I roll my eyes and laugh. “God, I really thought you hated me back then.”
“I tried my hardest, I can tell you that. No matter how hard I tried, it just wouldn’t take. Even after you had your way with me in the sauna, I couldn’t feel anything but love for you.”
I laugh and blush at the memory. “I can’t believe I had the guts to do that.”
His eyes soften as he looks at me. “I’m so glad you did. That was one of the best and most infuriating moments of my life.” He gives me a wink that has my heart doing a corny flip and my cheeks heating up. “Feel free to ride my thigh anytime you want.” I’m all set to just push the table aside and climb onto him, when he gives me a sexy grin. “But you need to eat first.”
I groan and stab another bite of salad. We eat the rest of the meal while laughing and talking about the future. He makes plans to turn the spare room closest to ours into a nursery, and I watch his whole face light up as the room comes to life in his mind.
“You’re going to be such a good daddy,” I tell him, making him pause and give me the sweetest smile, the one that’s reserved just for me. “I hope our baby has your dark eyes.”
“I really hope he has yours. Or she,” he quickly adds.
“Do you care if it’s a boy or girl?”
“Not at all. Although,” he says with a laugh, “if it’s a girl, my hair will probably be fully grey before she even turns five.”
I give an exaggerated shudder. “I already feel sorry for the poor kid who tries to take her out on a date.”
He shakes his head and groans. “I can’t even joke about that. She’ll have to wait until she’s late twenties at least before she starts dating.”
“She will be so happy to hear that,” I say with a laugh.
I start to get up to load the dishwasher when he grabs my hand and stops me. “What do you think you’re doing?”
“The dishes.”
“I’ll do them.”
“Nikolai, I’m not that delicate. I can load the damn dishwasher.”
“I like to take care of you. You’re the only fiancée I’m ever going to have, so let me spoil you, especially since it’s for such a short period of time.” He grins and says, “Then I’ll get to spoil my wife, and then the mother of my child. Trust me, Moira, it’s just going to get worse.”
“Thanks for the warning.”
His lips quirk up in a grin, but then his face suddenly turns serious. He stands and walks over to me. When he’s in front of me, he cups my face and runs his thumb over my cheek, smiling when I immediately lean into his touch. My eyes widen when he reveals a small, velvet box in his hand and lowers his powerful body, getting down on one knee.
“Oh my God,” I whisper, feeling my hands start to shake.
“You thought I wasn’t going to ask you properly?” His dark eyes soften as they search my face. “I looked everywhere for the perfect engagement ring, and finally decided to design it myself with one of the local jewelers. I wanted it to reflect who you are. You’re a hard woman to capture in a ring,” he says with a soft laugh.
“Because I’m so plain?” I whisper.
He looks at me like I’m crazy. “Because you’re so unique and so damn beautiful that you put all the diamonds to shame. Plus, I knew you didn’t want anything too flashy or big, and that you’d want to be able to throw a punch with it on, so my hands were really tied.”
I laugh, but it quickly turns into a gasp when he opens the box, revealing a gorgeous ring with diamonds and emeralds alternating all the way around the band. It’s slim and elegant in the kind of classy way a black dress is, and I absolutely love it.
“It’s so beautiful,” I whisper, too afraid to reach out and touch it. I’ve never owned a nice piece of jewelry, unless you count my no-nonsense, athletic watch, which I always had until now. This is feminine and beautiful while also not being too flashy or over the top, which would have just made me feel uncomfortable wearing it.
“I’m so glad you like it. The emeralds, even though they’re not near as pretty, remind me of your eyes, one of the first things I noticed about you,” he says, taking the ring from the box and grabbing onto my hand. “I love you more than anything, Moira. I never thought it was even possible to love someone as much as I love you, and I can’t imagine my life without you. I don’t deserve you, and I never will, but I’ll happily spend the rest of my life trying to be worthy of you. Will you marry me?”
I’m borderline balling by the time he finishes his speech, so all I can do is shake my head yes and stutter out a “Yes.” He slides the ring onto my finger, and it fits perfectly, like it was always destined to end up right where it has. I wiggle my fingers, admiring the beauty of it before throwing my arms around him. “I love you so much, Kolya.”
“I love you, too.”
He stands and takes me with him. I wrap my legs around him and memorize every second of this moment because I never want to forget even the tiniest detail of it. I’m hyper aware of the foreign weight around my finger, reminding me that I belong to this gorgeous, powerful man. I’m no longer alone, and I never will be again. I’m a part of something so much bigger than just me. We’re a family now. I smile against his lips and tighten my grip on him.
When I laugh, he lifts a brow at me and studies my face. “I was just thinking that I bet not too many people have seen Nikolai Sokolov kneel.”