Then, realizing she was likely distracting him from the terror he'd endured, which would be so typical of her generous, loving soul, he just as quickly decided he was having none of that, and if any distracting was going to be done, it would be done by him, and he would give her the most romantic proposal and the most gorgeous ring she'd ever seen in her life.
He may have studied the other wives' rings long and hard so he could ensure his bride would have bragging rights where engagement rings were concerned. But wait, they were getting fucking engaged? Oh hell no. There'd be none of this waiting shit. He'd give her the ring and then he'd haul her before a preacher before it could ever be considered an engagement ring.
With an exaggerated sigh, he slid out of the bed and took her hands in his to pull her into an upright sitting position, and then he picked her up and placed her very carefully on the edge, ensuring she wasn't dizzy or suffering any ill effects from the injuries she'd sustained.
Then he reached under the pillow where he'd placed the ring last night when he'd crawled into bed with her so that it would be right there when the moment was right, and well, he hadn't had any intention of letting her out of bed until the moment was right.
He dropped to one knee and took her hands again, after having laid the box on the floor out of her sight, and he entwined her fingers in his.
"Jenna Wilder, I fell in love with you the moment you touched me and filled me with so much love and light and warmth that I was absolutely overcome. You not only healed the physical wounds I'd sustained just moments before, but you healed wounds that were buried so deep that they hadn't seen the sun in more years than I can count.
"You are my very own miracle, when I stopped believing in miracles when I was just a child. You brought me back to life and back into the light. You gave me back my belief in a higher power, but the thing you gave me that irrevocably changed me from the man I used to be and gave me hope and the image of the man I wanted to be was . . . peace. You gave me peace, my angel," he whispered. "No one and nothing has ever been able to give me what you did with a single touch, and I knew right there that my life had just been changed forever in the best possible way. I knew that you were the only woman I'd ever love in my life, the only woman I've ever loved. And I also knew that I'd do anything to keep you with me, no matter what I had to do to make that happen. I just thank God, every single day, that you love me back, that you want a life with me as much as I want a life with you. So I'm not asking you to marry me, my angel love. I'm begging you to marry me and make my life whole, to spend the rest of your life at my side, allowing me to make you happy every single day. To give you so many children that you're utterly consumed by our life together and the products of our love."
He reached down with one hand, refusing to let go of her entirely because his hands were shaking and only her grasp was keeping him from completely embarrassing himself. He fumbled with the box, managing to open it with trembling fingers, and after only dropping it once, he finally lifted the box, turning it toward her so she could see the huge diamond nestled in the velvet material.
Tears gathered in her eyes, but this time he didn't panic or demand to know what he needed to do in order to make her stop crying, because she looked so utterly ecstatic, so beautifully happy, that she glistened from head to toe. There was an honest-to-goodness glow that emanated from her body and surrounded her like a halo, golden with purity, radiating from her like the rays of the sun, just like his angel should look.
For a moment, she stared at him, her eyes shining to rival the brightest star, her face soft with answering love, and then she lifted her hands to his face, ignoring the ring, and placed them on either side of his jaw. She dragged him toward her, their lips meeting in a hot, sweet rush. Her tongue lapped lovingly against the seam of his mouth until he sighed, opening to her just as she'd opened to him so many times before. Then she slid inward, exploring his mouth, tasting him while spreading her own sweet nectar on his tongue.
"Yes," she whispered into his mouth. "Oh yes, Isaac. All I ever want is to be yours. Always. Forever. Until the end of time."
He dragged one of her hands down to her lap while still kissing her hungrily, feasting on her mouth like a man starving. He took only a quick look down to make sure he was sliding her ring on the right finger before resuming their passionate kiss. Their first kiss with his ring on her finger and her promise to marry him fresh from her lips.