My heart almost stopped every time she told me she loved me. Even now. Over a year since we met.
“I shouldn’t complain,” Dexter said. “It’s not like I’ve never had what you guys have. I was just stupid enough to fuck it up. Just this once, don’t follow my example.”
Dexter believed in love but that it only happened once a lifetime. But being with Stella had shifted my perspective on a lot of things. Dexter was right. Loving a woman was important and I wouldn’t believe that my mate was going to go the rest of his life on his own.
“I’ll try,” I said, for once not wanting to mock him. “As soon as she finally says yes, you’ll be my first call. We’re going to need a rock of a ring.”
“I don’t need a rock,” Stella said and I bit back a grin. So she’d thought about the ring she wanted. Interesting.
I bent and pressed a kiss on her lips. “You deserve a rock.”
“Can’t you two keep your hands off each other for even a second?” an annoying voice said from behind me.
I turned to find Tristan and Gabriel coming toward us. Gabriel was supposed to be in Miami. He must have just stepped off the flig
ht. He knew tonight was important to me—so it was important to him to be here.
How did I get so fucking lucky? Friends who would stand in front of a bullet for me and a woman I’d stand in front of a bullet for. No wonder my past had dissolved into the air. Life didn’t get any better than right now.
“You boys are looking gorgeous,” Stella said to the two of them and I tightened my grip. She was now a regular at our Sunday night drinks and the guys adored her. It was like a woman had been initiated into our group.
“Not as beautiful as you,” Tristan said, taking her arm and placing a kiss on the back of her hand.
“Knock it off,” I said, pulling Stella back, and she laughed.
“Now I know Stella’s taken, I think I can safely say, I’ll never marry,” Tristan said.
He was full of shit. But it was exactly how I would feel if Tristan was with Stella—there wouldn’t be any point looking for anyone else when the woman who was meant for me was already taken.
“So this is One Park Street,” Tristan said. “Looks decent enough but if it’s that nice, then why aren’t you two moving in?”
Stella had suggested we take one of the two penthouses, but I’d been a bit reticent. I wasn’t sure how I’d feel living somewhere with such a strong connection with the Dawnay family. But now, after the block’s transformation, after being with Stella and working so closely with her on this building, I couldn’t think of a better place to live.
“Actually,” I said, pulling the keys to the penthouse from my trouser pocket. “I’ve been thinking about that. As it’s launch night, maybe we should take a tour and look at it from a buyer’s perspective.”
Stella lifted up on her tiptoes and her eyes lit up. “Really? I’ve been hoping against hope that you might have a change of heart when you saw the place.”
“Excuse us, gentleman, go help yourself to champagne. We’re going to go and look at the flat where we’re going to bring my first son home from hospital,” I said, guiding Stella into the building and toward the private lift for Penthouse A.
“Are you serious about this?” she asked.
“Which bit? The son thing? The hospital or the penthouse?”
She grinned. “I meant the penthouse but all of it, I guess.”
We stepped out of the lift and directly into the lobby of the best apartment in W1. The marble floors, the crystal chandelier, the inlaid brass detailing on the door frames. It all looked perfect.
“I’m serious about everything to do with our future,” I replied, striding toward the entrance to the living space, but Stella didn’t move and when I turned, she was biting the inside of her cheek like she did when she was nervous.
“Well, if that’s the case, then I have a question,” she said.
“Ask me anything,” I replied.
She fumbled in her handbag and pulled something out. “How about we wear these?” she said, presenting a black velvet box to me. I recognized it as one of the jewelry boxes Dexter used for his clients.
Was my woman proposing to me? After all these months of me asking her to marry me—she was finally saying yes? I couldn’t take my eyes off her. Tonight was the perfect night—just when I thought life couldn’t get any better. But that was life with Stella. Just as I thought we reached the pinnacle, she went and set a new standard in happiness.
When I didn’t take the box from her, tentatively she opened it to reveal two rings, side by side—one a band of diamonds and one plain platinum.