“I had a lot to think about after I saw that.”
“Well, I came here today because I have more to say to you than can fit in one hundred and forty characters. I also need to say things that don’t need to be posted for the whole world to read. Not because I’m ashamed of them or you, but because some things are meant to be private, and between two people.”
She closed her eyes for a moment to gather her thoughts. She had a lot to say, and she wanted to say it just right. “First, I wanted to thank you.”
“Thank me?” Deacon looked surprised.
“Yes. You’ve taught me how to feel again. To love again. After we broke up, it hurt so badly to lose you that I shut down inside. I couldn’t bear the pain, and I didn’t want to fall in love with someone else and lose them, too. I decided I was done with love and I was going to focus on my career instead. I built baby furniture because a part of me thought it would be as close as I would ever get to having children. At least with a loving partner. I convinced myself that a loveless marriage that made good business sense was the right choice.
“I was wrong about everything. I didn’t know I was starving until you gave me a taste of what I’d been missing. Then I knew I was wrong to close off my heart, wrong to think Chip was the kind of person I needed in my life... But most of all, I was wrong to think that I could ever stop loving you, no matter how hard I tried to suppress it.”
She hesitated for a moment and turned to look at him so he would be able to sense and feel how much she meant the words she was about to say. “You are the only person I’ve ever known who loved me just the way I was. No restrictions, no requirements. So I wanted to thank you for that.”
Deacon stared at her silently for a moment, and then he reached out to take Cecelia’s hand in his own. “I’ve never stopped loving you, Cecelia. Even when I was angry or hurt, I still loved you. You’re the reason I haven’t left Royal yet. There was no reason to stay, but a part of me just couldn’t leave you behind, even if you’d chosen that greasy politician over me.”
“I would never do that. He doesn’t hold a candle to you. I don’t understand why my parents can’t see what kind of man he rea
lly is, but in the end it doesn’t matter. In France, I decided I was going to live my own life on my own terms, and that hasn’t changed. If my parents come around, they can be in my life, but if they don’t, I’m okay with that. I’m never choosing them over you again.”
Deacon squeezed her hand as she spoke. “You have no idea how happy I am to hear you say that. I’ve got a few things I need to tell you, as well.”
“I wasn’t finished,” Cecelia said, but he raised his hand to shush her. She hadn’t gotten to the critical news yet.
“I’ve been doing a lot of thinking while I’ve been holed up in his hotel suite. Your message and your arrival here today made things easier, but I was determined to change things between us before that happened. I walked away that night when I was faced with Chip’s challenge, and I shouldn’t have. Suddenly, I was eighteen again and not good enough for you. I walked away that night all those years ago, and I walked away again, instead of fighting for your love the way I should have. I’m not making that mistake again because you are worth fighting for.
“When I ran into you at the door just now, I was coming to tell you how much I loved you. Even if Chip had convinced you to take him back, I was going to steal you away, and I knew I could because he could never give you what you really needed. I’m the only one who can love you the way you need to be loved. I want to give you that life you’ve dreamed of, the family you’ve always wanted. I am determined to give you everything your heart desires. Starting with this.”
Deacon reached into his coat pocket and pulled out a black velvet box. “I was on my way to find you and give you this. You said you wanted to be Mrs. Deacon Chase, and I didn’t want to make you wait a moment longer. I didn’t immediately come running to you because I wanted to have the right ring, the right words, the right suit... I wanted this moment to be perfect.”
Cecelia shook her head with tears glistening in her eyes. “It is perfect, Deacon. You could be in jeans with a grape ring pop and I would say yes because you’re the best thing that’s ever happened to me.”
Deacon smiled. “This is a little better than a grape ring pop.”
He opened the box, revealing the prettiest vintage ring she’d ever seen. It had a round diamond set in a thin rose-gold band. A circle of small diamonds set in rose gold surrounded the center stone, and intricate scrolls were cut into the setting and along the sides. Cecelia had never seen anything like it.
“I didn’t want to compete with Chip to get you the biggest, gaudiest diamond I could. Instead, I wanted to get you the most meaningful ring I could. This one belonged to my grandmother. Shane and I flew to Florida yesterday to get it from my parents.”
Deacon plucked the ring from its velvet bed and held it up to her. “Cecelia, this question has been a long time coming, but will you be my wife?”
Cecelia had been asked that question one time before, but this was completely different. There were butterflies in her stomach, her heart was racing and she couldn’t take her eyes off the beautiful ring. When Chip proposed, she didn’t know what it should feel like. Accepting his proposal had been like signing the paperwork to buy a new car—nice and satisfying, but not exactly a moment to cherish for a lifetime. This blew everything out of the water.
“Yes!” she said, bubbling over with love and enthusiasm. “I’ve been waiting to be Mrs. Deacon Chase since I was seventeen years old.”
* * *
Deacon slipped the ring on her finger. It fit perfectly. The minute he read the message from Cecelia online, he knew this was the ring for her. His grandmother had told him as a child that her ring was to be kept so he could give it to the love of his life one day. Her marriage had been full of love and laughter, and she wanted the same for him. Even in their hardest financial times, his parents refused to sell the ring. He would need it one day, they insisted.
And based on the light in her eyes and the smile on her face, she liked it. The anxious muscles in his neck and shoulders started to relax now that she’d said yes. He snaked his arms around Cecelia’s waist and tugged her to him. Their lips met, and suddenly it felt as though all was right with the world. Cecelia was going to be his wife. Nothing else mattered.
When their lips finally parted, Deacon studied Cecelia’s face for a moment. “You’ve been waiting a while to be married to me. How much longer do you want to wait to make it official? We can be on a jet to Las Vegas in an hour.”
Her nose wrinkled as she considered his offer. The idea of her being his wife before the sun went down was intriguing. Their relationship had come apart so many times, he was keen to make it legal once and for all before she could slip through his fingers again.
“No,” she said at last. “I want to be your wife more than anything, but I don’t want to elope. I want this whole town to put on their best cowboy boots, go down to the church and witness you and me making vows to love one another until the end of time. I want my parents to see it. The Ashfords to see it. I even hope Maverick will be sitting in those pews, so he’ll know that he didn’t win this time, not with me.”
Deacon couldn’t have been more proud of his fiancée than he was in that moment. Even if he had come to terms with this town and what people thought of him, it made him happy to see that she was proud to be his wife. “They’d better get used to having me around anyway.”
Cecelia perked up beside him. “Does that mean you’re willing to move here?”