Dirty Sexy Alphas (Twenty Book Box Set) - Hannah Ford Page 0,388

the money,” I choked out. Emotion clogged my throat.

I glanced around and saw that a lot more people were watching us. Some even had their phones out and were holding them up. Now Madden was going to be front-page news again. Everyone would know where he was. This kind of out of his control publicity brought out the bastard in him.

He was nothing if not predictable.

“People are recording you,” I said. That was his cue to close up. I waited for him to hide any emotion that he might be feeling. To become the man I hated.

“I don’t care,” he said. He leaned in closer and rested his other hand along my cheek. His thumb stroked along my jaw. “Nothing matters without you. It wasn’t until everything fell apart that I realized I didn’t care. None of it mattered. The only regret I had was you. You’re what’s important, Skylar, and it took losing it all to figure that out. I’m nothing without you.”

His gaze remained fixed on me and the vulnerability in his eyes never faded. I had only gotten a glimpse of this Madden before, but right now he stood in front of me, exposed for all to see. And we had attracted quite the crowd.

That he didn’t care about the people watching, about what they would say, spoke volumes on the truth of his words. I wanted to believe him...

“Madden…” My voice broke and I laid my hand on top of his. Did I dare take a chance again? My heart couldn’t take it if he turned cold in the morning. “I want to believe you, I really do, but you broke my heart. I thought we had something and I trusted you.”

He groaned and closed his eyes for a second. When he reopened them, what I saw shining there now sent my pulse racing. My legs trembled. Hope flared to life inside my chest. Did I wish it so completely, dream it up so that I was seeing things, or was it really there?

“I’ll spend every day for the rest of my life making up for that and making sure you know you’re the only important person in the world to me.” His hand slid from my cheek as he knelt down on one knee.

I heard several dozen gasps in the air around us but none were louder than my own.

“I didn’t do this right the first time, so I want this one to be perfect.” He reached into his pocket and pulled out a light blue box. When he opened it, the most beautiful diamond ring sparkled in the sunlight. “Skylar Kinsey,” he said, his voice loud and sure now, “I don’t want to spend another day without you. You showed me what was important and made me realize that nothing matters unless you’re with the person you can’t live without. That’s you. I need you. I love you, Skylar. Will you marry me?”

I heard clapping filtering through the buzzing in my head. Tears burned my eyes.

“But we hardly even know each other,” I whispered.

He responded immediately. “The truth is that I never really knew who I was until you came into my life.”

I looked down at Madden, kneeling there at my feet. It was humbling and unbelievable. He wanted me. Madden Cross wanted me and god knew that I wanted him too. I glanced around at the crowd, many of whom were now on their feet; and still more of them recording us.

All of them were smiling at us.

“Say yes,” several women shouted.

“Skylar?” Madden said as he cleared his throat. It was the uncertainty that shone from his eyes that spurred me to action. This was not the old Madden. This was the man I’d imagined was always there, had hoped to see again, and who I thought I had lost forever. This was the man I loved. And always had loved.

“Yes,” I said as tears started to stream down my face. “Yes I’ll marry you.”

The crowd broke into thunderous applause and whoops and whistles but all I saw was the smile that spread over Madden’s face. I’d never seen him look so relieved and so happy as when he slid the ring onto my finger.

Then he stood and swooped me into his arms.

This was beyond any wish I had of him coming back. I wrapped my arms around his neck and buried my face against him. I didn’t want to let go in case this was some delusional fantasy my mind had concocted