Total pages in book: 58
Estimated words: 56591 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 283(@200wpm)___ 226(@250wpm)___ 189(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 56591 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 283(@200wpm)___ 226(@250wpm)___ 189(@300wpm)
Grandma sniffles, dabbing her face with her handkerchief, watching us with a warm smile on her face.
Dom’s got his hand on the small of my back as we ride the elevator together. I love—yes, love, love, love!—when he holds me like this, possessively and protectively at the same time. It’s like he’s telling anybody who might catch sight of us: This woman is mine.
The doors open to show a rooftop covered in rose petals, just like on our first date. My breath catches at the beauty of it, along with the emotional weight bearing down. Two days ago, when we learned Sebastian had been arrested, it felt like the world had opened up. Now we can enjoy this new world.
Just me, my man, and my grandma… with my reignited passion for the violin. Can life get any better?
Dom leads me past the table, the champagne, and the candles at the edge of the rooftop. He shifts so that he’s behind me, his arms wrapped around me, his warm presence pushing against my back. He leans down and kisses my neck tenderly.
“I used to go to the roof at the office before I met you,” he says huskily, his warm breath tickling my ear and neck. “I’d imagine what was going on in the apartment towers, all the lives being lived, and I’d hear my father’s voice in my head. You’re better off without it, son, he’d tell me. You’ve chosen the right path. I wasted so many years thinking like that, and yet, Songbird, I can’t resent it. It gave us the time we needed for you to fly into my life.”
I cough as my throat closes up with emotion, my eyes stinging.
He kisses me again.
“Before the crash, we stopped under those trees, remember?”
I shift against him, making my voice breathy, how he likes. “I remember very well.”
He chuckles and bites my ear playfully, sending hot signals shooting through my body. “The second time, beautiful,” he says.
I lean against him. “Oh yeah…”
“You remember what I was going to do and how you warned me to wait,” he says, voice thick with emotion. “I’m done waiting, Songbird. I’m done looking at other people’s lives and thinking I can never have what they have. I’m done thinking I’m too damaged, or cool, or interesting to experience love and joy. I’m done being edgy and distant and strange. I’m just… done. You’ve changed me. You—you, Izzy. It’s not about me or what you do for me. It’s just about you.”
He clears his throat, sounding as if he could let out a sob any second. He kisses my neck, then keeps his face close, whispering close to my ear.
“You’re kind, determined, beautiful, selfless. You’re talented. And you know how to enjoy life, how to stop and savor the little things. You’re… everything, Songbird. You’re mine.” He clings to me tightly, trembling as he hugs me close. “I love you when we talk. I love you when we fuck. I love you when we’re just sitting together, not doing a damn thing. I love you when we text. I love you.”
He steps back, gently turning me so I can face him head-on. I’ve never seen so much feeling on his hard-featured face, not even when he was in the hospital. A single tear slides down his face. I reach up and gently brush it away.
He catches my hand and kisses my wrist softly. “Isabella Marlowe,” he murmurs, “the love of my life, the most perfect woman I’ve ever met…”
“I’m not perfect,” I whisper, tears sliding down my cheeks.
“To me, you’re more than perfect,” he says with feeling.
He slowly lowers himself to one knee, looking strong and handsome at the same time. Rose petals are all around him, their scent filling the air, adding to the romance.
He reaches into his pocket and takes out a ring box.
“Izzy, my songbird,” he says, opening the box. I gasp, my hands flying up to cover my mouth. The ring is a work of art, a chunky diamond set within a white-gold band, with two little carvings framing it: one is a song note, and the other is a small violin. “Will you marry me?”
I can’t catch my breath as I stare at the ring. I let too much time pass. Dom’s expression wavers tragically, as if he thinks he’s overshot. I quickly dart my hand down, offering him my hand.
“Yuh-yuh…” I can’t push the word out, the emotion is rising so wonderfully inside of me. “Yes!” I finally squeal.
He grins like a happy little boy, taking the ring and sliding it onto my finger.
Leaping to his feet, he pulls me into his arms and lifts me off my feet, spinning me around and around.
EPILOGUE
DOMINIC
Six Years Later
Wife: Our little angels couldn’t ask for a better uncle. Maybe it’s those crazy pregnancy hormones, but I honestly feel like crying right now.