“What are you doing?” she asked.
“Erica, this feels right to me. I know it hasn’t been long, but I know what’s in my heart. I promise you that I will spend the rest of my life taking care of you. Showing you all the love you deserve and more. Would you do me the honour of becoming my wife?”
Her mouth was open, and her hand lay across her throat.
“Chris. I don’t know what to say.”
“I don’t have a ring. I picked this house for you. Everything I do with my life is about you. Since the moment I fucked up, my whole world has been focused on nothing but you. I love you, Erica. I’ve wasted enough of my life. I want to prove to you that what I said is the truth.”
****
Her heart was trying to escape her chest. Erica gazed down at Chris and knew her whole world was opening up. She had never expected him to propose. The house was beautiful, and knowing he’d picked it out with her in mind made her love him a little bit more.
Tears blurred her vision. They were moving fast, but they’d wasted their time before. She looked at him and knew she had the chance to be happy. When they were together, the world went away. They became the only two who existed.
“Don’t cry. I want you to be happy,” he said. He got to his feet, rubbing the tears from her cheeks.
“I am happy. You’ve shocked me. That’s all.”
Chris kissed her. She wrapped her arms around him, accepting his kiss. “I love you,” he said, “and I want to spend the rest of my life with you.”
“Are you sure?” she asked.
“It broke me what I did to you. I don’t expect us to have the perfect marriage. The only thing I know is I’ll never stop loving you.”
She knew she could spend the rest of her life listening to his talk.
“Yes. I’ll marry you.”
He swept her up, twirling her around. “You won’t regret it. I promise.”
He showed her the rest of the house. She loved every bit of it. He wanted them to move in together. Erica wanted to jump at the chance. She knew they needed to take their time together.
“Don’t you think we’re rushing everything?” she asked. They sat at the counter. Chris poured her a cup of tea and took the seat opposite.
“Yes. It’s what I’m used to. All the men in my family move fast.”
“I noticed.” She thought about Cassie and Blaze. They’d not long been acquainted, and she saw the love between them. “I guess I’m worried that we’ll regret our decisions later on.” She thought about her mother and the number of times she’d brought a man back to the house only to kick him out a few weeks later. She cringed knowing she’d have to introduce Chris to her.
“How about we move in here and you keep your apartment until the lease runs out? That way if I get too much for you, you can leave whenever you want.” He offered her a solution to their problem, even though he didn’t want her leaving him at all. “But I will promise you, Erica, I’ll make it difficult for you to want to leave my bed, let alone my house.”
“You drive a hard bargain. I think I’d need a couple of test runs to see how you hold up to that promise. To make sure you don’t slack off maybe I should go for a longer lease instead.” She teased him.
“I screwed up once before. I’m not going to do it again. Keep the house up for the lease, and we can move in slowly. No rush, but you will live with me?”
She smiled. “I like the sound of that. It’s a good compromise, Mr. Sinclair.”
“I’m a businessman and a damn good one.”
Erica took a sip of her sweet tea. “What will your family think of your proposal?” she asked.
“In case you haven’t noticed, my family is as fucked up as the rest of them. Speaking of, when do I get to meet your family?”
“You really want to meet my family?”
“Yes. You’ve met mine.”
“I guess you can kick me out after you’ve met mine.”
He cupped her cheek forcing her to look at him. “Nothing is going to stop the way I feel about you.” Chris kissed her again. “Tell me about them.”
“My family?” He nodded his head. She licked her lips, wondering what words to use to describe her family. “My mother is a drunk and spends most of her time passed out on the couch or throwing up. She used to bring a new man back every couple of weeks. My oldest brother is in prison for robbery, and my oldest sister tries to pick up the pieces as much as she can. She’s thirty and has been more of a mum to me than my real mother.”
“What’s your sister’s name?” he asked.