Accepting Destiny (27 page)

The rest of the trip back to the condo is quiet. I’m contemplating my options and Jackson is staring out the window, smiling. Humph.

We get back upstairs and head to the bedroom, to get ready for dinner. I’m excited, because this is actually our first real date, aside from the fundraiser in New York. Shit, that was a fund set up in Madison’s name, I wonder what will become of that now that we know she’s still alive, and a criminal. I figure tonight is not the time to ask, so I store that in the back of my mind for another time.

Jackson showers and gets dressed quickly, leaving me to my own devices. He looks stunning in a dark grey suit and navy tie. Yes, the same tie he wore in Miami when we met, and the same tie he blindfolded me with. His hair is messy and his eyes are sparkling that beautiful g
reen. “I’ll meet you downstairs,” he says, as he kisses me gently. “Don’t take too long, our reservation is in an hour.”

“Okay,
” I say as I kiss him again, this time a little more heated. I slip my tongue between his lips and brush against his, but he pulls back rather quickly.

“Alexandra.....” He growls. “You keep that up
, we’ll never make it to the restaurant.” He gives me a peck on the cheek as he turns to leave the room, but he turns back to wink at me. I smile back at him, because I love the effect I have on him. I glance down at the bulge in his pants and agree, yep. I can make him hard just by a look.

He puts his hands in his pocket and shifts himself a bit before leaving the room, the click of the door
, a sign that he’s no longer in the room.

I pull the dress out of the bag and slip in to it. It feels good, like it was made for a princess. Once my hair is pulled up in a knot on my head and my makeup done, I slip in to my new shoes. Damn these heels are high, I hope I don’t bust my ass going down the stairs. I look at the shoes and realize the heel is not that high, but high enough for me.

I admire myself in the mirror, actually feeling good about the way I look. Usually I’m so self-conscious about my body, that I hide it under baggy clothing. I give Amanda a mental pat on the back for helping me with this dress. She’s almost as good as Heather. Heather, damn it. I need to call her and check in. She and Chase have gotten close and I need to get the scoop. She knows all about me and Jackson but I know nothing about what’s going on in her life. I start feeling guilty, so I go to grab my phone to call her real quick, but as I see the time I realize I don’t have time. I promise myself, I’ll call tomorrow. But I do decide to shoot her a quick text.

A - Hey grl, just checking in. You ok?

I wait a few seconds and then slip my phone in my bag. As I do, it beeps.

H - Better than good. Lunch tomorrow?

A - Yep, let me know when and where.

H - You got it. Plans tonight?

A - Dinner with J - something fancy

H - Ooh, nice. Pics?

I snap a selfie real quick and shoot it off to her. She’ll love this dress and shoes, the little fashionista that she is.

H - Shit girl! Hot! Ur getting laid tonight.

Good thing I’m not drinking anything or I would have spewed all over my phone.

A - Hope so. TTYL

H - Haha, have fun!

I drop my phone back in my bag and touch up my lip gloss. There, all set.

I head out of the room and as I get halfway down the stairs, I see Jackson standing by the window, looking down over Peachtree Street. He looks lost in thought, so I stop and quietly watch him for a second. ‘What is he thinking about so intently?’ I wonder. As if he senses me standing there, he turns to see me on the stairs and blinks. When he opens his eyes, that emerald green flashes at me. He pushes off the window and stalks towards me. I suddenly feel like prey and he’s the predator. I guess in a way, that’s true. A surge of heat crawls up my neck and dampness appears between my legs. Great, we’re never gonna get out of here.

“Alexand
ra, you’re......you’re stunning,” he says, as his eyes make the slow and agonizing trip up and down my body. He smirks a little when he sees the shoes. “Love the shoes, babe, but be careful and hold on to me, I don’t want you falling,” he says, as he takes my hand and leads me down the rest of the stairs.

We make our way to the front of the building
, were James is waiting with the Bentley. He helps me in and I’m sure my thong panties flash him, because he growls a little as I scoot in. My dress is not that short, but it raised up a little as I bent down.

We wind our way through the city streets. It’s seven o’clock and the sun is just starting to set. The bright orange
glow reflecting off the metal and glass buildings makes for a beautiful sight. I’ve been here for so long, but I’ve never seen the sun set over the city. I’m tempted to pull my phone out and take some pictures, but before I can do that, Jackson pulls me in to his lap.

I let out a squeak as his hands press in to my hips. I lean in and lay a gentle kiss on his lips.

Before things can get out of control back here, the limo pulls up to the Four Seasons Hotel. James gets out and comes to the back, opening our door for us. Jackson slides out and then takes my hand, gently tugging me out with both hands. He is really is determined to not let me fall. I look up at the towering building that makes up part of Midtown Atlanta’s landscape. I’ve seen this building before, but always thought it was offices or something. I had no idea there was a hotel in here. As we walk in and I take in my surroundings, I start to have doubts again. I’m used to pizza joints and sports bars. This is so out of my league that, my hands start to shake. “Relax, Ally. You’re over thinking again,” Jackson says, as he stops and pulls me in to his arms. “You’re going to love the food here, and the atmosphere. This is a great place. Just enjoy it, for me?” He says, as he releases me.

I step back and nod, because I can do this. I’ll pretend....shit, pretend? Hell, I’m living it! I’m sure other
people only dream about eating at a place like this and here I am, standing in the lobby, being held up by Jackson Bentley.

We are seated at our table and I look over the menu. Wow, this is stuff I’ve never even heard of. I select the salmon and Jack orders a steak. Glad to see his appetite is back after his hospital visit. Mine too
, for that matter. I know I’ve lost a little weight over the last few weeks, so I guess that’s one good thing to come out of all of this.

The meal is delicious and I’m totally stuffed, but Jackson orders cheesecake for dessert. I pass, because I figure he’s going to shove some down my throat anyway. After the waiter leaves the table, Jackson excuses himself for the restroom. I’m left at the table alone and start fidgeting with my napkin. Its one thing sitting here with him, but another sitting here alone.

Thankfully, he isn’t gone long and I feel him behind me. He leans in and kisses me on the cheek. “Miss me?” He breathes in to my hair. The heat from his breath singeing the hair that has fallen from my twist. I nod, because that damn cat has my tongue. All I need is to jump his bones in the middle of this fancy restaurant and get us both arrested.

He sits down and smiles at me, taking my hand in his. We sit in companionable silence for a minute before the waiter brings our cheesecake. It looks so good my mouth starts watering. I silently wish now that I had ordered my own.
Jackson scoots his chair close to me and picks up the spoon. He takes a bite and his eyes roll back in his head. “That good huh?” I ask.

“So good, Alexandra. Would you like a bite?”

I nod, my eyes bugged out over the appearance of this succulent dessert. Yeah, I sai
d
succulent
.
As he dips the spoon in the cheesecake again, I hear a clink from his spoon. “What’s this?” He asks, as he sets the spoon down and leans in to the cheesecake. I groan, thinking something gross has found its way in to our dessert. “Ally, take a look at this. Can you tell what this is?”

I look close and.....OH MY GOD! I know that isn’t what I think it is. Jackson stuffs his fingers in to the creamy goodness and pulls out a ring. A very large diamond ring. I set the spoon down, because it’s shaking so bad I might throw it across the room, kind of like Pretty Woman and the escargot. He pulls this ring out and dunks it i
n
m
y
water glass, jiggling it around to remove the stickiness. He gently dries the ring on his napkin and then lowers himself from his chair to his knees.

Oh shit, he’s going to propose. My body starts shaking and I feel tears pricking the corners of my eyes. Am I ready for this? I start going back and forth in my mind and yes, I’m ready. No wait, I’m so not. Shit.

The restaurant gets eerily quiet and I suddenly feel every eye on us. On me.

“When I first saw you in Miami
, I knew I had to meet you. To get to know you. To touch you. Little did I know that you would touch me in a way I was not prepared for, but your feistiness, your strength and determination as well as your profound beauty touches my heart. You know what you want in life and you know how to go get it. You’re the strongest woman I know and my heart melts for you every time I look at you. Alexandra Louise Sanders, will you do me the honor of becoming my wife? Will you marry me?”

I hear a collective gasp throughout the entire room, other patrons waiting with bated breath to hear my answer. I flash back over the last few months and my heart starts racing.
I love this man, I really do, but am I ready to get married? I’m twenty eight years old and never really been in a real relationship. This thing Jackson and I have, well it hasn’t exactly been normal either. Kidnapping, stalkers and being nearly killed. But this man saved my life. Can I really deny him his dream? I want him and he wants me, so what’s the problem? Why am I reeling from his proposal?

It’s too soon, I know this. But as I look deep in to those emerald orbs I see my future. I see a man who loves me, despite all of my faults. I see a man who has been through hell
himself, and I know right then I cannot deny him anything. That damned tear that has been burning behind my eyelids squeezes out and takes a lazy path down my cheek. I slowly nod my head, taking in a deep breath at the same time.

“Yes, Jackson. I will marry you.”

I hear the entire restaurant exhale the deep breaths they were holding as well, and applause rings out. People cheering and spoons clinking against their glasses. Shit, I’ve never been put on the spot like this before and I suddenly feel like I’m going to pass out.

Jack
son stands up and pulls me into his arms, holding me tight so I don’t fall. “I love you so much, Alexandra. Thank you. Thank you for making me the happiest man in the world. I promise to be a good husband and treat you like the princess that you are,” he says in my ear, as he picks me up and spins me around. After he sets me back on the floor, his hands come up to cup my cheek. “You’re my soul mate and I can’t wait for you to be Alexandra Bentley.”

He slips the ginormous ring on to my left ring finger, then slowly kisses my knuckle. “I love you too, Mr. Bentley. These last few months have been wild and crazy. Our relationship has not been a traditional one, and I want that with you. You’ve brought me out of my shell and made me understand that I am
beautiful, just the way I am. I promise to be the best wife I can and make you proud of me.”

“I already am, Alexandra. I already am.”

3 Years Later

I sit back and look around my corner office that’s perched on the sixteenth floor, glass on three sides. Yes, it’s the same office that Jackson held that day I walked in here for the first time
,two and a half years ago, m
y
Editor in Chie
f
name plate on the open door. I glance at the wedding photo sitting on my desk. I in my white strapless dress and Jackson in his grey suit pants and white shirt unbuttoned at the neck, with that small patch of chest hair poking out. His eyes are bright green and sparkling. My baby blues are glued to his smile as we celebrate with friends and family.

When we took that trip to Miami to close the Woman’s World offices, we ended up having an impromptu wedding ceremony on the beach. Jackson flew down my parents, Heather and Chase as well as Dani and Tony. So much for long engagements. But it turned out to be the best day of my life.

My eyes find the dress hanging on the back of the door. Today is our three year wedding anniversary and Jackson will be picking me up soon for dinner. He’s been in court today, some deposition or something, I don’t know, but he texted me a few minutes ago to tell me he’d been delayed, but would be here as soon as he could. I glance at the clock on my computer, Four thirty. I guess I should get dressed and get ready for our dinner date.

I shut down my computer and stand up, moving slowly towards the door. A cramp wraps around my middle and takes the breath out of me. As I double forward, warmth gushes down my leg. Shit.

I reach for the speaker button on my phone. I can’t breathe the pain is so strong, and so sudden. Heather answers immediately, thank God. “Heather!” I breathe out. “Get in here please,” I scream as I press the button, effectively shutting her up before she can argue with me.

A few seconds
later, she comes bursting in to the office. “What the.......Shit, are you okay?” She asks, concern and excitement flash across her eyes.

I must be a sight, because s
he’s on the verge of laughing but there isn’t a damn thing funny about this. The vice squeezing my stomach and lower back are making it hard to breathe, and I look like I pissed my fucking pants. I try taking a deep breath and another squeeze around me, knocks me in to my chair. “Ahhh, shit! Call Jackson please. Call him now!”

She nods and grabs my cell out of my purse, pressing speed dial one for Jackson.