Chapter 54

 

 

 

Luke

 

 

I was tender tonight.

I undressed Afton slowly before I took her to bed.

After I settled between her legs, I planted a row of kisses up her inner thigh to her pussy. I lost myself there, relishing in her taste and those sounds she makes when she can barely contain herself. They are the prelude to her climax.

When that hits, she lets herself feel, and I hear it. I always hear it and it’s music to my ears.

There’s a mix of pleasure and the vulnerability in her cries.

After that, I fucked her slowly, never taking my gaze from her face. I felt it through me, not just the pleasure our connection.

We’re in the garden now with the stars above and the rush of the city around us.

I don’t need any music to block out the noise. I want to soak it all in. I have to etch this moment in time into my soul so when our children ask what it was like the night their mom agreed to be my wife, I can tell them in pointed detail.

I slipped the ring box into the pocket of my suit pants before I left my apartment.

It had been sitting in the drawer of my nightstand since I bought it at a jewelry store called Whispers of Grace that morning when I went to Bryant Park and then the café.

It was the morning Afton thought I was choosing someone else over her.

A million women and a lifetime of temptation could never tear me away from her. She’s it for me.

“I like that look.” Afton smiles as she glances in my direction.

My hair is a mess. My neck is covered with red marks courtesy of her kisses, and I’m bare chested. I tugged on my pants before coming out here.

 Afton’s wearing less than me. She has on a pair of white lace panties, and a blanket draped around her shoulders.

I approach her with calm and easy steps.

“Come and sit next to me.” Her hand darts out from beneath the blanket to point at the chair next to her.

I ignore the request and instead drop to one knee.

Her mouth falls open in slow motion. “Luke.”

If I was good at speeches, my life’s path might have taken me in another direction, but I’m not skilled in that regard. I say it like I mean it, so I let it flow. “I love you, Afton Neal. I had no idea the day we met that destiny had my back. Fuck, did it have my back.”

She laughs.

I take her hand in mine, brushing my lips over her palm. “In a short time, you’ve proven to me what love is. You’ve lit up my life like the Fourth of July fireworks. Every moment I’ve had with you is better than the last, and I know some people might think it’s too soon for this, but fuck them. My heart is yours. That’s never going to change. I promise I’ll be the best man I can be every day I’m on this earth. Please marry me, Afton. Let me love you forever.”

I fumble with the ring box before I snap it open to reveal the one-of-a-kind diamond and ruby ring.

Her hand flies to my cheek. “Yes, yes, and yes. I’ll marry you, Luke. I’ll marry you.”

I take her for a kiss that leaves me breathless.

We part when we hear voices above us, yelling their congratulations.

I sprint to the back of the garden and glance up to see my future brothers-in-law with their faces in an open window. “She said yes!”

“Welcome to the family, Luke!” Nelson calls down.

“I’ll grab the champagne!” Joel adds. “I’m using my extra key to come in, so get decent. We’re about to have a Walton-Neal Jones celebration for the ages.”