Untouched Perfection

by Mayer, Kristin

  “Marry me.”

  “What?” My mouth dropped open. What? What did he say? Did I hear him right? Marry him?

  Now, with my heart galloping in my chest, it was my turn to be speechless.

  He got down on one knee in front of me. “This isn’t conventional. And it’s not how I imagined proposing, but I want you to marry me. Throughout the weekend, I wanted to ask you but thought it was too soon. You’re it for me, Knoah. You’re the one I’ve been waiting for all my life.”

  He just asked me to marry him. What if…

  I closed my eyes. No what-ifs. This isn’t a what-if situation. Just listen to your heart. “Yes.” The word was out before I realized it. I wanted this… him… us… a future together.

  Pop.

  I opened my eyes to see a square diamond solitaire ring in a black velvet ring box. It was gorgeous. My eyes shot up to Garrick’s. “I got it Wednesday before we left, and I’ve been carrying it around ever since. I’d planned to do something special and ask you properly. But I didn’t—”

  “This is perfect.” I cut him off. It was impromptu and straight from the heart. The ring was simple and brilliant as it sparkled. “I only want you.”

  He took the ring out and slipped it on my finger. “All I want is you, sweetheart.” It was a perfect fit. “I love you, Knoah Knox.”

  I threw myself at him. “I love you, too.”

  Putting myself out there was a scary thing. But the risk would be worth the reward. Love would conquer all. I believed it.

  “Now I get to introduce you to the rest of my family as my fiancée.”

  Chapter Forty-Two

  In the back seat of the car, I fidgeted with my ring for the millionth time. Thoughts circulated in my head in a jumbled mess.

  I’m engaged—to someone other than Dylan.

  It’s all so fast.

  And now we’re headed to his parents.

  What will they think?

  What will my parents think?

  Especially Dad.

  Sawyer?

  Kurt?

  Did I make the right decision?

  Did Garrick feel pressured to ask me after my confession?

  Wait… I loved Garrick. There was no doubt about my feelings. My heart knew what was right and had never led me astray before. Who cared how long it had been. Or what anyone else thought.

  But it was possible they wouldn’t understand. No dating for three years and then all of a sudden I was engaged. To the outsider, it sounded crazy.

  “Joe, please circle until I say otherwise.” Garrick’s voice jolted me, and I sat straighter. I looked out the window. We were in a nice neighborhood with large houses. Really large houses. The lawns were immaculate with water features and statues.

  From the front, Joe responded. “Yes, sir.”

  The screen to the front of the car ascended, and Garrick looked at me. “Knoah, are you okay?”

  “Yes… No... I don’t know.” I took a deep breath. “Yes, I’m okay. I’ll be okay. Everything will be fine.”

  His hand pressed on my knee, which was bouncing a million miles a minute. “Talk to me.”

  “We’re engaged.”

  Garrick chuckled and grabbed my hand. His thumb stroked my ring. “We are.”

  I blurted out the first thing that came to mind. “Everyone is going to think I’ve lost my mind. Or that I’m after your money.”

  “Is that what’s bothering you?”

  He knew me so well. “I’m scared you’re not sure. That I pressured you to propose with my confession. I wasn’t expecting it.”

  “Knoah, no one pressures me to do anything I don’t want to do. I have never been so sure of anything in my life. I already asked your father for your hand in marriage. And Kurt.”

  At every corner, he surprised me. I gasped. “When? Where? Why didn’t you tell me when you proposed?”

  “I’m sorry I didn’t tell you.” He took a steadying breath. “I don’t know what I’m doing. I should have looked it up or asked, but I couldn’t let the moment pass us by.”

  I placed my free hand on top of his. “When did you talk to Dad?”

  “This week. He met me at the office.”

  Dad had been in the same building. Mom hadn’t mentioned a word. I talked to her once while we were in Utah, and she seemed genuinely happy for me. “Wh-What did he say?”

  “He asked me if I loved you. And I laid it all out on the line. He gave me his conditional blessing.”

  Oh no. Not his full blessing. Is that bad? My heart caught in my throat. “Conditional?”

  “I have to bring my wits to the chess table.”

  I laughed, sagging with relief. “He challenged you to a game of chess?”

  “Yes. And I accepted.”

  My dad acting like my dad made me smile. “You know he’s not going to make it easy.”

  “Whatever it takes. With his conditional blessing, he said I could propose.”

  My parents approved. They approved. Mom told me on the phone she thought I’d met my match—that my path was on the right course.

  “And Kurt gave his blessing?”

  With things more volatile between them, I was a little surprised. “He did. Yesterday, after thinking it over, he called.”

  I touched his chest and felt his muscles contract under his blue dress shirt. “I love our story. I wouldn’t have it any other way.”

  “I’ll spend the rest of my life trying to make you happy.”

  “We’ll do that for each other.”

  Things felt in order now. Having those most important people approve was essential. “Are we going to tell your family?”

  It wasn’t right to compare, but the last time I told my future in-laws, it didn’t go so well. At one point, I had been accused of being pregnant.

  I wanted things to go better this time.

  “If you want to wait, we can. But I do want them to know as soon as you feel comfortable with it. I want the entire world to know.” He rubbed my hand. “This is what matters most—you and me. If anyone else has a problem with it, that’s their issue. Not ours.” Another moment passed. “Are you ready?”

  There was still something missing. “I just… I feel like I should call my parents first. I’ve cut them out for so long, I don’t want to do that with us. Then we can tell your parents. I don’t want to hide it. Okay?”

  Garrick beamed as he handed me my phone from the console. “Here you go.”

  I dialed the house and put the phone on speaker. It rang a few times before my mom answered, “Hey, sweetie. How was Utah?”

  “Hey, Mom! Utah was great. We’re headed to Garrick’s parents’ for dinner. Are you still coming over tomorrow?” I knew I was stalling.

  A few cabinets closed. I bet she was cooking dinner for Dad. “Yes, we can’t wait. I really like Garrick. Even talking to you, I can tell you’re glowing. I’m glad I have my baby girl back.”

  Beside me, Garrick squeezed my knee. I felt a bit of his strength. “Can you put Dad on the line, too?”

  There was a quick intake of breath, then Mom yelled, “Wyatt, pick up the phone. Knoah has something important to tell us.” Dad’s response was inaudible. Mom responded, “Hurry or I’m going to tell her to tell me. I think it’s the you-know-what.” Discreet, Mom. Real discreet.

  I whispered to Garrick, “Don’t ever share anything with Mom you want to keep a surprise until right before. She’ll let it slip every time.”

  He winked. “Good to know.”

  The line clicked on. “Okay, okay, I’m on. Did he do it?”

  I mouthed, “That includes Dad.”

  Garrick smiled, happy wrinkles crinkling the corners of his eyes, and chuckled softly.

  “Go ahead, Knoah. We’re here,” Mom said.

  “Well, Garrick proposed to me and I said yes.”

  Mom squealed on the other end of the line. “Oh, I’m so happy for you. So, so happy. I was wondering how long we would have to wait to find out. I can’t wa
it to plan the wedding. What date? Colors? What were you thinking?”

  I giggled like a girl. “Mom, he literally just proposed. We haven’t discussed specifics.”

  “Oh, I understand. He’s such a nice young man. I had a few long conversations with him a couple of different times last week. At first, I was excited you’d found someone. But, sweetie, after talking with him and having lunch, I can tell he’s the one. I know I should be more on guard with how fast it’s gone. But, your story is truly one of those once-in-a-lifetime, love-at-first-sight stories.”

  Wait. She talked to him last week… several times? I glanced over at Garrick, who watched me with adoration in his eyes. Squeezing my hand, he whispered, “Anything for you. Absolutely anything.”

  Seeing the truth had me lost in his gaze. He’d taken the time for my family, which had probably put him more behind on everything he needed to do.

  “Knoah? Are you still there?”

  I blinked and focused back on the conversation. “Yes, Mom. Sorry. I’m here.”

  Mom giggled. Dad’s voice caught twice as he said, “You’ve always made decisions that were best for you. If you’ve deemed him worthy of your heart, it’s never too fast. But he better treat you right.”

  Garrick jumped in right on cue. “I will. She’ll be my first priority in everything I do.”

  “I know she will be, son. That’s how it should be.”

  Son. Dad thought of Garrick as one of the family already. Garrick winked, but underneath it all, I saw with the twinkle in his eyes that Dad calling him son had meant a lot.

  Cabinets opened and closed more loudly. “Why don’t you guys come here tomorrow, instead? I’ll make Knoah’s favorite. And yours, too, Garrick. I think Knoah said you love Italian. Tonight, your mom is making lasagna. Ravioli is your second favorite, right?” She had obviously been paying attention when I told her things about Garrick. “Wyatt, we’re going to have to order a pizza tonight. I have a meal to make. It’ll be wonderful.” Then she paused. “Is that okay? I don’t want to intrude on plans you already have.”

  I looked to Garrick, who nodded. “That’ll be good, Mom. Sawyer is coming to the apartment tomorrow morning. I’ll get her settled and then come your way.”

  “Perfect. Congratulations. We love you guys.”

  “Love you, too.”

  I ended the call feelings worlds better. They were truly happy for me and supported my decision—they always had. The tension eased from my body.

  “Joe, you can pull up now.” The intercom clicked off. “You seem better.”

  “Thank you.” I threw myself against his chest and hugged him to me. “I feel like you know what I need before I do.”

  “It’s our connection.”

  My lips found his. “I love you.”

  “I love you, too, sweetheart.” The car stopped, and he looked out the window for a moment before returning his attention to me. “I will say this… I didn’t think my timing through. I should be making love to my fiancée right now. I want to sink myself into you while my ring sparkles on your finger and signifies that you’re mine.”

  Oh, that sounded heavenly. With a moan, I pressed myself against him. Garrick hauled me into his lap to straddle him. My skirt rode up indecently high.

  Bang.

  Bang.

  Bang.

  I yelped and scrambled off Garrick, slamming my hands over my mouth in the hope that I hadn’t been too loud.

  “Uncle Garrick! Uncle Garrick! We’ve been waiting for you. Hurry up!”

  Oh shit, it was Derrick and Savannah. I held my hand to my heart. “They about gave me a heart attack.”

  Garrick looked annoyed for a moment but smiled before whispering, “Cockblocking at its finest.”

  I straightened my clothes, wishing we were alone right now to pick up where we left off. “Uncle Garrick! Is Knoah with you? We’re supposed to stay with her while she meets everyone. Remember?”

  Thank goodness I’d met a couple of them ahead of time.

  He responded, “We’re coming. We’ll see you inside in a few minutes. I need to wrap up something for work.”

  “Okay, can Knoah go ahead and come?”

  Those two children were precious. “I’ll bring her.”

  Savannah responded, “I’m going to set the timer on my watch for three minutes. Hurry, Uncle Garrick.”

  Oh, Savannah was persistent.

  Garrick groaned. “We’re going to have to finish this later.” He adjusted himself, and I giggled. “You think this is funny?”

  “I do. You have a big guy down there to hide.”

  He winked. “Better to fuck you with.” Oh my. I bit my lip, thinking about him inside me. “We need to get out of this car before I say to hell with it and leave.”

  That would be bad. After we finished straightening ourselves, Garrick opened the back door. “Are you ready to meet the family?”

  “Yes.” The nerves were back. Garrick probably sensed it, so I said, “I’m a little nervous, but I want to know every part of you. I want them to know about our engagement.”

  “They’ll love you. Let’s go meet my crazy family. We’ll tell them over dinner after you’ve had a chance to meet everyone.”

  “I like that idea.”

  Hopefully the rest of the family liked me as much as Suzette and Kourtney.

  Chapter Forty-Three

  As we entered the house, there was a sea of people. Everyone seemed to be talking at the same time. It was chaos—complete and utter chaos.

  Children ran around with their toys.

  The adults laughed.

  Glasses clinked.

  Motorized cars zoomed by.

  I loved it. It was the definition of a family I’d always dreamed about.

  “She’s here! She’s here! Knoah is here!” Savannah yelled at the top of her lungs and ran up to hug me. I hugged her back, having missed her.

  The room grew silent and all eyes turned to me.

  “Hey guys, this is Knoah Knox—”

  Fingers touched my hand. “That’s a pretty ring. Did Uncle Garrick give it to you?” Savannah pulled on my arm to get a closer look. “It’s big and sparkly—like a princess ring.”

  Derrick touched my hand as well. “It’s like a giant rock.”

  Gasps were heard through the room, and no one moved as they seemed to recognize what hand it was on. Garrick squatted in front of Savannah, and I stood stiff as a board, unsure what to say. This was definitely not telling everyone over dinner after they’d had a chance to get to know me.

  A very awkward silence filled the room.

  Garrick addressed Savannah and Derrick directly. “Yes, I did give it to her. I asked Knoah to become my wife, and she said yes.”

  Savannah jumped and hugged me. “You’re going to be my aunt. Derrick, our wishes came true when we threw our pennies in the fountain yesterday.” She looked up to me. “We wished Uncle Garrick would marry you. We want you to be our aunt.”

  They loved me. After only meeting me one time, they wanted me in their lives. This was not the life I would have had with Vivian. I got on my knees next to Garrick. “Well, I’m very glad you wished for it. I love your uncle a lot.”

  Derrick and Savannah hugged me. “Come on. Let’s introduce Knoah to our cousins.”

  Two girls, whom I assumed were Garrick’s sister Melissa’s, joined them. They had light blond hair. From the family pictures he’d showed me, everyone in Garrick’s family had dark hair.

  “Lucy and Laura, this is Knoah!” Savannah pointed to the younger one. “This is Lucy. And this is Laura. They’re sisters.”

  The adults remained quiet. I chanced a glance up. Kourtney had a smile. The others were stiff and wary. Even Garrick’s mother was speechless. She looked as if she was about to cry. The question was, were they good or bad tears? Garrick watched his family as if sensing the tense undercurrent invading the room.

  I held out my hand. “Hey, Lucy and Laura. I’m Knoah. Is that Barbie you�
�re holding?” They nodded. “I loved playing with Barbie when I was little. My favorite was Jungle Barbie. She had giraffe earrings and a pink skirt. Pink was my favorite color.”

  They walked straight up to me. “Wanna see mine?” Laura asked.

  “See mine, too!” Lucy added.

  “I’d love to.” I took the Barbies. “Oh, I love these. Do you think we could play later?”

  Excitedly, they nodded. “Yes!”

  “Garrick, can we have a second of your time?” I think it was Marcus, Garrick’s brother, who spoke.

  Garrick touched my shoulder. “I think—”

  “Go talk with your family.” If we could get past the initial shock, it would go smoother.

  “Knoah, I don’t think.”

  “Please. I’ll be fine.”

  The kids watched the exchange puzzled. I saw the conflict pass over Garrick’s face as he touched my shoulder. “I promise I’ll be okay.”

  “If you need anything, we’ll be down the hall on the right.”

  I nodded and turned toward the kids. “You guys will keep me company, right?”

  “Yes!” All four kids exclaimed.

  Before leaving, Kourtney and Suzette came up to hug me. Garrick’s father shook my hand as well. Honestly, I knew it was odd I wasn’t going with Garrick. But I hoped when they talked to him, saw Garrick’s response without me there, it would make it easier. I wanted to get through this tenseness, and then I would meet the rest of his family. I think Garrick sensed that when I threw myself into talking with the children.

  Garrick’s brother Marcus’s two sons—both with the signature Shaw dark hair—approached us. They were around eight and six.

  “Hey, I’m Knoah.”

  “That’s Eli and Zack,” Savannah said. “They’re Uncle Marcus and Aunt Amanda’s kids. Oh, and Lucy and Laura are Aunt Melissa’s and Uncle David’s kids.”

  I knew this, but still said, “Oh, thank you, Savannah! It’s nice to meet you. I guess you heard I’m going to marry your Uncle Garrick.”

  The boys only watched me, still unsure of me. Derrick put his car in my lap. “It goes really, really fast!”