Chocolate Kisses

by Francis Ray

  A little over a half hour later, Nicole pulled her car up in front of the house she’d looked at with Marcus a month and a half before. Strange that once she started driving, she had no problems remembering how to find the place, even though she’d been there only once. Marcus’s black truck was parked in the driveway.

  With hesitant steps, she walked past the white picket fence and followed the stone path that cut through the perfectly tended yard to the front door. Biting her bottom lip, she pushed her finger to the bell, then waited. She rang twice more, but nothing happened.

  Nicole flipped the key over in her hand several times and felt the hot sting of tears in her eyes. The world shimmered for a moment before she was able to get the tears under control.

  Holding her breath, she slipped the single key into the hole and twisted. It unlocked easily, and the solid wooden door swung open.

  Shocked, Nicole took a step back. Scattered all over the tile entryway was a trail of rose petals, silken and so fresh they still smelled of morning dew. “Marcus,” she shouted, taking a step into the foyer. Her voice echoed off the high-vaulted ceilings and came back with no reply.

  Stepping inside, Nicole followed the trail of hushed pinks, vibrant reds, and sunny yellow flowers. It led her to the kitchen, where a large glass vase stood proudly on the center island, filled with the yellow roses and tiny white heads of baby’s breath. A white piece of paper was folded in half and propped at the base. Her name was scrawled in red ink on the outside.

  She lifted it and read the words written in Marcus’s hand.

  The heart of a home is the kitchen.

  The heart of a man is his family.

  Leave now, or follow the path where your heart leads you.

  Nicole scoffed. She could no sooner leave than she could stop breathing.

  Glancing around the kitchen, Nicole noticed the rose-petal trail continued on, only the yellow rose blossoms absent. Swallowing down the rise of nervousness, Nicole followed the path of pink and red rose petals up the vast curving stairs to the end of the hall, where a pair of double doors led to the master bedroom suite. The door was slightly ajar and the roses continued inside.

  The thick carpet silenced her entry. Standing proudly in the center of the bedroom was a king-size bed, dressed in the identical cream-colored raw silk and Egyptian cotton bedding she and Marcus had picked out together. The trail led straight to the bed, and the entire thing was covered with soft pink and lush red roses.

  In the center was a folded white piece of paper. The room blurred with her tears. She took three calming breaths and exhaled slowly, then walked to the bed and lifted the paper.

  The bedroom is where passions flare and hearts become one.

  Where lives are created.

  Where the past was seconds ago and there’s only the future.

  If there’s no doubt, follow the path of your heart.

  Nicole stood staring at the note shaking in her trembling hand. The trail of red roses continued on the other side of the bed and led toward the master bathroom. Only red roses; the pinks had stopped on the bed, she noticed, just the way the yellows had stopped in the kitchen.

  As she stepped around the vast bed, her breathing became tenuous. Her shallow panting left her feeling light-headed as her mind tried to keep pace with the raw emotion of what she was feeling.

  She followed the trail of red, careful not to step upon the blossoms for fear of staining the light carpet under her weight the way she and Marcus had on her bed. Her shoes clicked as she left the bedroom and entered the large marble bathroom. There were red roses everywhere. The tub was filled with blossoms—and something else that caught her by surprise: foil-wrapped chocolate Kisses.

  The candies joined the trail that wove its way through the tiled bathroom and stopped short at the entry to the giant closet, where the doors had been opened wide and a pile of chocolates towered.

  Nicole stepped forward, her gaze fixed on the trail. As she glanced higher, her eyes collided with Marcus, kneeling upon the floor, surrounded by the red flower petals and the sparkling foil-wrapped Kisses.

  “Marcus!” she gasped, unable to withhold the sob. Swiping a tear from her cheek, she studied his face. His dark eyes were glowing and deadly serious, the dimple unusually shallow. Her gaze dipped lower, to find the pulse of his heart beating heavily on his neck beneath the perfect shade of milk-chocolate skin.

  Her eyes traveled lower, over his muscular shoulders to his carved chest hidden beneath the thin material of his shirt, to where his arm was extended. She was so stunned it took her a moment to think straight, for her brain to realize what she was seeing.

  In his hand he held a small velvet black box, with the lid propped open. Secure in the folds lay a gold ring, topped with a one-carat princess-cut diamond. Its meaning dawned clear.

  In awareness her gaze snapped from the little box back to Marcus’s face.

  He wasn’t smiling, but his dark eyes twinkled with a hidden delight. “Hello, Nicole,” he said in a smooth, melting tone.

  She shook her head, trembling and on the verge of tears. “What are we doing here? Whose house is this?”

  “Yours.”

  She shook her head again and tried to steady her suddenly rubbery legs. “Mine? I decided not to buy. It’s too big to live in alone.”

  “You won’t be alone. I’m not moving, Nic. Everything I’ve ever wanted is right here. I’m staying here, and if you’ll have me, we’ll share the house,” he said, lifting the velvet box slightly in her direction.

  “Wh-what are you doing?” she managed before a sob broke free.

  “Shh, don’t cry, Nic,” he soothed. “I’m doing what I should have done a long time ago.” In a single fluid motion, he stood and crossed the space to stand before her.

  With his free hand, Marcus took hold of her hand gripping the key and the notes, and turned it so it was palm up. His touch was comforting. He removed the items she held and slid them into his pocket, his thumb stroking the palm. Still holding her fingers in his, he dropped to one knee before her. “I’m asking you to be my wife.”

  Nicole closed her eyes, the events since their first consummation flashing behind her lowered lids. She must be imagining this. Too much wine the night before to commemorate his departure from her life. This was a silly trick being played upon her from her dreams. But when she opened her eyes, Marcus was still there, and his hand felt warm, solid, and real against her skin.

  “To marry you?” she whispered.

  “I love you, Nicole Davis, and I want you to be my wife. I want you to mother my children. I want you to rock by my side on hot summer afternoons out by the pool and watch our grandchildren play. I want to spend my entire life with you.” He kissed her palm. “I want you to be my partner. You’ve been in my heart from the moment I met you more than six years ago. And most important, Nic, the condoms are gone and I want to know I’ll never lose you from my bed or my life.”

  He released her hand and lifted the ring from the box, holding the gold band at the tip of her ring finger. “Will you marry me, Nicole?” His timbre dropped an octave or two.

  “You love me?” she asked, emotion welling so high in her chest she could barely swallow.

  “With all my heart.”

  “You’re not moving? You’re not leaving me?”

  “I have a business here. I’ll do whatever it takes to make it successful. I’m staying. This is everything to me. You’re everything.”

  “Yes. I’ll marry you.” Nicole dropped to her knees amid the rose petals and chocolate Kisses. Holding her breath, she waited as he slipped the diamond onto her finger—a perfect fit. She tossed her arms around his shoulders and buried her face in the curve of his neck. “I love you, Marcus.” She snuggled closer, dusting tender kisses on his throat. “I didn’t know where this was leading when I proposed becoming lovers. But I’m so glad I did.”

  “So am I,” he said, scooping Nicole up in his arms, getting to his feet and carrying her
to the king-size bed. Laying her back upon the roses, he didn’t give a damn if he needed to replace the comforter again. Stretching out beside her, he covered her in chocolate kisses.

  Renee Luke believes in mixing the bitter with the sweet, as long as it’s all dipped in chocolate. She dreams up her stories amidst the beauty of the Sacramento Valley with her hero husband and four children, sharing the candied kisses, sweet hugs, and salty tears that add flavor to life. It’s Renee’s belief that there’s nothing better than good books, great friends, and that real strength is the ability to break a candy bar into four pieces and only eat one. For more sugary treats and sensual romance, visit her on the Web at www.reneeluke.com.