You really pulled out all the stops,” I said jokingly as we walked hand in hand on the beach that Liam owned. He grinned boyishly, saying nothing. But in all honesty, it had been an amazing day. I sighed in content. All of this, the quiet serenity of this beach, the sun falling behind the horizon in farewell, painting the sky shades of pink and blue and green, his hand latched onto mine-it was right. He stopped walking in the middle of my inner monologue. I looked at him in shock, furrowing my eyebrows.
“Why are we stopping?” I asked him, tilting my head in confusion.
“Yvonne, I brought you here because there’s something I want to ask you,” he told me, his eyes serious. Oh, God, I hope he doesn’t ask for a threesome.
“Okay,” I said cautiously.
“Yvonne, you’ve changed me in ways that I never thought possible. You’ve proved to me that love is real, that it truly does exist. You’ve shown me that it’s possible to want only one woman for the rest of my life. You’ve opened my eyes, shown me that I’ve been wasting my time with all those meaningless flings. I should’ve been looking for you sooner.
That night when you stumbled out of the club, drunk and pissed: it was the best thing that ever happened to me. Yvonne, it wasn’t meant for you to marry Simon because…” Liam took a deep breath and my heart pounded as he got on one knee, taking my left hand in his while holding a ring with the hugest fricking diamond I’d ever seen in my life. But I wasn’t even thinking about the diamond. My thoughts were invaded by Liam. “…you were meant to be with me,” he finished softly, his eyes burning into mine.
“I can’t imagine one day without you, so it only makes sense for you to spend everyday with me. For the rest of our lives. Yvonne Michaels, will you marry me?” To say that I was in shock was an understatement. I wasn’t sure if I should say yes to be completely honest. I mean, the last time I said yes it ended in heartbreak. And then I looked at his face. He was more than just divinely sexy, he was funny and cocky. Protective and possessive. He’d go to hell and back for me and I knew I’d instinctively do the same for him. I’d do it in a heartbeat.
“Yes,” I whispered. He grinned widely, so widely I thought his face would split in half and slipped the ring on my finger. He stood up gracefully, pulling me into his arms. His lips seized mine and when he pulled away I was breathless.
“I can’t wait for you to become Mrs. Hawke,” he whispered in my ear.
★★★
It was three days after Liam proposed to me and everyone was excited for us. Even Ryan. He seemed to be getting over the fact that I looked exactly like his deceased lover. I actually think he had a thing for Martia. He seemed to admire her “no bullshit” attitude.
My days were spent with Carol, my mom, Martia, and Kayleen planning my wedding. I can’t recall a time where I’ve ever felt this happy. The smile on my face couldn’t be removed if you whacked me over the head with a frying pan. And everyday that I spent with Liam felt even happier than before. We only seemed to get happier as time went on. Hmm… Mrs. Yvonne Hawke. I could get used to that.
