Her stunned gaze darted to his.
He couldn’t read if her expression was surprise, fear, or horror, but he had to get the words out. “Elle McCray, I know you swore you’d never get married again, so I’m not going to ask you. But I love you, and I can’t imagine spending the rest of my life with anyone but you. So if you ever decide you’re willing to walk down the aisle again, know that I’d love nothing more than to be the one doing it with you. But if marriage isn’t for you, let this ring symbolize what I want to give you.”
Her blue eyes went shiny and she gave him a tremulous smile. “And what’s that?”
“Everything. Forever.”
Elle set the sculpture aside and held the ring between her fingers, a tear slipping down her cheek as she stared down at it.
“Forever is a long time,” she said softly.
He swallowed hard, feeling more vulnerable than he’d expected. “Yeah.”
She lifted her gaze, her smile steadying, beaming, and slid down to the floor with him. “I have a feeling it’s not going to be long enough with you.”
All the breath whooshed out of him.
She took his hand and pressed the ring into his palm. “Ask me.”
Every tense muscle in his body loosened, happiness suffusing through him and spreading wide. He took the ring and held it between them. “Doc, will you marry me?”
She reached out and cupped his cheek. “I would do it tomorrow.”
He’d never heard sweeter words in his life. His hand trembled as he slid the ring onto her finger and then he brought her knuckles to his mouth, pressing a kiss there. “Me too.”
“You mean that?” she asked, her brows lifting.
“Of course I do.”
She peered down at the ring, a thoughtful look crossing her face. “Then, why don’t we?”
He leaned back to get a better look at her, to see if she was kidding. “Like blow this joint and go to Vegas?”
“No one says we can’t.” She looped her arms around his neck, a wicked grin lifting her lips. “I’ve done the fancy wedding. It’s overrated. Too many people. Too much drama. All I want is you. And I can think of no better way to celebrate my birthday than by making it official.”
Something unlocked inside his chest, something he didn’t even know had rusted shut. He knew Elle loved him. He knew they were right together whether there was a court document or not. But he didn’t realize until that moment how badly he wanted her as his wife. How much he wanted her to take that risk on him. He leaned forward and kissed her long and thoroughly, letting the happiness sink into his bones and linger. He pulled back and smiled. “Let’s do it.”
“Yeah?” She laughed when he nodded. “This is insane.”
He got up and pulled her to her feet. “Well, we haven’t gone about this the normal way the whole time. Why start now?”
“Good point,” she said, bouncing on the balls of her feet with giddy excitement. “Come on. Let’s go home and pack. Or maybe make out first. And eat a cupcake. And then pack.”
“Excellent plan.” He grabbed the box of cupcakes and the sculpture.
Elle picked up a steak knife from a set of silverware on the table.
He glanced at the weapon in her hand. “What are you doing? Is this the part where you confess you’re a murderer?”
She rolled her eyes. “No, but there’s something I need to do.” She cocked her head toward the door. “Go donate a few of those cupcakes to the manager and stall him for a few minutes. I’ll meet you outside in fifteen?”
He eyed her. “What are you up to?”
She shrugged. “Just need to take care of a little something.”
He decided not to question her further and headed toward the bar to offer the dessert. The manager was more than happy to chat things up, but when Lane stuck his head out the door a few minutes later to check on Elle, she was crouched over one of the tables, the knife to the wood and a look of concentration on her face.
Lane stalled for a few more minutes and then headed out when he saw Elle was no longer out there. He walked to the table where Elle had been and looked at the fresh wood shavings scattered across the top.