only because it seemed important for him to hear it again that she decided to say, “I do love you. But it doesn’tmatter.”
“It does, Abi.” He released a breath and pulled in another. “I love you, too, and I’m going to ask you to marryme.”
Her eyes widened with pure shock. There was no way she expected or anticipated him saying that and it stunned her to hercore.
“What?” shegasped.
“I said I love you, too, and I’m going to ask you to marry me,” herepeated.
All she could do is look at him, open-mouthed, feeling her heart race and her breathing speedup.
“Now?” her voice was barely audible. “You’re going to ask menow?”
“No,” he shook his head. “I’m going to ask you when I’ve earned the chance to. I don’t deserve you. I never did, but I’ll die tryingto.”
“Scott…” All the love she could possibly feel for him swelled within herchest.
“Please, give me a chance to prove myself to you, to prove that I am committed to you -- just you. Abi, I screwed up the seven years that we were together, and if it takes me seven more years to prove myself, I’ll do it and make sure that when I ask you to marry me, you’ll sayyes.”
Abi blinked several times to be sure she wasn’t dreaming. To add to the perfect vison of him and all that he’d said, he got down on one knee and looked up at her. “Please, will you give me achance?”
She reached out and rested her hand on top of his head, loving the silky feel of its texture between her fingers. “Yes,” she breathed. “Yes.”
