My Salvation (29 page)

Once inside, they got into the elevator and rode
to the top floor. Stepping out, the door to the restaurant in front
of her. She couldn’t believe where he had taken her. Alex’s was one
of the most expensive restaurants in the city.

“Alex’s? Owen, this place is impossible to get
into. How did you get a reservation?”

He shrugged and said, “I know the owner. Built a
yacht for him a couple of years ago. He’s a really nice guy, very
easy to work with. We keep in touch.”

Standing with her mouth slightly open, she
thought of how he never ceased to amaze her. She always wanted to
eat there, but couldn’t bring herself to spend that kind of money
on food.

“Owen, this is too much. Let’s go somewhere
else.”

He cupped her cheek with his hand. “It’s never
too much when it comes to you. You deserve the best of
everything.”

Cali brushed her lips across his and whispered,
“Thank you.”

After giving his name to the hostess, she
escorted them through the main dining room to a door on the far
side. The view was one the best features of the restaurant. The
food was the other. No matter which table you were seated at, a
view of the city was the backdrop. Large floor to ceiling windows
wrapped around the restaurant’s dining area. The room seemed to be
two stories tall.

The hostess opened the door to the private room
and motioned for them to go in. Internally, Cali’s jaw dropped, but
on the outside she tried to remain calm at the beautiful room they
entered. A small table for two was in the center with a white linen
table cloth, white leather chairs and two candles of differing
heights on the table.

The room looked like it could hold a much bigger
table, but they must have swapped it out. The walls surrounding
them were covered in beautiful, intricate gold designs. She wanted
to run her hands along it, but resisted. Another door was located
off the back of the room which she assumed the waiter used.

The view in front of them was the same as the
other diners had, but that one was only for them. They couldn’t see
or hear the other diners. The hostess didn’t leave menus, which she
thought was a little odd. Once they were seated the hostess smiled,
nodded and left the room.

Before Cali had a chance to say anything, the
door behind them opened and an older man with dark hair and a warm
smile stepped through. Owen stood, smiling as well, and clasped
hands with the man.

“Alex, it’s great to see you again,” he
said.

In a thick, French accent, Alex said, “Owen,
always a pleasure.”

“May I introduce you to my girlfriend, Caliana.
Cali, this is Alex, the owner of the restaurant.”

Standing, she offered her hand. Alex took it and
placed a kiss along the back of her hand. She blushed and said,
“It’s nice to meet. Your restaurant is beautiful. I’ve always
wanted to come here.”

“Ah, it is not my restaurant that is beautiful,
but it is you, my dear. Welcome. It is my pleasure to have you. And
this man right here,” he said pointing to Owen. “He is a good
man.”

She smiled. “Yes, he is.”

Owen smiled at her, dimples and all, making her
heart skip a beat. Luckily, Alex spoke before she became a puddle
on the floor.

“I had the chef prepare a special meal for you
both. Sit down, relax. I’ll have some very nice wine brought out.
And enjoy the view.”

She thanked him and sat in the chair. “Owen,
this is amazing. I can’t believe you arranged for this.”

He chuckled. “All I did was call Alex and ask if
it was possible to get a reservation on short notice. I didn’t
expect any of this. I thought we would be out on the main floor
with everyone else.”

“That was very nice of him.”

They had wine and were brought so much food, she
didn’t think she would be able to move. Later, their plates were
taken away and they were brought some of the best tasting coffee
she ever had. They sat, sipping their coffee, holding hands across
the table.

He stood suddenly and walked around the table to
stand before her. She looked up, unsure if they were leaving or
not. When she started to stand he shook his head no. Instead, he
got down on one knee before her.

Reaching for her hand, he said, “Caliana
Crawford, you are the love of my life. I never, in a million years,
thought my dream to be with you would become a reality. Now, here
you are in front of me, the person I’ve loved from afar all of
those years. I never want to be apart from you. I want to spend the
rest of my life loving, caring, and protecting you. Will you marry
me?”

Tears pooled in her eyes. Blinking a couple of
times, they spilled over. She couldn’t believe he was on bended
knee and she was shaking in response. Unable to breathe or talk,
she sat for a moment staring at the gorgeous man in front of her,
holding a box with a ring inside.

Finally, taking a deep breath, she said,
“Yes.”

“Yes?”

“Yes! Yes, I will marry you!”

His arms were around her waist and when he
stood, she went with him. She squealed in delight as he spun her in
a circle. Stopping, he placed her gently on her feet and kissed
her, sweeping his tongue into her mouth.

Pulling away, he said, “Oh, the ring.”

He took the ring out of the box. She held out
her hand, letting him slide the ring on. Taking a look at it, she
gasped. She hadn’t really looked at it when he was proposing. Their
eyes never lost the connection.

The ring was stunning. She didn’t know how many
carats it was, but it was heavy. The ring was platinum, had a
large, carre-cut diamond in the center and two slightly smaller
diamonds on either side. Smaller diamonds made up most of the
band.

“Owen, it’s beautiful.”

“I’m glad you like it. I looked in so many
jewelry stores, unable to find anything good enough for you.
Finally I had this made,” he said, motioning his head toward the
ring.

She embraced him, still not believing he
proposed. The ring was a perfect fit, too.

“How did you know what size to make the
ring?”

“I took the ring you wear on the same finger on
your other hand and took it to the jeweler. He made this ring the
same size.”

Cali smiled. “Sneaky.”

Leaning in to kiss him, the back door to the
room opened, causing her head to turn. She screamed when Avery and
Piper come through it. She noticed Owen nod toward them like to say
she accepted his proposal. They screamed and ran toward her.

She had become very close with both women. Piper
and Avery both came over at least once a week while she was
recovering, to have a girl’s night. They knew she wasn’t well
enough to be out on the town, so they brought the fun to her. His
man room came in handy, too. The woman all lounged in the room and
made popcorn on the old-fashioned cart. She had so much fun every
time they came over.

Both women hugged her, jumping up and down. She
couldn’t believe they were in the restaurant. Once they released
each other she noticed Ethan, Erik, Steven, and Adeline were in the
room. She hugged each of them and also hugged Owen’s mom, who snuck
in as well, before she went over to him.

But the biggest surprise were the two people
behind everyone else in the room. Her parents stepped forward. She
squeezed them tight and noticed her mom was fighting her own tears.
“Caliana, I’m so happy for you honey. Congratulations.”

Her dad kissed her on the cheek before offering
his congrats as well. Looking around the room, her eyes found Owen.
She saw him hugging his mom, but he was focused on Cali. She
mouthed the words ‘thank you’ to him. He smiled.

Mother of all that was good, she loved him with
all of her being. She didn’t know how she got so lucky, but sure
wasn’t going to take him for granted. The amazing thing she had
with him was rare and would be treated as such.

After greeting everyone, her girls came over and
asked to see the ring. Piper, who really didn’t have a filter
except when she was working, yelled loudly, “Holy fuck, Cali! Look
at the size of that bitch!”

Cali laughed. She felt very fortunate to have
met her. Avery, on the other hand, rolled her eyes at Piper.

“Damn, Piper, you do know others are in the
room, right?”

In a mocking tone Piper said, “Yes,
Avery
, I do.” All three of them got along great, even with
their very different personalities. Cali thought that’s what made
them mesh well.

Avery, ignoring her attitude, said, “Cali, it’s
a beautiful ring. I’m so happy for both of you and I can’t wait to
go dress shopping. You know you won’t be going without me.”

Cali chuckled. “Well you’re going to have to
wait a little while, we just got engaged.”

She knew without a doubt that Avery would help
her pick out the perfect gown. The woman dressed like she was ready
to go down a runway just to go to the grocery store. Cali could
never put that much effort into running errands. Brushing her hair
and throwing on whatever was clean was all the effort she put in to
her appearance. She could care less if the butcher thought she
looked good or not.

Only one man’s opinion mattered and she felt him
come up behind her, hands on her stomach. He nuzzled his face into
her hair and whispered, “Hi, beautiful. How does it feel to be
engaged?”

Cali saw her friends walk away to give them some
privacy. Turning her head toward him, she said, “Amazing.” She was
still floored that he had proposed.

A waiter come into the room and handed out
glasses of champagne. Ethan cleared his throat to get everyone’s
attention.

“I’d like to make a toast,” he said. “My brother
has never looked at a woman the way he looks at Cali. I have known
since we were teenagers something special was shared between them.
And to see them now, finally coming together, I’m overjoyed.
Congrats to my brother, Owen, and the love of his life,
Caliana.”

Everyone raised their glasses and drank. Owen
pulled his brother into a hug and she gave him a kiss on the cheek.
The brothers had mended their relationship and that made her very
happy. They were closer than ever.

She didn’t miss the way Piper watched Ethan. The
two continued to flirt, but haven’t been out on a date. She wished
one of them would finally make a move. They were driving her crazy
with all of their glances in the other’s direction. Everyone in the
room could see it, she didn’t know what was taking them so
long.

Owen and Cali spent the next hour mingling and
talking with their family and friends. Before leaving the
restaurant, Alex gave them a bottle of very expensive wine,
congratulating them on their engagement.

Reminiscing on the past few months, she couldn’t
believe how much her life had changed. She quit her job and went to
her favorite place to relax for a couple of weeks. Her cabin and
townhouse were destroyed, she moved in with Owen, was shot, almost
died in the operating room and now was engaged to the man of her
dreams. Her soul mate.

What a whirlwind her life had become. All of the
events that had happened put her on a path, a sometimes rough one,
which led to Owen. To being engaged and about to start the rest of
their lives together. To being happier than she ever could have
imagined, all because she quit her job and went to her cabin on the
lake.

~ Epilogue ~

Owen was standing on the deck of his home in
Kauai. The sun would be setting soon and a breeze was blowing in
from the ocean. He wore a tan suit, with a matching tan vest, white
dress shirt and a mauve tie. Cali had picked the tie out so it
coordinated with her dress.

His palms were sweating and his hands were
shaking. Taking a step forward, he began to walk to the beach. He
could see all of his family and close friends already on the
sand.

Chairs covered in white linen were lined up in
two groups, separated by an aisle that led to a natural bamboo
arbor. The arbor had four posts with white and pink fabric draped
over it. Bunches of pink roses were tied to each corner post with
green leaves cascading down. They were the exact type and color of
flower he gave to her on their second date.

Everyone was still mingling when he reached the
sand. He flew his mom, brother, Piper, Steven, Adeline, Erik and
Emily in his plane along with Cali and himself. A second, chartered
flight brought in more of the guests. Cali’s parents flew in
separately as well as other friends and family since they didn’t
live near them. He paid for every flight and wanted everyone they
both loved to celebrate with them.

Cali had hired Emily as her assistant as soon as
she returned to work, three months after the shooting. She saw a
therapist to help with the anxiety and post-traumatic stress. The
first couple of weeks weren’t easy, but she was strong and pushed
through. Although, Owen noticed it took her a month or so to be
able to step foot into his office.

Never pushing her, he let her go at whatever
pace she wanted. He told her she didn’t even have to work. If she
wanted to stay home he would have supported it, but the decision
was hers. In the back of his mind he always knew she would go back,
it gave her something to do.

Emily had been a great addition and was an
amazing assistant for Cali. They worked well together and Emily had
gotten to the point where she could predict Cali’s needs without
her having to say anything. Things were a little awkward with Erik
since Emily started seeing someone else.

Owen could see the subtle changes in him when
she came by and knew he was still interested. And he didn’t miss
the way Emily looked at Erik when she thought no one saw. Cali told
Owen she thought Erik waited too long to make his move and Emily
moved on. In Owen’s eyes though, Emily hadn’t moved on. Maybe a
week in Hawaii was just what they needed to work things out.