“So,” Sam began tentatively, and just like that her good mood disappeared. “I was talking to Allina’s brother-in-law, you know he’s a psychiatrist, I was thinking he could be a good person to help you. I know you’re strong and I know you don’t like accepting help, but deep down you know you need this. I want the best for you.”
His eyes were so sincere, and so uncertain, that Naomi felt her will to be stubborn cave. She could do therapy if it was that important to Sam. She wanted to be her best for him. And maybe he wasn't completely wrong when he said she needed it. “Okay,” she conceded.
She had expected his face to relax but it didn’t, instead he reached for her hand. “Naomi, will you marry me?”
Her mouth fell open and she stared at him in shock. Did he really just say that? “We’ve been dating for a couple of days, and all of that time someone was trying to kill me,” she reminded him.
“Naomi, we’ve known each other since we were eight, I've liked you since I was thirteen, I think we know each other well enough. I know that I want to spend the rest of my life with you. When you were lying in that hospital bed and I didn’t know if you were ever going to wake up, I couldn’t imagine my life without you. So, what are we waiting for? Let’s make it official.”
“Really?” Naomi felt like this had to be a dream of some sort. She had never thought she could be this happy, and since she was eight years old, she hadn’t thought she deserved to be, part of her still didn’t. But Sam knew that, he knew everything about her, and he wasn't walking away.
“Really.”
“Then, yes.” She smiled.
He produced a ring from his pocket and her eyes grew wide. “When did you buy this?”
“Yesterday afternoon when you were spending time with your sisters.”
“You really planned to do this, you didn’t just get caught up in how magical the wedding is.” That made her feel even better about his proposal.
Sliding the ring on her finger, he leaned in to whisper his lips across hers. “This was all planned, I was just waiting for the perfect moment to ask you, when you agreed to therapy I knew that was it because I knew then that both of us are prepared to do whatever it takes to be the best we can for each other.”
For someone who had claimed over and over again that he wasn't good at conversations, that he was cold and harsh and tactless, that he didn’t do emotions, Sam was surprisingly good at being tender and sweet and caring.
“Dance with me.”
“Dance?” she laughed. “I can barely stand up let alone dance.”
“Don’t worry, honey, I have the perfect solution.” He scooped her up and carried her to the dance floor.
As Sam danced with her in his arms, Naomi wrapped her arms around his shoulders, rested her head against his chest, and wondered how she had gotten so lucky to have an amazing guy who loved her every bit as much as she loved him.
Ready for more serial killers?!
In the first book in the Storybook Murders trilogy Aggie’s best friend Summer and Nick’s brother Luke will have to lay the past to rest and trust in the future if they’re going to survive a serial killer’s delusional games.