by Lucia Franco
"He gave me a wish, and now my wish is to inspire at least one person who walks through my doors the way he has me. I want someone's life to have meaning the way he gave meaning to mine. He not only helps to continue my grammy’s wish with me, but he also wants to be there knee-deep in the planning. I will forever be indebted to him for that. Rome wasn't built in a day, but when you have the right people on your side, it feels like it can be."
Taking a deep breath, I prepare to end my speech. There's a bubbling need inside of me to be on James's arms after looking into his eyes while speaking to a sea of people about him. I want to claim him in front of everyone and show the world he's mine.
"James Riviera, my—" I pause for a split second with my heart in my throat. The word husband wants to slip off my tongue like it's the most natural thing in the world. Like I'm supposed to say it. I'm itching to and that shocks me.
"James, baby, you are my world and the love of my life. Thank you for wanting to create a future of moments for people you've never met. You didn't have to, but you wanted to, and that means more to me than you could ever know. This award is just as much yours as it is mine. Thank you."
I gather my dress with one hand and rejoin the other women as the next honoree gives her speech. I purposely didn't have a drink beforehand, even though my nerves were shot.
After the last woman addresses the crowd, I make my way back to the table where James is waiting for me. The applause fades away as harp music fills the room.
I hand James my award and he places it on the table next to him, then turns back to me. He closes the distance between us and pulls me to him, planting a huge kiss to my lips in front of everyone. His strong arms wrap around me, holding me tightly as he dips me back and kisses me even deeper. It reminds me of the iconic black and white post-war photo of the elated sailor who pulled a random nurse into his arms and kissed her right in the middle of New York City.
Just like back then when the kiss happened in the center of the street, people are looking at us. I know what they see—a clearly older man professing his love by the act of a kiss to a fresh-faced twenty-something-year-old woman. I'm sure they think he's paying me. High-end hooking is huge in Manhattan and spotted everywhere.
James pulls me upright and breaks the kiss. His arms are still wrapped around me as I draw in a breath and gasp, my lips tingling. He doesn't say anything—he doesn't need to. It's all right there for me to see in his eyes what I mean to him. My fingers stroke his salt and pepper beard as I gaze into his eyes. We're both grinning like two cheesy fools.
"I fucking love you so damn much." James grins. "I love this woman!" he shouts to the room, and my cheeks burst with heat as my smile stretches across my face once more.
"James!" I whisper sharply under my breath.
He gives me an unapologetic shrug. James caught me by complete surprise, and I love him even more for it.
Taking my hand, he laces his fingers with mine and sits next to me until the dinner is over.
Twenty-Two
"Tell me when you had time to plan this?" I ask James.
As soon as the dinner had ended, James whisked me into a Bentley and had the driver take us to a private airstrip where a plane was waiting for us. He wouldn't tell me where we were going no matter how many times I’d begged, but he’d assured me it was somewhere I wanted to go.
And he wasn’t wrong.
Aspen holds fond memories for us. It’s where we both fell hard for each other with so much on the table to lose. Where we found balance and unison. Aspen is where we’d realized we were unapologetically in love with each other.
"I had a little help." James beams from ear to ear as he guides me inside the log cabin I’ve dreamed about revisiting.
Happiness curls through my veins as I take in the space around me. It looks exactly the same, like we were just here yesterday. The cozy first floor is decorated in forest greens and brassy gold hues. This place screams home to me, and there’s a warmth spreading in my chest that solidifies the feeling.
"Who helped you?" I turn around and James stares like the answer is obvious. "Natalie," I state. I can't believe that dirty little ho didn't tell me.
"I planned this a few months ago, but Natalie only knew about it recently because I asked her to pack you a bag. I didn't trust her to keep it a secret from you."
I'm delighted he planned a surprise trip like this. "You asked her to pack my bags? I'm scared to see what she put in there."
James laughs and walks over to where I'm standing. I wrap my arms around his broad shoulders and his hands encircle the small of my back.
"I caught her before she left for Italy and told her to go shopping for you. I've been hiding your suitcase in my office." There’s a pensive weight to his stare now. "I know you've been wanting to come back here. I have too, but I felt like it needed to be a special occasion for us. Today, with the opening of your second shelter and the award’s dinner, it felt like the time was finally right."
"It's our shelter, baby." I correct him. What's mine is his, always. I hope he knows that.
James shakes his head. "No, sweetheart, that's all yours. I'm just along for the ride."
"How did I get so lucky with you?" I want to smush his face against mine and kiss the fuck out of him.
"Well, I wouldn't necessarily call it luck…" We both see the dark humor behind his comment. James continues. "I need you to do me a favor and close your eyes. I have one more surprise."
My cheeks are starting to ache from smiling so hard. "Another surprise? James, you're too good to me. It is enough just being here with you. I don't need anything else but you naked and on top of me."
His eyes glow with pride. I love seeing him smile. It makes me happy to see him like that. I wiggle my hips against his, along with a few brow raises, and his smile stays until his eyes fall to my mouth. He turns serious again, and he squints like there's something on his mind. I can feel how hard he's thinking and worry about what's suddenly bothering him.
"It's never enough when it comes to you, don't you realize that by now?"
I study his gaze for a moment then press my chest against his and lean into him. I release a soft sigh. "Do you think there are other couples out there who are as happy as we are?"
"I'd like to think there are, otherwise, that's a sad life to lead."
I agree with him, then I loosen my arms and take a step back.
"Don't move. I just have to grab something really quick."
I close my eyes and wait. The urge to peek is strong, but I don't. Whatever James has planned means a lot to him and I don't want to ruin it. He returns a few seconds later and steps behind me, placing a satin ribbon over my eyes.
I'm giddy as hell now. Tingles work down my arms in anticipation. The last time we were here he’d used one of his work ties to pin my wrists together and played my body like a violin.
"Is it too tight?"
"No."
I feel James step in front of me and take both of my hands into his. Lifting them to his mouth, he presses a kiss to the top of both of them.
"Now, I didn't plan this part ahead, so I'm going to improvise and carry you. I don't want you to trip up the stairs since you can't see."
"Good idea."
James scoops me up as if I'm light as a feather and holds me to his chest. If he were my height, I'd worry he couldn't carry me. Luckily, he's got a good eight inches on me and years' worth of natural muscle to pick up my lengthy body and carry me up a flight of stairs.
We make it up five steps when he says, "Did you gain weight?"
My lips purse together. I know he's playing around, James has been trying to thicken me up more. With my weight gain over the years, he's turned into such an ass man and can't get enough. My ass is a magnet for his hand now the way his tongue is a magnet to my pussy. It's been a struggle to keep the pounds off more than anything and that bothers me. He knows that, but James insists I'm just as gorgeous as I was when we first met. He says he gets th
e best of both worlds. It definitely doesn't seem like it bothers him the way it does me. He fucking cherishes me. I sigh inwardly. I'm working on accepting my changing body, I guess.
Placing my hand to his chest, I notice he must have removed his tie and unbuttoned his shirt halfway before blindfolding me. I skim my hand over his bare chest until I feel his nipple under my fingers. My thumb circles around it before I pull it between two fingers and pause. I fight a giggle.
James stops walking. I think we're midway up the stairs. "Aubrey," he warns. "You know what that does to me."
"It goes straight to your dick?"
This time I can't help but laugh. Sometimes I revert to a seventeen-year-old. I start twisting slowly and feel his fingers press into my body a little deeper. I can't fuck up his balls and hit them like I would in middle school when a boy annoyed me. I need those stones to slap my clit when he fucks me like an animal from behind.
I continue, and since I can't see him, all I feel is a cool breeze skate across my neck before his teeth latch onto the top of my supple breast just above my dress.
"I can play dirty too, sweetheart," he says with my skin between his teeth.
I give him one good crank and let go, but he's just as quick and sinks his teeth deeper. I flinch then gasp before letting out a laugh. We're like kids half the time.
James pulls back. "That's going to leave a mark." He's so proud and I shake my head in amusement.
We finish making our way upstairs. I remember this place well and know he's taking us into the master bedroom. The door creaks as he opens it and the scent of burning wood blankets me. The warmth against my cool skin feels sublime. I sigh dreamily at the sound of the crackling fire behind us.
James let's go of my legs and helps me stand.
"Don’t move," he warns.
"What do you have up your sleeve?"
James reaches around me to untie the sash. Low lighting sets the mood in his eyes when I finally look into them. He drops his gaze to the floor, and I catch the colorful ink on his chest. My eyes roam down his body, and as I reach his shoes, I realize I’m standing near a thick pile of blood red and hunter green blankets on the floor. I blink. My brows draw together as familiarity paints me. I spin around and a small breath hitches in the back of my throat.
"James," I whisper. My gaze bounces around the space, taking it all in at once. "What did you do?"
Twenty-Three
From the blankets to the fire to the bottle of cognac, James has recreated one of the evenings we spent with our naked bodies flushed together in ecstasy. The weather had been brutal that night, dropping to a mere three degrees, but that didn't faze us as our passion built toward the most glorious heated climax. I consider it a favorite and one of our most romantic nights.
James steps closer to me. There’s something in his hand I briefly take note of before he places one hand on my hip and looks into my eyes. I’m all he sees and that makes me hotter than the fire behind me.
"No matter how hard I try, I can't seem to let this go. There's no questioning how I feel for you. I think you already know, Aubrey, and have known for a very long time I love the fuck out of you. I'm going to love you more than anyone else and will prove that to you until you see I'm not playing around." James runs his tongue over his bottom lip, and my heart drops like it knows something I don’t. "I'll make it my mission if I have to, to show you how much I cherish you. You're it for me. I may have met Valentina first, but I fell in love with Aubrey, and that's never going to change. My love for you grows every day into something that's new to me. I never knew I could love someone the way I do you."
My eyes are round and huge, and my lips are slightly parted. James places one foot behind him and steps back. My pulse skyrockets, my breathing becomes denser. Chills pepper my arms.
I thought…
Oh, God.
My heart is pounding against my ribs.
I can't think straight, and I'm a bit in shock.
I didn't think he was going to ask me again. I really thought I had lost my chance.
Tears fill my eyes instantly, and I flatten my lips tightly together.
James lowers to one knee and presents a black velvet box to me. Little breaths turn into pants. I meet his gaze and look at him, the man who will become my husband. I'm trembling inside to the point the nerves are making me sick. The other times James had asked me to marry him, there'd been no ring. I suspected he had one with him each time, but when I rejected the notion of marriage, I'd just assumed he didn't take it out. As odd as it sounds, I'm glad he hadn't until now.
He also never got down on one knee until now.
He lifts the top up and I draw in a loud breath and cup my mouth. Nestled inside the cushy pillow is a simple but large diamond engagement ring. It looks nearly flawless as it flashes against the glow of the fire. There's a row of thin diamonds encrusted around the outer edge hugging what has to be at least four carats. I stare at the way it sparkles against the metal. He didn't go for platinum. He didn't go for gold. He went for rose gold, and I know without a shadow of a doubt it's because I wear my mom’s necklace and the one Grammy got me all the time, and they’re both rose gold. James knows how much they mean to me. He also didn't go for a traditional princess cut diamond. He went for the pear-shaped cut, the least common engagement ring.
We most definitely aren't like everyone else.
"Please, sweetheart, put me out of my fucking misery and just say yes already. Say yes to forever with me."
Tears are streaming down my cheeks and my lips feel swollen from the emotion. I can barely focus over the pounding of my sprinting heart to formulate words. The only thing I can do is give him my shaking left hand as my answer.
I think my response shocks him. His wide blue eyes stare at me with hope, and his beautiful lips that worship me like a queen part with disbelief.
"You're… you're," he stammers, and I can't recall a time when James faltered his words.
I nod my head and smile at him. "I was a fool to say no the other times you asked me."
He stares at me with profound awe. He's not even blinking. I giggle at him, then wiggle my fingers.
"I finally say yes, and now you're going to make me work for it?"
James falls to the side and catches himself with his hand. He's sitting back on one foot and staring up at me with his baby blues. His hand is shaking as he runs it through his hair. It's a little longer than usual, but I like it on him. The way he's acting is adorable. I gather my dress and attempt to bend down so I'm eye level with him, but James raises his palm for me to stop and gets back up on one knee.
"I feel like I'm going to have a heart attack. You're really saying yes? Don't play with me, Aubrey. I'm old."
A laugh rumbles in my chest. My lashes fall to a half-moon as true happiness settles in my heart.
"Yes. I'm saying yes, James."
I find it endearing how stunned he is. He blinks rapidly and looks between the jewelry box and me, then attempts to take the ring out.
I'm standing in the cabin where we found love in the most unusual way. And now, four years later, James is on one knee asking me to be his wife.
He plucks the ring from the box and it falters in his hold. A breath hitches in my throat as he fumbles with it. James steadies himself and I fight the grin tickling my lips.
"Goddamn nerves."
This time I let the laugh out. James follows suit and chuckles under his breath. I could tell he was nervous, but I wasn't going to state the obvious.
He takes my left hand in his, and just as he’s about to slide the delicate ring over my finger, I pull my hand away.
"Wait!"
James snaps his gaze up to mine and pales. His skin almost matches the gray hair on his head. I realize my timing is pure stupidity on my part and I need to make this quick. He's probably thinking the worst right now. I know I would be.
"You have to promise to never divorce me. Under no circumstances are you allowed to even utter th
ose words, James Riviera. And don't even think you can use your special lawyer skills and say it in ten different ways, because it won't work on me." Emotion fills my throat. My heart flutters. "Don't make me tell you I told you so." I allow the panic in my voice to be present. This is real. "I'm not playing. Can we include it as a clause in our vows or something when we get married?"
James shakes his head then drops his attention back to my hand and the ring he's holding. Not letting another second pass him by, he pushes the ring forward and slides the stone where it belongs. The thing is larger than my knuckle.
A little sob escapes me. I can't believe I'm going to marry the love of my life.
I look at our hands. James is looking too. Between my milky, youthful fingers, and his olive-toned aging ones, we're perfectly matched in every way. I belong to him, and he belongs to me. He raises the top of my hand to his lips and presses a gentle kiss. James stands, looking into my eyes, my left hand still in his.
"The only reason I would ever divorce you is if that ring ever comes off your finger."
I can't stop the blush that sweeps over my cheeks.
"Then I guess we have a deal."
A massive smile lights up my face. Excitement I didn't even know is possible to experience explodes like fireworks inside of me.
James isn't smiling like me. He's reflective, like there's a sense of peace finally settling inside of him.
"You know, that ring is basically a contract between us," James says matter-of-factly.
My cheeks are burning. He finally throws me a beaming smile, and it's a good one. James likes contracts. Once they’re signed, there's very little that can be done to reverse them.
