The sun is warm as it streams through the white curtains of the hotel room. June still sleeps quietly next to me, her body turned to face me but with space between us, knowing that neither of us likes to cuddle at night.
Pure calmness rushes over me, and everything falls into place. I slowly get out of bed so as to not wake her, take a quick shower, and head down to a cafe around the corner to pick up a fresh cup of coffee and a pastry for both of us.
When I get back into the hotel room about twenty minutes later, June is sitting up in bed, the covers over her bare shoulders as she stares at the sunrise climbing over the skyscrapers of the city.
She smiles up at me, whispering a good morning to me, and reaches out her hands. Once I get close enough, she cradles my face in her hands and pulls me to her, so she can have a morning kiss.
Her breath is minty, and the curtains are open, so I know that she must have gotten out of bed briefly.
I place the coffee and the selection of treats I got on the bed, letting her decide what she wants. She moans in delight as she bites into her chocolate croissant, a little bit of the sticky croissant getting stuck to her bottom lip.
"Thank you, love."
Fuck, I love when she calls me. It makes me feel all warm and tingly inside.
"Enjoy, ladybug."
"You know what I realized this morning."
"Hmm?"
"You came back to New York for me. I mean, it was NYC granted, but when you left, you said you would never return. And you haven't, not until me."
"I would go fucking anywhere for you."
"So would I, for you."
I sit on the bed beside her, the pressure of her engagement ring in my pocket. She turns her full attention to me, setting down the coffee that she has in her hand.
"Is something wrong?"
"No, nothing is wrong. I just have a very important question to ask you, but I'm nervous."
As if she knows, because she mostly does, she gives me the exact answer I need.
"When you ask, I'll say yes."
I chuckle, feeling the tears well up in my eyes.
"Can I at least give you my speech?"
"Of course. I'm sure it's very well rehearsed."
She holds my hands in hers, almost as if we were getting married at this exact moment, and doesn't take her eyes off me. Fuck, she makes me feel so seen. She makes me feel listened to and desired, needed, and wanted. Nothing I'm about to say feels like enough to capture all that she means to me, but I can at least try.
"I think of you every day. I think of what you mean to me and how much I care about you. I think about life together and life when we are apart. I think about who I would be without you and how fucking awful that would be. I think about the inevitability of us. I think about the parts of me that you've healed without even trying.
"But, if not most important, I think about how much I love you. I want to be the man who loves you for the rest of our lives and beyond. While there are many ways to show devotion to someone and not all of them involve marriage, if you are willing, I would love to show you my devotion to you through marriage.
"Because to me, it's more than just a piece of paper. It's my way of showing that our lives are forever intertwined, and my love is forever yours. June, the love of my life, will you do me the highest honor and marry me?"
YOU ARE READING
Vegas: Devil's Rose #9
RomanceVegas and June have known each other since freshman year of college. Which was a long time ago for them, two decades to be exact. And while Vegas has never really hid his feelings for June, she's never reciprocated them. He's not one to give up thou...
