Million Dollar Cowboy (Cupid, Texas #5)(108)

Touching her was so poignant, so filled with nuance and emotion. The fire he'd tried so hard to bank flickered, flared, flamed. No tamping down his desires. No going back. He never wanted to go back to the life he'd led before.

Through knowing her, he'd learned so much. She'd held a mirror to his face, showed him what he'd become, schooled him on what really mattered in life.

Family. Home. Love.

By teaching him how to slow down and observe the world around him, she led him from vain pride in his accomplishments to humble hope that he was enough just as he was.

It came as such a relief. The knowledge that there was nothing to get, nowhere to go, nothing to be but himself. A radical concept for a man who'd based his self-worth on the trappings of success.

She'd taken away his "to do" list and replaced it with experiences and memories that would last a lifetime. She'd created more space in his life, more room to feel and to express those feelings. Her love had trained him to tap into the rhythm of his body. And to listen, to listen to the song of his heart.



       
         
       
        

Through loving her, he'd learned how he used rationalizations to keep from delving deep into his emotions and his relationships. And in those lessons, he'd found the security and connections with others that had always seemed to be slipping through his fingers.

People were what made a life rich. People. Connections. Relationships. That's how you grew. Not through stubborn self-reliance and chronic hard work.

And the most lightning bolt lesson of all? He'd learned that he did not have to be responsible for everything and everyone. When he allowed others to share the burdens, mutual trust developed and he didn't have to go it alone.

This dear woman was his guiding star, and he loved her more than words could ever express. He'd gone from self-imposed prison to the most exquisite kind of freedom.

"Ridge," she called, and he realized he'd gotten lost in thought. "Are you all right?"

"Never been righter."

"Well, what are you waiting for?"

"I was thinking maybe we should wait just a little bit longer."

"What?" Alarm and disappointment sent her eyebrows shooting up on her forehead. "Why?"

"To do this right."

"Meaning?"

"Let's get married. It doesn't have to be a big showy deal. We can keep the wedding small. Just immediate family. Your call. Whatever you want."

She blinked at him, a rapt smile overtaking her face. "Wait. Let me absorb this. You're asking me to marry you?"

He slid off the sofa, went to one knee on the floor, took her hand. "I'm sorry I don't have a ring yet. I wanted you to pick out your own, but yes, Kaia Marie Alzate. I am asking you to marry me. Become my bride. Make my life. Take me as your husband from now until eternity."

"Oh, oh." She planted a palm to her mouth. "I wasn't expecting this. I thought we were finished. You didn't answer my texts and I just thought I'd ruined everything. And now here out of the blue, you show up on my doorstep asking me to marry you."

Nervously, he licked his lips. "Did you . . . find someone else?"

She cocked her head and looked at him so tenderly it bruised his heart. "Silly man. There will never be anyone else for me but you. You are my soul mate. My one and only. Whether we are together or apart, that will not ever change."

"Kaia, my beloved," he said as his eyes stung. "I am not worthy of you."

"Of course you are." She smiled and reached up to touch his cheek. "But we're better when we're together. Both of us."

"I don't deserve you." 

"We deserve each other." She wrapped her arms around his neck, pulled him back down over her. "Now make love to me."

"You didn't answer my proposal."

"There's time for that later. Right now, I want you."

"That's my sexy kitten," he murmured, and gave up the fight as her mouth captured his and pulled him under.

He pushed his palm up underneath her sleep shirt, his hand drifting over the velvety expanse of her skin, felt tiny tremors trigger throughout her body wherever his fingers trailed.

She squirmed beneath him, pressing their bodies closer, moaning softly, egging him on.

"You are so damn beautiful." He exhaled heavily. "I've got something to confess."

"Oh no," she groaned. "Not more secrets."

"It's not a secret, just an admission."

"Okay." She pulled back to study his face. "Go on. I'm listening."

He stared into her eyes, mesmerized, and gulped.