“Who said it was a date?” He chuckled, throwing another smashed can for Brick. It didn’t matter how long she took. When that woman spun in that skirt? They would be lucky if they got off the front porch, because it was about to be hiked around her waist.
“Well, what did I have to get ready for, then? And it’s time to feed me.”
“You sound like Brick.” He met her at the base of the stairs and took her hand. “Let’s go, babe.”
“Where to?”
“Surprise.”
“Definitely a date.”
He guided her to his truck and opened the door. “In you go.” Then he turned to Brick and FB. “And you guys go inside.”
They barked and whined but listened. Ten minutes later, he and Ella were hauling ass down the road.
“Um, Bishop…” Ella’s shaky voice was unexpected.
Maybe this was a bad idea. No, it wasn’t. This was a badass idea, and he was going to own the shit out of it.
“Why are we headed here?”
“You said this was your favorite place. Short of heading to the tropics, this is the place you said that you loved most.”
“It was.”
“You cried and said you would do anything to replace that day.”
“True.” She sighed. “My happy escape was ruined. I hate that.” She reached her hand to his. “Are you going to walk around, kick-start this place with new memories?”
He nodded. “Thinking about it. Good plan?”
Her fingers squeezed his. “Excellent plan.”
Bishop pulled off the road and drove into Seneca Park. Ella was distant as they pulled into the parking lot near where she and Manny had had their accident—but then he kept driving.
“Wait a minute,” she whispered excitedly. “Do you know where—”
“Maybe…”
“You looked up my hut!”
He laughed. “Roger that, babe.”
“You did! Oh my God. No one on earth looks up that hut.”
“Trust me, I know.” He’d practically had to call in a favor with Parker to look up freaking old park guides. Abandoned natural park guides.
Bishop pulled off the road and parked near the path he’d scouted, having been there earlier that day. They jumped out.
“If I had any idea we were doing this, I would’ve worn something besides a skirt.”
“It’s not a hard hike. I just want to look at the place. Then we can get some food.”
They meandered down the easy path to the old hut.
“Here we are! You’re going to love it.” Her good hand gripped his tightly, pulling him the last few yards. “If you don’t, that’s fine. I won’t hold it against you. Well, maybe a little. It’s pretty amazing.”
He followed her lead, almost surprised she didn’t break out her cell phone and video a quick Eco-Ella spot. They walked up the old rickety stairs. Each one of his boot steps made the entire building groan, and if this was not her favorite place, he might never have noticed the old nature stop.
“Oh—” Ella froze halfway in the door.
Bishop came up behind her, wrapping his arms around her waist.
“Bishop,” she whispered.
A blanket lay in front of them. Her favorite, most requested vegan foods were chilled in containers on ice.
“You made me a picnic?”
He leaned close to her ear. “Yes, ma’am.”
“In my silly hut.” Shaking, her voice dropped even quieter, and her hands found his arms that were crossed over her stomach. She clung to his forearms, her bandaged wrist on top. “You did all of this just to make my favorite park mine again?”
That was affirmative, but it was so much more than that. He spun her around in his arms. “Is it working?”
“Yes.” She nodded, and her eyes welled. “This is beyond thoughtful. I am… speechless.”
For that, he had to grin. “I’ve done the impossible.”
Ella went on her tiptoes and kissed him. “You’re too good. Thank you.”
“This is the thing, Ella. I think you’re too good for me.” He tilted his head toward the picnic blanket. “I want to give you that. This park. Your hut. I want to give that all to you because even if I don’t get it, I get it. If it makes you happy, that makes me happy. Simple.”
“You do. You make me really happy.”
After this day—after the chaotic months she’d been through and their lifetime getting to this spot—knowing that was a damn good thing. Bishop kissed the top of her head then her forehead. “Good. I love you, Ella.” He took her healing wrist and kissed that too.
“I know.” She snuggled into him, making him feel like the most important man in the world. “Love you more than you will ever know.”
He pulled away and held her outstretched in his hands. Everything he cared about, he held between his palms. “Talking about the rest of our lives this morning, about marrying you… You’re mine,” he promised. “I need you to know that.”
“I know.”
He had no magical ways, no magical words, just the truth in everything he wanted to say. Bishop let his hands slide down her arms. Her bandaged wrist straight killed him, and he vowed never to let anything like that happen again as he bent onto one knee. He removed a ring from his pocket and gazed up at the pure shock on Ella’s face. “Not what you expected?”
Slowly, she shook her head.
“Ella, nothing about you is what I expected.” He laughed. “Trust me. But we have one truth. And you know what that is.”
Nodding, she was already mouthing, “Yes.”
“I’m supposed to be by your side, watching you fight like all hell when you believe in something, and—”
“And when you refuse to leave me when you think I might blow up.” She half-laughed, half-cried. “Don’t you ever do that again.”
“Ella, marry me.”
She sank down, sitting on his knee, and cupped his face. “You did all of this for me?”
“Everything is for you.”
“Yes.” Her hug might have been the tightest one he thought she could manage, then she stepped it up a notch.
Lesson learned—never assume anything from his soon-to-be wife. “You get a ring for putting up with me.” His low laughter rumbled as he took her hand, sliding the ring on her finger.
Her sweet intake of breath was all the approval he would ever need as she took in the ring. A loose sculpted braid of four gold strands that mimicked vines arched around a classic solitaire. It combined parts of both of them—her free-flowing style and his traditional manner.
“All right. Want to eat? Surely, something is edible in one of these containers.” He winked and pulled her onto the blanket.
“I kind of want to take a picture. This is really beautiful.”
As she should. This was an important day for both of them. “Do it. Nothing exists unless it’s Eco-Ella posted.”
“That’s not what I meant!” She laughed. “Wait. Are you talking about the picnic or the proposal?”
What the hell? Why not. He shrugged, tickled. “Your call.”
Excitement brightened her face with the permission to post either the picnic or the proposal. “Thank you!”
She took one photo—no video—of her bandaged left hand in front of her vegan picnic, then quickly typed before handing her phone to Bishop for him to read.
The picture was totally badass, not that he was one to give himself too much credit on the setup. Though it was a killer job. Then he read her status.
I said yes.
“Okay?” She bounced with eagerness as though maybe trying to appreciate that he was a social media avoidant.
Bishop gave his approval. “Works for me.”
Ella pressed publish and watched for a moment before looking up. “It’s live.”
“Watch out, Tara.” They both laughed, and he could picture Tara throwing her hands in a Thanksgiving prayer. Right after she threatened to kill him for lack of a heads-up. “Think y
ou should call her?”
“She owes me for something. This is turnabout but nicer.”
“All right.”
“One more thing.” She held her finger on the screen and powered off her phone.
Bishop’s eyes went wide. “What are you doing, babe?”
“I turned my phone off.” Ella tossed the phone over her shoulder and dropped next to him on the blanket. “All done for the day.”
“I can see that.” He howled with laughter. “That’s all I had to do to get you to turn off your phone? Just propose?”
“Oh, shut up.” She play-punched his bicep then kissed him quiet.
He couldn’t stop laughing. “I’m never going to be able to top this.”
She kissed him harder. “Take off your gun. Literally, nobody in the world can find us until one of us decides to surface.”
And with that, all the vegan food was a distant memory.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Cristin Harber is a New York Times and USA Today bestselling romance author. She writes romantic suspense, military romance, new adult, and contemporary romance. Readers voted her onto Amazon's Top Picks for Debut Romance Authors in 2013, and her debut Titan series was both a #1 romantic suspense and #1 military romance bestseller.
Connect with Cristin: Email | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | Team Titan
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What to read next? Locke Oliver is the next Titan book in Locke and Key.
The Titan Series:
Book 1: Winters Heat
Book 1.5: Sweet Girl
Book 2: Garrison's Creed
Book 3: Westin's Chase
Book 4: Gambled
Book 5: Chased
Book 6: Savage Secrets
Book 7: Hart Attack
Book 7.5: Sweet One
Book 8: Black Dawn
Book 8.5: Live Wire
Book 9: Bishop’s Queen
Book 10: Locke and Key
The Delta Series:
Book 1: Delta: Retribution
Book 2: Delta: Revenge
The Delta Novella in Liliana Hart’s MacKenzie Family Collection:
Delta: Rescue
The Only Series:
Book 1: Only for Him
Book 2: Only for Her
Book 3: Only for Us
Book 4: Only Forever
Each Titan and Delta book can be read as a standalone (except for Sweet Girl), but readers will likely best enjoy the series in order. The Only series must be read in order.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
This book would not be made possible without the steadfast support of my family! I am blessed.
Also, thank you to my wonderful friends and crit partners who helped when I needed it the most: Claudia Connor, Sharon Kay, Patricia Patti, and Sara Shone.
There’s always so much that goes on behind the scenes, and huge “thank you”s go to Amber Noffke and Tara Gonzalez from InkSlinger PR, Lynn McNamee and Neila Forssberg from Red Adept Editing, Amy Atwell from Author EMS, and Hot Damn Designs for the amazing cover design. Thank you to my industry friends, the “reps”, and people who have taught me so much and push me to make each book better than the last.
As always, I wouldn’t be anywhere without Team Titan. We’re Titan Strong, baby! LYH.
COPYRIGHT
Copyright © 2016 Cristin Harber
All rights reserved. No part of this book may not be reproduced, transmitted, distributed (including emailing, photocopying, recording, or other methods) or used in any manner whatsoever without the express written permission of the author and publisher except for the use of brief quotations used in book and critical reviews and other noncommercial uses as permitted by copyright law.
This is a work of fiction. All of the characters, organizations, media, incidents and events portrayed in this novel are either the products of the author’s imagination or are used fictionally. Any resemblance to actual persons, things, living or dead, locales or events is entirely coincidental.
ISBN-10: 1-942236-23-9
ISBN-13: 978-1-942236-23-8
www.CristinHarber.com
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