“Ow,” Brooke says with a whine. “That’s the last time I get pizza from Frederica’s. My wrist is killing me!”
Westin sets me up with a big piece of vegetarian as they get into it.
“Frederica’s is the best in the city,” Eli says with a mouthful of food.
“Best in the world,” Luke corrects.
“Then you get it,” she says as she tosses her purse on the table and slumps down in a chair. “I have dainty little sister wrists.”
Luke shakes his head, showing no sympathy as he bites off a piece. “You bring the food. It’s tradition.”
Nolan nods in agreement. “Can’t break tradition, Brooke.”
“Next time we get pizza, I’m getting it from Sparky’s.”
“No!” they all shout at the same time.
“Sparky’s sucks!” Eli complains.
Nolan is nodding in agreement. “It’s like eating cardboard.”
“I had to walk nine blocks with those pizzas!” Brooke says, not giving in to these four huge men. “Sparky’s is across the street.”
I eat my pizza with a smile on my face, loving the riotous family atmosphere and loving having Westin by my side while it goes on.
It’s been so lonely over the past year, eating dinner by myself while watching game shows. This is much better.
“This is Victoria’s first Thursday night conference dinner,” Westin interrupts. “How about we don’t act like cavemen for once?”
“Impossible,” Eli says with his mouth full. “We are cavemen.”
Westin shakes his head. “I’m quite aware.”
“I like cavemen,” I say with a grin.
Luke gives me a high five from across the table. “I knew she was one of us!”
After we’re done eating the pizza, Westin takes my hand and leans in close to my ear. “Let’s go upstairs,” he whispers.
“I thought this was the top floor,” I whisper back.
“Nope. There’s one more.”
We excuse ourselves and I head toward the elevator, but Westin pulls me toward the door that leads to the staircase.
“Up this way.”
“On the roof?” I ask as we start walking up the metal stairs.
He stops and gently pushes me against the wall. My heart is already pounding as he kisses me with so much love and desire that I feel like I’m going to wilt away.
His hands grip my hips tightly and my pussy responds with a deep warm throbbing. Just when I think the clothes are about to come off, he pulls his mouth away from mine and continues up the stairs. I follow him, breathless.
The summer air is warm on my tingling skin as we step onto the roof. We’re on the top floor of one of Manhattan’s highest skyscrapers and the night sky is the brightest I’ve ever seen with the shining full moon and the dazzling stars. We could be the only two people in the universe and that would be fine with me.
The view of the busy city lit up at night is spectacular, but I’m not looking at any of it.
Confusion fills my brain when I see large vases of red roses everywhere. There are thousands of them and enough candles that the New York Fire Department might be on their way here.
It’s incredibly romantic and my heart starts to patter as I realize what’s about to happen.
“Westin…” My words give out. There are no words to say.
“Victoria,” he says as he stands in front of me, looking more beautiful than ever in the candlelight. “I knew I wanted you from the first moment I saw you at the wedding in that spectacular red dress. My heart belonged to you then, and now I’m asking for your heart. For all of eternity.”
My hands start shaking as he drops down to a knee in front of me.
“Oh, my God! Westin…”
“Victoria,” he says softly as he pulls out a little blue felt box. “Will you marry me?”
He opens the box and presents a huge diamond ring.
I feel like I’m going to faint as I look at it, as I look at him. For a few seconds, I have an out of body experience, watching us from above—him in his black fitted suit with that loving, pleading look in his eyes, and me in my gray dress, looking shocked but ecstatic.
With a sharp breath, I manage to pull myself back into reality and nod my head.
“Yes,” I say as tears start streaming down my cheeks. “Yes, I’ll marry you!”
He puts the ring on my finger as quickly as he can and then leaps up and swallows me in his big arms.
I bury my face in his muscular chest and let the happy tears flow.
We’re going to be together forever.
Epilogue
Westin
Three months later…
I’m so filled with elation that my mind is too scattered to think straight. Pieces of the past year flash through my mind—bits and moments, each better than the last, and each involving the most amazing girl on the planet.
I dig my toes into the cool sand and close my eyes, listening to the gentle laps of the waves on the shore mixed with the whispering of all the people we love sitting in front of me. I want to soak this all in. Every sensation, every thought. I want to be able to look back on this day when I’m eighty years old and remember every incredible detail.