Quiet Angel (19 page)

“I really don’t know who it belongs to. Emerson, maybe?”

Layla busted out laughing. “Your sister uses the bathroom in the master suite? And she leaves tampons here?”

“It might be from my last girlfriend. I don’t know. But I don’t want you to be uncomfortable here,” he said hurriedly. “I mean, I can remodel the bathroom. My bed is actually new. So are the sheets. No one’s been in them but me. But we could always sleep in the spare bedroom if. . . .”

“We don’t need to get into all that, Gage. It’s not like I don’t know you’ve been with other women. It’s been 12 years.”

He released a deep breath and wrapped his arms around her. “OK, but I want you to know I’ve only ever made love to one woman.”

Her eyes welled up a bit. “That’s sweet of you to say.”

“It’s true,” he said. “And I woke up every morning loving you.”

*

They ate in
an exclusive dining club. Gage knew it was beyond what Layla expected, but he wanted to celebrate their first night together in Atlanta. And he also hoped that after some good food and wine, she might be ready to take the next step in their relationship. God knows, he was ready.

And for a good while, everything was going according to plan, both of them laughing like teenagers, holding hands across the table, feeding each other fine foods that were impossible to pronounce. But just as the second bottle of wine came, the night turned upside down. Gage got an urgent message.

A Southern Wings aircraft en route from Denver to Chicago was experiencing mechanical failure. It would be making an emergency landing in Des Moines in the next hour. So, while Layla picked at dessert, Gage was on his cell phone. His executive team seemed to have everything under control. But he knew more was required.

He’d been out of the office so much lately. This wasn’t a time to work remotely. He couldn’t be wining and dining his girlfriend during a company crisis. He had to get to corporate headquarters. He apologized to Layla and called her a cab. Then he called his doorman, instructing him to take care of whatever she needed when she returned.

*

It was the
middle of the night when Gage began the short walk home from the office. Over the years, there’d been plenty of midnight walks home, but he couldn’t remember ever one at this hour. There wasn’t a soul around. The streets were eerily quiet. Atlanta had shut down for the night. His mind was starting to shut down, too.

The hours and hours of dealing with the FAA, the media, his executive team had taken a toll. So had ensuring the pilots had whatever resources they needed to safely land the plane, which they did. But there was still so much to do. He drafted a few emails—some to himself, others to his team—on ways to improve maintenance and customer service in emergency situations.

He quickened his pace, wondering if Layla had waited up for him. It would be so nice to come home to her each night. Then his mind wandered a bit more. It would be so nice if Layla waited up for him donning a bustier with a garter belt, or a g-string, or perhaps she kept it simple and was just naked. Any of those would be fine.

He reached his building and waved to the doorman. “Good morning, Mr. Montgomery,” he said. “Before it got too late, I made sure Miss Tanner was doing fine. And I walked the dog, too.”

Gage thanked him and got in the elevator. He accessed his floor and watched the numbers tick up, as slowly as their relationship was moving. The elevator announced his arrival, and he made his way down the hall, saying a quick prayer Layla had waited up and was scantily clad. He opened the door quietly, not wanting Pippa to bark.

He saw a tiny light coming from his bedroom. He hoped that meant she was still awake. He gently pushed open the door, a small grin forming. She was sound asleep in his bed, in one of his old t-shirts, a book across her chest. He turned off a lamp and lifted the book from her. Pippa raised her head. He hadn’t even seen the dog snuggled in beside her.

Pippa yawned and stretched and made her way to Gage’s pillow. She spun around three times before plopping down on it. Then she let out a deep breath to let him know she was satisfied with her spot. Gage rolled his eyes. The dog certainly had made herself at home. And so had Layla. He stroked her face and gave her a quick kiss on the cheek.

Then he reached in his pocket for what he’d been carrying all night.

*

Layla arched her
back, stretching, and reached for Gage. But her hand landed on Pippa. She looked at the clock. It was late morning. She couldn’t remember the last time she’d slept so late. Pippa hadn’t been out in like 10 hours. She hoped there wasn’t a little present on the floor somewhere. And she hoped Gage wasn’t still at the office. She rubbed her eyes then let out a high pitch scream.

Wet from the shower, Gage walked in wearing only boxer briefs and the leather angel wing cord around his neck. “Everything OK?” he asked, smiling mischievously.

Layla held up her hand. “What’s this?”

“A diamond ring.”

“I see that!”

“A four-carat cushion-cut diamond ring in a halo setting, if you want to be specific.”

“I’m wondering how it got on my finger?”

“I put it on there last night.”

“What?” she cried. “I don’t remember that.”

“You were asleep.”

“You put an engagement ring on my finger while I was sleeping?”

“No,” he said and took a seat on the bed. “I put a diamond ring on your finger. You called it an engagement ring, which is fine if that’s what you think.”

“It’s on
that
finger, Gage, and it’s a huge diamond. What else am I supposed to call it?”

“A gift, a token of my love, a. . . .”

“You are insane! This isn’t how you propose!”

“I’ve asked you like 15 times.”

“You counted?”

“Of course, Dash bet me it would take 40, but. . . .”

“You bet Dash?”

Gage tensed up for a moment, kicking himself for bringing up Dash. “I don’t know why you’re so surprised. I told you I’d give you a month. A month was yesterday.” Layla got up off the bed and let out a little huff. Gage captured her hand and dropped to one knee. “Marry me, Angel.”

Layla looked away. She couldn’t look down at him. If she did, she’d scream “yes” so loud the doorman and all of Atlanta would hear. She released his hand, and he stood up and walked away. She fixed her eyes on the huge rock twinkling on her finger and smiled brightly inside at the halo setting.
Because he calls me Angel.
She heard a few chords and turned to find him with a guitar.

Gage smiled at her and blew out some nerves. He hadn’t done this in a long time. But here he was sitting on his bed, about to sing to the girl from his past, the girl of his dreams, with her cute dog beside him. He knew full well the song was cheesy, but Train’s “Marry Me” was perfect. The first lyric said it all: forever would never be long enough with Layla.

Layla’s hand flew over her heart. She watched him, vulnerable, exposed, half-naked with her wings. Her heart melted with every word. He looked like the teenage boy she knew. And now a man, he still wanted her, needed her, vowed to protect her—even after everything she’d been through.

She looked down at the ring. Gage seemed to have everything in the world—but only wanted her. She wasn’t sure what she was waiting for, what else she wanted or needed in life or in a man. “Stop,” Layla said.

Gage put down the guitar and got on one knee. “I’ve wanted to marry you since I was 18. Don’t make me wait another second.”

Layla drew a deep breath and pulled herself together. “Ask me 25 more times.” He looked up at her, his eyes wide. “We should let Dash win the bet.”

“Why?”

“Because you’ve already won my heart.”

He swooped her down to the bed. “Marry me?” he asked again and again, tickling her each time.

“Yes!” she screamed. “Yes!”

Gage stopped, both of them breathless. “
Yes
?”

“Yes,” Layla said, smiling. Gage leaned over and trailed kisses down her neck, his hands grazing her panties. “Maybe we should wait until the wedding night?”

Gage’s head darted up. “You have got to be kidding me.”

“It might be romantic.”

“Are you marrying me
tonight
?”

“Wait!” Layla sat up in bed. “There’s not some surprise wedding happening tonight, is there? There
is
actually some kind of event, right?”

Gage chuckled. “Yes, but that’s a good idea.”

“Gage!”

“I’m kidding. I want to give you everything you want. But we can’t have a long engagement if you’re serious about the sex part.”

*

Gage walked to
his bedroom, hearing Layla spreading the news. She flashed him a smile and hung up.

“We need to change our plans a little bit,” he said. “We need to fly to Savannah tomorrow.”

“Is everything OK?”

“Yeah, I need to see my mom.”

“You told her about the engagement?”

“Yeah, she’s happy,” he said. “It’s just that I haven’t seen her, well, since we got back together. She’s used to seeing me once a week or so since Dad died. She gave me the mother guilt trip and everything.”

Layla looked down at her feet and the huge diamond on her hand. She hadn’t given any real thought to Mrs. Montgomery in years, the sweet Southern lady who once “grounded” her and Gage. The woman obviously had been through a lot lately—losing her husband, her daughter on the verge of divorce, worried about her grandkids’ family life. “You think she just wants to see
you
? Don’t be foolish. She wants to size me up.”

“She knows you, Layla. She knows we started dating again a month ago. It’s fine.”

“It doesn’t matter if she knows me or not. She’s freaking out her son got engaged to someone he’s been dating a month.” Layla pointed to herself. “The same woman who left her son without a trace.”

“Sounds like you’re the one freaking out.”

“Well, yeah! She probably hates me!”

“She’s not like that. I told her that you told me why you left, and it was a good reason. And now that I know everything, I understand why you did what you did.”

“She didn’t press you?”

“No, I told her I wished you’d let me help you back then, help you make a different choice, but I know why you didn’t.” He gave her a little squeeze. “Look, Emerson and the kids will be there. They will take the spotlight off of us, I promise.”