"Kiss me," he whispered.
I opened my eyes. "What'd you say?" I asked being coy.
"You heard me," he whispered.
We were so close that our breath mingled.
"You love me?" I asked, staring at him.
He nodded slightly, and when he did, our noses touched again.
"How much?" I whispered, drawing out the moment as I held my lips right next to his.
"Darcy."
"What?"
"Kiss me before I do something crazy."
I smiled. "Like what?"
"I don't know, but you're probably gonna end up all sandy and disheveled, so you might as well just go ahead and do what I'm asking."
"Disheveled?" I asked, giggling a little at his choice of words.
He nodded as if he was completely serious.
"I guess I better kiss you, then," I whispered, getting even closer. "We wouldn't want to go back to the celebration looking disheveled." I spoke with my lips so close to his that they literally touched his when we talked. He could've easily leaned forward and sealed the kiss if wanted, but he let me make the moment linger.
"We wouldn't want that," he agreed.
"Owen," I said.
I didn't say anything after that, nor did I wait for him to respond, I only hesitated for a second or two before pressing my lips firmly to his. His chest rose as he took a breath in through his nose, and I grinned a little from sheer delight as I placed several warm tender kisses right on his perfect mouth.
I pulled back to stare at him and he squeezed me around the waist to let me know he wanted me to continue. I'd been trying to hold back because, somewhere in the back of my mind, I thought some of the wedding guests might have come down to the beach or might be watching us from the terrace, but I really didn't care anymore.
In that moment, there was no one else on earth besides Owen Bishop and me. He told me he wanted to marry me, and those were words I'd wanted to hear for what seemed like my whole life.
I began slowly by placing gentle kisses on his cheeks and the side of his mouth, but I quickly progressed to something far deeper.
I kissed him passionately.
Those moments on the beach with Owen were unlike anything we had ever shared before. We didn't care about the sand or the people or anything besides each other. He took his hand out from behind his head, resting fully on the sand with no inhibitions whatsoever. He laced his fingers through my hair, pulling me closer and telling me with his body language that he wanted me as badly as I wanted him.
It was more than a kiss. We exposed ourselves in a way we never had, sharing something tender and unguarded. I felt wave after wave of crashing sensation and emotion as our lips moved and intertwined. It was nearly impossible to pull away and stop the momentum, but finally, I did.
I broke contact, pulling back an inch or two, and looking at him. "Owen," I whispered weakly.
He smiled. "Darcy."
"I love you."
"I love you too."
"What if they saw us?" I whispered, still not taking my eyes off of his.
His smile broadened. "They can't."
"How?"
"Because it's dark," he said.
I pulled back a few more inches, looking around and feeling in awe at how much our surroundings had changed in the moments since we went out there. "It's dark," I said.
He let out a little laugh. "I know."
"We better get back to the wedding."
Owen sat up, wiping at his arms before wrapping them around his own knees. I sat up as well, dusting myself off before using my palm to brush the sand off of his back. He turned to glance at me when I did that. "Thank you," he said.
"You're welcome."
"We should probably get back up there," he said, glancing up toward the house.
Owen stood, and in the process offered a hand to help me up. I took the assistance, getting to my feet before dusting myself off more fully.
"Sand is everywhere," I said.
"I know," he said. "I'm sorry. I probably should have thought about that when I drug you to the ground."
"Please don't be sorry for that," I said as I continued to dust sand from my clothing.
Owen had done a good job of shaking off his own sand, but there was a spot of it on his backside running up the back of his thigh. I took the liberty of dusting it off for him and was amazed by the fact that every single time I touched him it made me feel electric. The muscle on the backside of his leg was firm and heavenly.
He smiled at me as he took my hand, and we headed up the trail toward the house. We were quiet for the first little while, but I leaned against him, resting my head on the side of his arm. We were almost back up to the house when I stopped in the path and glanced at him.
"Let's not tell anyone about what happened down there," I said. "Let's just let today be about Daniel and Courtney."
"What happened?" Owen asked with a genuinely confused expression. "We kissed?"
I squinted at him and pushed at his shoulder, and this made him let out a laugh and pull me into his arms.
"I'm just messing with you," he said.
"So you agree that we don't need to tell anybody," I said as more of a statement than a question.
"Yep," he agreed as we slowly started to walk back toward the house.
We covered several paces before I added, "But you do know what I'm talking about, right?"
"What, that we said we're getting married?" he asked.
"Yes," I said.
"I won't tell anyone," he promised.
He was agreeing so easily and saying so little about it that I couldn't help but feel the need to make him elaborate.
"But we are, right?" I asked. "Engaged? That's what happened down there, right?"
We were about fifty feet from the house when Owen stopped to look at me again. I could see the action in my peripheral vision, yet I just stood there and stared into his eyes.
"That is definitely what happened, my love." He wore a sweet smile that instantly settled all of my insecurities, and he reached up to hold my chin. "My precious Darcy, I can't wait to marry you. I wish that ring was on your finger right now, but baby, it's just a symbol. As far as I'm concerned, you've been mine since we were kids. I'll give you the ring and I'll ask you to marry me in front of everyone, but those are all just—"
"I don’t need it," I said. "I was just double checking that you thought we got engaged just now because that's what I thought happened."
"Yes," he said with a confident, amused grin. "That's what I thought happened, too."
"What happened?"
Ivy, Shelby, and Liam had come out of nowhere and walked up behind us. Owen shifted, putting his arm protectively around me as we turned to face the others. Ivy had been leading the way while her cousins trailed behind, and as we stood there, blocking the path, I realized that others were with them as well. A few of Courtney's friends joined the group, and before I knew it, there were what must have been seven or eight people staring at us.
"Don't worry," Liam said. "We went to the other side of the lagoon so we wouldn't interrupt your make out session. We were just down there watching the sunset."
"Yeah, we thought y'all would be back up at the house by the time we got here," Ivy said. "We tried to give y'all some space."
The people in the back of the group, including Shelby, had been having a conversation which they thankfully continued as we turned and started walking toward the house again.
"What'd you think happened," Ivy asked Owen as we walked. "When we were walking up, you said you thought something happened."
"I did," Owen said in the teasing tone a big brother would use. "And it did happen, but you can't know about it because it's a secret."
"Ohhh, come on!" Ivy said. "You know I'm terrible with secrets! You have to tell me."
"That's exactly why I'm not telling you," Owen said.
"What's the secret?" Shelby asked, tuning into our conversation from a few steps
behind us.
"Nothing!" Owen yelled from over his shoulder.
"Owen loves Darcy Meyers," Liam said, hoping to satisfy the girls with this obvious tidbit.
"That's not a secret," Ivy said. "Y'all know something else you're not telling me. Does Liam know?"
"No," Liam said. "But if I did, I wouldn't tell you."
"I know the secret!" one of Courtney's friends yelled from behind us. "It's that Daniel's brother is coming in for the wedding!"
It was true. Wes tried to surprise Daniel by coming in from London. Only his flight was canceled, and he didn't make it in time for the ceremony. He was scheduled to be there later that evening and would get to stay with the family for the rest of the trip. He would then head back to Memphis for a week before going back to London. Courtney's friend was correct that this had been a secret, but everyone knew what was going on by now, and it wasn't the specific secret we were talking about. Either way, it got everyone else talking about Wes and his travel nightmare and made them forget about Owen and me.
We all made it back up to the terrace in a big group. Shug and Doozy were standing at the edge of the action and were among the first to see us.
"Where'd y'all go?" Shug asked.
"We watched the sunset from the beach," Liam answered.
"It was super romantic!" Ivy said, smiling at us and lifting her eyebrows.
Owen made a silly, exaggerated mad face at her like he was about to take off chasing her, and she laughed and scrunched up her face as she walked away.
"No, really it was," Owen said, standing next to his grandparents and positioning me in front of him while the others dispersed into the crowd. "It was pretty much amazing down there."
Chapter 19
I didn't mind that Owen and I kept quiet about the engagement. We didn't mention it to anyone the whole time we were in California. We had an amazing time and were really in love, but the engagement on the beach remained our little secret.
I did, however, ask Owen to give me the ring pretty much the second our plane landed in Memphis. I didn't care if that wasn't how most people did it. I had been waiting long enough for Owen to be mine, and I wasn't about to let some formality stand in my way.
"I've got to go by the vet's office and get Henry out of boarding before they close," Owen said as we waited for our luggage. "Just get my parents to take you home. I'll get Henry and go by my house to get the ring, and then we'll meet you at your house."
"Sounds like a plan," I said.
I could hardly stand still. I was so excited to put Owen Bishop's ring on my finger that I wiggled and shook as we stood there waiting for the bags. I wasn't even concerned with what the ring looked like—all that mattered was that Owen was the one who bought it.
He smiled as he stood beside me, waiting for our luggage. I knew he could see me bouncing up and down and that he knew the reason why I was so excited.
He talked to his dad about giving me a ride, and before long, everything was situated, we had our bags, and I was piling into the oversized SUV with Jesse, Rose, Ivy, and Wes.
They drove straight to my house. They asked questions about it, and I told them about a few of the improvements or changes I had made in the short time since I had moved in and was planning on making in the future. Wes was the only one who hadn't seen it, and I invited him to come inside, but Jesse and Rose said they needed to be getting home and that he could definitely come back and see it before he went back to London.
They changed their mind once they pulled up at my house, though. Jesse just couldn't bear to leave me home alone without walking through the place first. It was a big house, and I could tell he wasn't comfortable letting me go inside alone—not after being gone for days. I told him that I had security cameras with motion sensors hooked to my phone, which was the truth, but he got out of the truck and did a two-minute walkthrough of the place anyway.
Wes and Ivy wanted to stay longer and check out my gym, but their parents refused, saying everyone was tired and needed to get home. They promised they would come back soon. I wanted them to stay, but it was sort of convenient for me that Jesse and Rose wanted to get home since my man was coming over with my ring.
The first thing I did was take a shower. We had been staying in a gorgeous house, but being on the road always made me feel like I needed to get cleaned up. I washed my hair, shaved my legs, and got completely comfortable.
My house was quiet, and I caught myself feeling like I needed to get a dog. I thought about Henry and how he would soon be mine to share with Owen. I assumed the two of them would move into my house, and I couldn't wait for that to happen.
I looked at my phone once I finished drying my hair and realized I had a text from Owen. It said he would be here in an hour, and I glanced at the clock feeling like that was a lifetime away. I unpacked, put on a little makeup, and when I was done with all that, I still had forty minutes to wait, so I played around on my silks for a little while. I didn't break a sweat or anything, but I had so much pent-up excitement that the physical release did me good.
My phone was hooked to the speaker system and I had music playing while I was working out. Abruptly, during the middle of a song, the music stopped and my phone and began ringing. It took me a few seconds to descend from the silks, and by the time I made it to my phone I had already missed the call. I stared down at the notification, smiling at the fact that it was Owen.
I called him back right away.
"Hey," he said, picking up the phone.
"Hey," I said. I got that same feeling of anticipation at the sound of his voice.
"I'm glad you called back," he said.
"Is everything okay?" I asked.
"Yeah. I'll be there in five minutes. Wait out front."
"Outside?" I asked.
"Yeah."
"Why?"
"Because I was gonna pick you up and take you for a ride."
"On your motorcycle?" I asked.
"No, in my truck. Yes, on my motorcycle," he said. I could hear his voice change from serious to playful as he delivered those conflicting statements, and it made me giggle. I started looking all around, wondering if I was dressed appropriately for a motorcycle ride. I almost reminded him to bring the ring, but I figured I had mentioned it enough already, so I decided to assume he had that under control.
"Okay, I'm gonna wait out front," I said.
"Five minutes," he said.
"Five minutes. Love you."
"Love you too."
We hung up, and I took off running through my house. First, I went to my closet. I quickly changed into something more appropriate for a ride. I put on jeans and a long sleeve T-shirt, hiking the sleeves up to my elbows. I slipped on socks and tennis shoes, and then I ran to the bathroom where I checked myself in the mirror before tying my hair into a low messy bun. Owen always made me wear a helmet so I didn't have many options for my hair. I stared at myself in the mirror, making small adjustments and trying to look my best when he arrived. I was so nervous and excited that I made little noises and talked to myself as I was going through the motions.
I figured it must've been close to five minutes by the time I finished everything, and I ran toward the front door without even worrying about turning off lights. I locked the front door behind me and put my phone and my keys in my pocket, waiting anxiously for Owen to come down the street.
Within a minute, I saw him.
I blinked as I stared across my front lawn and down the street. There were some trees in the way, but I had a fairly clear view of the road from my front entryway.
I couldn't believe my eyes.
It wasn't just Owen.
He wasn't alone.
He was riding in the front, but behind him, in a triangle shaped formation, was what seemed like a hundred other motorcycles.
I was instantly overwhelmed.
I covered my face with my hands and began laughing and crying at the same time.
Hot tears sprang to my eyes and rolled do
wn my cheeks. I peered through my fingers, feeling utterly stupefied by the spectacle that was coming toward me. There were so many of them, and the sound was astonishing.
It was honestly breathtaking.
My face scrunched up with tears, and I covered it with my hands because I just couldn't make them stop. I could feel myself shaking. I knew why they were following him here, and I was completely overwhelmed by it.
I watched in awe through my fingers as Owen led the unbelievable, awe-inspiring group up my driveway. There was nothing I could do but shake my head and cry as I watched them approach. It felt as though the whole earth rumbled as they got closer. There weren't a hundred bikes—maybe more like fifteen or twenty—but it might as well have been a hundred with how unbelievable the spectacle was. It was truly an amazing sight.
My front entrance had a wide staircase leading to the front door with about ten steps, and I sat at the top of it, feeling like if I didn't sit down I might just pass out.
Try as I might, I could not stop my tears from flowing. I wiped my cheeks trying to get myself together, but the sight of everyone on motorcycles behind Owen like that was really stunning, and tears kept springing to my eyes.
I peered out from behind my hands as I sat at the top of the stairs, watching them come to a stop in the U-shaped driveway right in front of me. Owen was smiling at me, and all I could do was sit there and watch him.
I was shaking uncontrollably.
They parked behind and around Owen, and I briefly scanned their faces. Wes, Ivy, Jesse, Rose, Doozy and Shug, Gray, Jane, Liam, Shelby. Even Jacob and Alice were there, and so were Max and Betsy along with a few others from the shop. I blinked as my eyes kept filling with tears.
Engines were rumbling, but one by one, they parked and turn them off, and before I knew it the air was silent. Owen got off of his bike and stood at the bottom of my stairs, smiling at me and looking like a model right out of a magazine. He was the hero of the story; there was no doubt about it. He stood there, confidently smiling at me and knowing he was my knight in shining armor.
I tried not to cover my face, but I was so touched that it was difficult for me to let them see me. I grasped my hands together and held them in front of my face. I looked straight at Owen, but I could see everyone who was sitting behind him out of my periphery. They just sat there quietly watching us.
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