“This isn’t how I wanted to do this, but it’s where we are, and I’m going with it. Life is precious, and none of us know how much time we have left.” He takes my hand and places a kiss on the big-ass sparkling diamond on my finger.
“Layla, you limped into my life and stole my heart. Piece by piece, you chipped away at my armor until you had yourself firmly rooted in here.” He taps over his heart with his free hand. “I want every day with you. I want you to be an official member of the Riggins family. I want to make babies with you, and live our happily ever after.”
My cheeks heat as hot tears begin to fall. “I was so afraid I would lose you. That you wouldn’t be able to see past what they did, putting me on the internet.”
“That’s not on you, Layla. That’s on them. And the police have it all taken down. You were a minor in many of the videos,” he says, his voice tight. “It’s all down. No one is looking at you. No one but me.”
I let his words sink in. It’s as if the elephant of fear sitting on my shoulders is gone. It’s all gone. The videos, the pictures, my mother and her sidekick. I’m safe, and I have Owen and his brothers to thank for that. If they hadn’t shown up when they did, well, I don’t even want to think about what could have happened. “You still want that? I mean, you still want me?” I need to hear him say it.
“Fuck, yes, I want you. All of you. Your heart, your body, your mind, your soul.” He stops and shakes his head. He slides the ring off my finger, and I fight back the urge to cry. He kisses my finger and smiles up at me. His blue eyes are filled with so much love, I can feel it radiating off him. “Layla Massey, will you do me the incredible honor of being my wife?”
I don’t say anything as I stare at the man who changed my world. He brought me to life and showed me what it’s like to have a family and to love and be loved freely.
“Layla?” he asks, his voice wavering.
“Yes,” I whisper. “Yes, I’ll marry you,” I say, my voice stronger. He exhales and slides the ring back on my finger, kissing it before standing to kiss me.
“I know it’s not an elaborate proposal, but I couldn’t wait a second longer to know that you’re going to be mine forever.” The smile that pulls at my lip causes pain from the cuts, but it doesn’t stop me.
Forever.
I get to spend forever with him.
The door opens. “Hi,” a young girl says. “I have some food for you.” She places a tray on the table and moves the table over to the bed. “Looks like you don’t get the good stuff yet,” the young girl says. “Broth, Jell-O, and applesauce.” Lifting the lid, my meager dinner is waiting for me. “Once you’ve eaten, the nurse will be in to give you some more medicine for the pain,” she says, reading from her piece of paper. She pulls the small plastic cover off the broth, and the smell hits me, causing my stomach to roll.
“O-wen, I’m going.” I barely have the words out before he’s springing into action and places a small pink tub under my mouth as I vomit the water I just took in.
“I’ll go get the doctor.” The girl sounds scared to death and runs out of the room as if her ass is on fire.
Barely any time has passed and Dr. Higgins appears again. “Layla,” she says. “Tell me, what are you feeling?”
“I feel okay, no change, but the smell.” I push the table away from me. “It hit me, and I couldn’t seem to hold it in.”
She nods. “Okay. We’re going to draw some blood and run some tests.”
“Thank you, Doctor,” Owen says, the worry evident in his voice. She nods and leaves the room. “You want the Jell-O or applesauce?” he asks.
“Either. I need this taste out of my mouth.”
He picks up the applesauce container and begins to feed me.
“I can do it on my own,” I tell him.
“I’m sure you can, but you can also let me take care of my fiancée.” He winks.
I don’t argue with him. It’s nice to know that I have him to lean on. I’ve just taken the last bite when two uniformed police officers knock on the door. They ask me about what I remember, and I tell them everything. It’s all still very vivid in my mind. They assure me that my mother and Don are going away for a very long time and that they will be in touch. They pass the nurse, who is there to ask me about my pain.