Fighting for Love (Second Chances #4)(82)
My eyes started to burn, and when I opened them, Matt wiped away my tears before they could fall and leaned in to kiss me. It was soft at first, just a gentle pressing of his lips to mine, but I wanted more … a lot more. Locking my arms around his shoulders, I pulled him in harder against me and deepened the kiss, moaning lightly when his grip tightened around my waist and the taste of his lips consumed me.
“I can’t spend another minute away from you either,” I cried, leaning my forehead against his. “I’ve missed you so much.”
“I’ve missed you, too, angel.”
Our moment of reunion was interrupted by the sound of Jace’s roaring laughter. “Uh … I do believe that’s an understatement,” he teased. “I swear these past couple of weeks have been torture.”
“What are you talking about?” I asked while Matt and Jace both started to chuckle.
“He’s talking about me,” Matt confessed. “I might have been a little on the annoying side. I called him every day that first week just to see how you were doing.”
“And then he followed us here the day after we arrived,” Jace added with a smirk. “He was determined to get you back, but I told him to at least give you a week of rest once we arrived here.”
Wide-eyed, I gasped and glared at them both incredulously. “So you two have been conspiring this whole time?” To Jace I asked, “Is he the one you always had to leave the room for when you got a phone call?”
Sheepishly, he nodded and smiled. The whole time I’d been in North Carolina, Matt was there as well. No wonder it felt like he was close by. It was because he was.
“All right, so now that you know, I’m going to go and let you two catch up and do your thing,” Jace said. “Allie and I are going out tonight so I won’t be around.” Turning on his heel, he peered at me over his shoulder and winked before completely disappearing down the pier.
With my arms crossed at the chest, I playfully narrowed my gaze at Matt and pursed my lips. “So you’ve been here this whole week, huh? What all have you been doing?”
He shrugged and tilted those lips up into a devilish smirk. “Nothing much, really. Just making sure no guys laid a finger on this certain beach bunny who looked amazingly hot out on the sand every day in her sexy bikini.”
Smacking his arm, we both laughed together as he held me close to his body, his hands rubbing smooth circles into my back. His scent engulfed me and I breathed him in along with the salty sea air and sighed, fully content with the fact he was back and he was mine.
“Where do we go from here?” I asked softly.
The fingers he had caressing my back stopped and he stepped away, gazing down at me with unabashed longing and a heated desire so strong I could feel the tremble all the way down to my core. I missed him so much.
Slowly, he bent down on his knees and took my hands in his, keeping his gaze on mine the entire time. Mouth gaping open, I stared at him in complete shock as he reached into his pocket and slid the small diamond ring onto my finger.
“I know it’s not much,” he added with a smile, “but there was a time ten years ago when I knew you were the one for me. I had planned to give you this ring the day after you left, but then …”
I gasped, looking down at the ring in amazement. He kept it this whole time?
“Oh my God,” I breathed as tears sprang to my eyes. “I can’t believe you kept it for so long. It’s beautiful.”
It was a simple white gold band with a half carat, round diamond in the center. At that point in our lives, Matt didn’t make that much money. The ring probably cost him a fortune, and after I left he could’ve sold it, but he didn’t.
“I plan on getting you a nicer one when we get back home, but for now I thought this ring would get my point across. For years I kept it, not really knowing why until now.” He got to his feet and held my hands tight, bringing them up over his heart. “Deep down, I guess I always hoped that it wasn’t over. I kept thinking you would come back one day, but then the years passed and you never did. There was still that feeling inside of me that told me not to let it go … not to give up hope.”
“Matt,” I murmured, gazing down at the ring, “I don’t want another ring. This one is perfect just the way it is. The significance behind it means more to me than any four carat diamond ever would.”
“You mean that?”
Rising on my toes, I nodded and kissed his lips. “With all my heart,” I cried.
“Well, then I guess that leads me to my next question.” Taking a deep breath, he let one of my hands go so he could bring it to my cheek. “Shelby, I love you so much. I know we’ve been through a lot the past few weeks, but even so, my love for you has never wavered. When I first met you I swear I thought you really were an angel. You saved me so many times and you were always there when I needed you no matter the consequences. In one way or another, you helped me find my way and helped me become the man I am today. I have never doubted that I wanted to spend the rest of my life with you, and I’m determined to see it through. So will you, Shelby Dawson, please find it within your heart to overlook my wrongs and spend the rest of your life with me?”
“I want you to be my wife so I can spend the rest of my life trying to make you happy. I can’t promise we won’t have our ups and downs, but I would risk everything just to have the privilege of your love every day. I want it all, Shelby. I want the chance to have my own family, to watch our kids grow, and to have the house you always wanted and dreamed about.”