Something To Dream On (22 page)

“Did you come to join me?” he asks.

Not long ago, I would have said that it doesn’t take a physics major to compare the size of that tub to the glories that are me and conclude that Jensen’s idea is a terrible one. While the thought still crosses my mind, my inner voice smacks it down. All I really want to do is love him, and that is more important than self-doubt or the few extra pounds I carry.
 

Yes,
a few
. Not a ton, or a hundred—a few, and those are diminishing because I am taking better care of myself—and because Jensen always steals my fries.

 
I crouch down and hand him the glass. He spins to sit in the center, grabs my face, and gives me a luscious kiss before taking a swig. His eyes glide down and he craves a hefty helping of dessert. “Come on. Join me.”

As enticing as the bad boy gleam is, all I want is a moment to enjoy the peace he brings to my soul.

Warm water drips onto my knees as he takes my hands. “Come on.” He winks, and instead of my hormones going haywire like they normally do, I feel grounded. “Nah, I'm too busy sitting here, loving you.”

His playful smile leads way to eyes filled with warmth. As much as the naked body before me is amazing, it’s the love that Jensen gives me that makes him the picture of perfection.

Seriously, God, why did you choose to make me so lucky? So many people struggle to earn redemption and never feel they accomplish it. I simply surrender my life to the ways of the universe and get rewarded many times over.

Truthfully, the surrender wasn’t that simple—not by a long shot—but man, was it worth it.

The water swishes as I set the glass on the edge of the tub and replace it with her hands. The pang of love swirls up and locks in my throat, causing me to try to swallow it down. “How is it that any time any other girl has even remotely hinted at love I have freaked out, yet you say something like that and all I want to do is curl you in my arms and surrender everything?” I love this woman so much that my eyes actually start to show it with moisture. “Maybe it is because with you I know that surrendering my heart doesn’t mean surrendering who I am.”

But I do want to surrender, not just to her, but also to us. Etta comes bopping in and completes the picture. This is what I tried to convince myself I had before with people who were bad influences. Now it is real, and each day that Lizetta spends here drives home that this is what is meant to be. 

Not long ago, I watched a man die. He was a man with dreams—a man who had let the amazing moments he could have had slip away, only for them to be replaced with actions that led to his downfall. I was almost that man, and because I am not, I need to do what is in my heart. I’m serious about her, and I know she feels the same. Spending this last week with her has been nothing short of perfection. Jimmy is right; it’s time she moved in. But how do I ask? I don’t want to just spit it out. It should be something special. Maybe I should just let my heart talk. So far, every time I have put faith in a higher source to guide me, it has led to happiness. Surely this will be no different.

“Lizetta, only you can take a mundane moment and turn it into something so beautiful that it alters how I see my life. Times that people strive to have come so easily to us because we stop and smell the roses. Will you marry me and spend the rest of our days finding joy when it is most fleeting? Please say yes, and build a garden of wonder with me.”

Holy … What did I just say?

I need to retract that, pronto! It’s too soon!

My mouth springs open so I can back peddle. I won’t be able to save face, so I need to suck it up and …

And look at that beautiful face. Look at those green orbs of heaven that are filling like pools at the top of a waterfall in a Greek temple. They steal the breath I need to form words, and I realize that while I was thinking something else, what I said was exactly what I meant.

This moment right here, this is what life is about.

Did he just …?

From the time we are little girls, every woman dreams of the one who will sweep her off her feet with words of love in an opulent setting. Only Jensen could touch my heart in such a way that would turn a bathroom into a palace. 

Lights flash as I blink away the tears filling my eyes. Jensen has left me dumbfounded.

“Lizetta? Baby, you still with me?”

I want to scream my yes for the world to hear, but it’s locked deep in my throat. Instead, I nod rapidly until my voice finally cooperates with my heart. “Yes! Yes, I will marry you!”

Etta starts barking and jumping in excitement. She may not understand the fine details, but she’s well aware that something amazing just happened. I toss my arms around Jensen’s neck and smack my lips into his, which in turn sends him slipping down the side of the tub, crunching his neck. His glass gets knocked over, and the cold juice that splashes on to his leg makes him jerk and laugh.

 Jensen fakes going in for a kiss and instead twists his body so that I tumble into the tub with him. I scream like a delighted five-year-old on Christmas morning.

His scruff tickles my cheeks, and kisses that would normally have me smiling, have me giggling. With a squeal, I kick and send splashes flying into the air and raining down on us. “Holy snapping turtles, we’re engaged! Wait, this is real, right? Please tell me this is real.”

“Oh, it’s real. Hey, hon, I’m kind of going under here, not to mention my legs are cramping. Can we take this elsewhere?”

“No!” I kiss him again, then get up and futilely dab myself with a towel before peeling off my clothes. He stands, and the water rushes off of him, reminding me of a waterfall over a statue of hotness. He barely dabs off the water before he drags me into the bedroom and onto the bed, and then wraps me around him. “Will you ever forgive me for proposing in the bathroom?”

“You forgot the part about being naked and just having invited me to have sex with you.”

His hold on me tightens, and he nuzzles his cheek to my ear. “You make it sound so dirty.”

“Tell you what, you make it up to me with the size of the rock you put on my finger, and I'll leave that part of the story out when I tell it to our children.” 

“Hmm … Children with you. I want an angel of a girl with silky blonde hair and a dark-haired little brother to terrorize her.” It all purrs out of him, that is, until he jerks back. “Please tell me you don’t expect that to happen anytime soon.”

“And ruin this perfect figure? Are you kidding?”

His seductive purr returns. “I love you and your perfect figure.”

I savor the peace of the moment. Things like this happen to other people and you hope, dream, and pray it will happen to you, but it often seems impossible. Yet here I am, lying in his arms. I want to pause time and hold this moment forever.

CHAPTER FIFTEEN

Thursday, July 20

I'm engaged!

I’m freaking engaged!

I'm engaged to a man who adores me and loves hockey! He, Etta, and I are going to live happily ever after with a slew of kids, and cats, and God knows what else. We are totally saving money and buying a farm!

 The glistening of the engagement ring that Dad gave to Mom keeps catching my eye. “This family has a gift for taking the bad and making it good,” Mom told us. “The harder we fall, the higher it gets us to climb. Take this as a reminder to keep climbing. You can keep it and save the ring money for your future, or you can sell it and use the money anyway you want. Just keep climbing.”

Sell a one-carat, Marquise cut diamond for half of what it is worth so we can buy something a fraction of the size? No way! I’ve had my eye on this baby since I was a little girl. It’s mine now!

My feet race all over the pavement. With how much I have been shopping, and packing, and carrying boxes around, I’m surprised by how little I notice their ache. Just a few more days until I move in with Jensen! Saturday can’t come fast enough!

Like a flash, I dodge through the lunch-hour madness of suited business people and nearly run down the street. I know exactly the dress I want and where to get it. I’ve marked a huge part of my budget for it, but it is going to be so worth it! Between my savings and the check Mom and Paul gave us, we are going to have the best wedding ever. I’m getting the dress of my dreams! Jensen is the man of my dreams! This is amazing!

With the last sip of my special treat, a hazelnut mocha, I slam dunk the cup into a trash bin and resume humming a tune that Jensen’s been working on. The boutique is just a block farther, and although they don’t open for another fifteen minutes, my pace grows faster. I called in sick today because I couldn’t wait any longer. The dress in the magazine is perfect! A plunging neckline to show off my killer boobs, and it is just form-fitting enough to make these curves sing. A girl’s gotta work what God gave her! And oh! All that beaded, French lace!

My heart thunders with excitement. I’m so wired on life that I should have skipped the caffeine.

“Stop!” someone yells. “Stop! Lady you need to—”

Something crashes on to the concrete. Pieces of it fly up and into my face. The pain that shoots through my forehead sends me propelling backward. Another dose of agony gets me from behind as my head smacks to the ground. Gray haze coats my vision, and then my world fades to black.