Davenport Harbor (Six Degrees Book 3) (39 page)

“
I think she would be a great big sister one day.
”
He hadn
’
t said the three words that I always thought would be in a wedding proposal.

“
Kitten?
”

“
Yeah?
”

“
Where did you go?
”

“
I
’
m
…
.Nowhere. I
’
m here.
”
His dark eyes searched for something in mine, his eyebrows scrunched together.

“
What is it?
”

“
Do you love me, John?
”
His face straightened out and he opened his mouth then closed it. The silence said it all.

John

My heart was racing and my tongue seemed too big for my mouth, almost as if I could choke on it.

“
I
’
m sorry
…
I shouldn
’
t have
…
.
”
She blushed, closing her sweet eyes, bending her head lower, and I leaned my head against hers.

“
Kitten
…
.
”

“
No, John. I get it."

“
I care about you and Zoey a great deal.
”
God, I was pathetic, not telling her the truth.
“
Love…I don
’
t
…”

“
I love you,
”
she blurted, the words filling me in a way that made me realize I
’
d somehow been empty for too long.
“
I love you. I love everything about you. How you are with my daughter and the fact that you want to make her yours
…”
Tears sprang from in her large eyes.
“
I
’
ll marry you, on one condition.
”
My heart thundered in my chest at her saying yes and what the hell her stipulation could be.

“
What?
”

“
I sign a prenuptial agreement. I want you to know I am marrying you for you and not your money.
”
The way she told me so stubbornly was cute.

“
Anne
…”

“
I
’
m serious.
”
Her voice softened,
“
I don
’
t want you to ever think
…
in case you one day think you rushed this.
”
I knew what she was trying to do. It was sweet and it only made me love her more.
Fuck.

“
I
’
ll think about it
…”

“
No. You will have one of your fancy overpaid lawyers draw up the paperwork. I
’
ll sign them and we can get married whenever you want.
”
I looked at her and knew she was serious.

“
Okay, Kitten. I
’
ll get something drawn up.
”

“
Thank you,
”
she whispered, her lips kissing mine, and I held her tighter, kissing her tenderly, softly. I loved her so much it scared me. I
’
d make sure to show her that I loved her, so that she never questioned it due to my lack of saying the words.

“
John, I need you,
”
she whispered against my mouth, and I deepened the kiss and went on to give her exactly what she needed for the rest of the night, knowing that she was finally free of the past and of Downey.

Knowing that she had agreed to be mine.

Anne

“
You're very light on your feet,
”
I told him in awe as he swayed us to the tempo of the music.

“
Did you think I
’
d be a clutz?
”
He asked, swaying to the soft song playing in the background, a smirk playing on his beautiful mouth.

“
No,
”
I giggled nervously as his hand inched its way to my lower back, pulling me slightly closer.
“
You're just so big
…”
I started to say and when a wicked gleam came over his dark eyes, I blushed at the unintended double entendre.
“
I mean
…
tall
…”

“
I'm that, too,
”
he chuckled, and I relaxed my head against his chest. I followed his lead as we danced, swaying, moving, and him occasionally spinning me in such a lovely way I didn’t even get dizzy.

The song changed to something really slow and dreamy and I shivered. His strong body was now lined up with mine and we were hardly even moving anymore. Shivers coursed through my body, my skin was covered with goose bumps, my nipples standing on point. I forgot all about the people here watching us.

Two weeks had passed since Blake had taken me. Within six hours of being taken, John had me back safe and sound. I didn
’
t ask how he
’
d got to me or what Patrick and that Sloan guy
’
s involvement had been. I just knew Zoey and I were safe. The very next day, John had Sabrina start on planning the wedding. A wedding I very much wanted, but couldn
’
t help but worry about.
Were we rushing? Was I being naïve again?
He hadn
’
t told me he loved me, but I knew he did. The way he was with Zoey, with me, there was no doubt. He just hadn
’
t said the words.

Sabrina insisted on giving us an engagement dinner, which we were currently at. Zoey was at Sabrina
’
s parents’ house, along with Sabrina
’
s own brood. Tonight was an adults only night and dancing with John was by far my favorite part of the evening.

“
You smell so damn good,
”
he whispered, nipping the shell of my ear. His breathing and words had me pressing my body into his.

The way his fingers skimmed the skin between my shoulders and elbows, warmed my body and put my nerves standing on edge. The light and steady way the pads of his fingers ran up and down the bare skin made me wish we were alone, back at home, so that he could do that to other parts of my body.

“
I can
’
t wait to get you home, Kitten.
”
I smiled and looked up at him. He looked extremely handsome in his dark charcoal suit that fit him like he was born to wear it, with his white dress shirt unbuttoned at the neck, giving just a peek at the dark chest hair below.

“
We still have to take pictures at the photo booth,
”
I reminded him, and he leaned his head into my neck, groaning.

“
Do we have to?
”
He asked before licking my neck and I giggled, enjoying the light tickle of the stubble he had on his jaw. I was more than glad that I’d chosen an olive-green halter top silk dress that brought out my eyes. This dress had a deep V at the neck and fit tightly on top and loose at the bottom, the hem of the dress hitting just above my knees. I had paired it up with super strappy black heels. My make-up was slightly dramatic with black cat eyeliner and red lipstick. It was a look I knew he very much liked.

“
Yes. Sabrina has done a lot of work to set this up, honey.
”

“
Okay.
”

“
Don
’
t you want pictures of us together?
”

“
We
’
re doing a photo shoot tomorrow, how could you think that?
”

“
But these are for us
…
like for the fridge and stuff.
”
His feet stopped moving and I looked at him, his eyes burning, and my hopes went up, thinking this was the moment he was going to say those three words. But he didn’t. He closed his eyes and opened them right before placing his hand on my neck. My hair had been fixed by Sabrina
’
s stylist, who hadn
’
t asked any questions, but had done a beautiful job of styling my hair into a long bob.

“
Thank you,
”
he blurted and I frowned.

“
For what?
”

“
For giving me pictures to put on a fridge.
”
He
’
d told me a little about what his life had been like growing up. Money and power, but no affection.
“
Let
’
s go take pictures, Kitten. Lots of them. I want some for my office, too.
” With
his hand in mine, we went and took a ton of pictures.

He might not say the words, but he never failed to show me how he felt.

John

We had danced, eaten, and taken a million pictures that I
’
ll admit I was excited about putting out. I had family to put on display in my office now, to hang on the refrigerator in the kitchen, people to showcase pictures of around the house. I hadn
’
t had an office when Alice was alive, and I had been too young to think about putting pictures on display in the little house we
’
d lived in. Something about being able to do this now made me want to tell Anne that I loved her.

I wanted to tell her over and over and over, but I couldn’t. Not yet.

I was driving us home, slightly nervous about a little box in my pocket. I stopped in our spot, and she looked at me questioningly when I got out and opened her door.

“
Come with me?
”
I asked her, extending my hand out to her, and she grabbed it, her eyes trusting but curious. The sexy way her hips were making her dress swing slightly made me want to pull it up, but not yet.
Patience, Johnny boy!

Walking her to the spot that still had a cast iron table to mark where we first met, I stopped and she looked at me.

“
I know I didn
’
t propose in a very traditional or romantic way,
”
I started to say and she smiled. My hand touched her face.
“
I will cherish you, I
’
ll always be honest, I
’
ll be the man you need me to be. A man you can count on to be your partner in everything and anything. The man who will stand behind you, supporting every dream you want to achieve, and the one to stand in front of you to protect you and get you out of harm
’
s way
…”
My heart picked up speed, which was stupid really, since she
’
d already said yes and we had just come back from our impromptu engagement dinner. Kneeling in front of her, I brought out a small black velvet box from the inside pocket of my suit jacket and watched as her eyes widened.

“
Marry me, knowing the kind of man I am, Anne. Know I want you with me, for you to always be by my side.
”
My voice was hoarse, but I ignored the slight tremble in it and swallowed hard, my eyes drifting to hers. Her eyes were not looking at the open box in front of her. Hell no. My kitten wasn’t the kind of woman who cared what was in the box. Her eyes were on me.

“
I haven
’
t been a good man in the past. I
’
m known as being ruthless in and out of a boardroom. I come with my own set of issues, but you know each and every one of them. You know the darkest parts of me. Marry me with your eyes wide open knowing that, but also knowing that you
’
ve changed me. You
’
ve made me want to be better. I will protect you and Zoey, I will help raise her like my own, there will never be any difference between what I feel for her or any other child we might have. I will protect and care for both of you, every single moment from now till I draw my last breath.
”
Her hands touched my face, and her touch was gentle, filling up the once empty space in my chest.
“
Marry me here, in the spot where we met.
”

“
Yes.
”
I had been expecting that one word, but not until it slipped from her mouth did I let myself believe it.

“
I
’
ll make you happy, Kitten.
”

“
I
’
ll make you happy, too, John.
”
I stood, taking the two-carat diamond, art-deco vintage engagement ring out of the box and slipping it onto her finger. It fit perfectly. The look on her face as she looked at my ring on her hand made me feel ten feet tall.

Anne

I knew it in the back of my mind. I knew—or at least had heard—that weddings were stressful. Weddings that were planned within a month were a whole other ball game. How Sabrina and her assistant kept everything so organized and didn
’
t seem fazed by the chaos deserved a trophy. I on the other hand, was overwhelmed, and I wasn
’
t even doing much. My dress was picked up, and someone was delivering it to the guest house, so that John wouldn
’
t see it. The flowers were chosen and being arranged by a local floral artist. Sunflowers, the first flowers that John ever gave me, were the ones I selected. Sabrina had tried to talk me out of it, but I
’
d talked her into sunflowers mixed with Gerbera daisies in bright summer colors. Some of the planning was fun and other parts tedious, but since we
’
d decided to have the ceremony in the exact spot where we
’
d met on that stormy night, it didn
’
t matter. The reception was going to be in the backyard, between the main house and the guest house.

Unfortunately, since the night John re-proposed, he
’
d been beyond busy, coming home later and later. The one thing we had been able to pick out together was the cake from a beautiful bakery called Izzy Tizzy
’
s, where the two owners Liz Stone and Tessa Galan had helped us design the perfect cake. But that had been the only thing we
’
d been able to do together. After that, during this past week and a half, he
’
d somehow slowly pushed us aside. I tried to tell myself it was just nerves, but a worry whispered in the back of my mind.