A Fool's Gold Wedding - Susan Mallery Page 0,37
kind of impressed with us.”
“You’re the impressive one.”
The boat docked. Joaquin collected her tote bag and their towels as they waited for the other passengers to disembark. They took the open-air shuttle bus back to their beautiful hotel and returned to their room.
“Mind if I shower first?” he asked when they were inside. “I won’t take long. Then you can have the bathroom. We’ll go to dinner after that.”
She wrapped her arms around him. “Or we could shower together.”
He kissed her, before stepping away. “Let’s wait on that. I want to see if you’re sunburned from today.”
“Worrywart.”
He grinned. “That’s Dr. Worrywart to you, young lady.”
While he was in the shower, she picked out a dress to wear to dinner, then walked out onto their balcony and stared at the ocean. What an amazing vacation, she thought happily. Being here in this beautiful place with the man she loved. Life didn’t get much better than moments like this.
She wandered back inside, just as he exited the bathroom.
“All yours,” he told her.
She kissed him, then went to shower and get ready for dinner.
Thirty minutes later, when she’d finished dressing and putting on makeup, she walked into the bedroom and said, “There’s that fish restaurant we talked about...”
The rest of the sentence trailed off as she took in the room’s transformation.
There were orchids everywhere. On the bed, in vases, in a lei around Joaquin’s neck and in the second lei he held in his hand. She could see a small dining table and two chairs had been placed on the balcony. A bottle of something chilled in an ice bucket, and if she had to guess, she would say it was champagne. Music played from the sound system.
She stood there, blinking, trying to understand what it all meant.
“You did this for me?” she asked as he put the lei around her neck.
“I did.”
“So that’s why you wouldn’t shower with me?”
“It is.”
She grinned. “Good surprise.”
“I’m glad.”
He took her hand and led her to the center of the room, then stopped and faced her.
“Melissa and Davis were married a year ago today,” he said.
“I remember. I was there.”
“Do you also remember what you told me?”
“At the wedding? What did I—Oh!” She swallowed as she recalled exactly what she’d said. You can think about proposing in a year. “Joaquin?”
He pressed her hand against his chest and stared into her eyes. “Abby, these past months with you have been the happiest of my life. You are the most incredible woman I’ve ever met. You are kind and funny and smart and beautiful. Every day with you is a blessing. You’ve shown me the value of relationships and the importance of family. You make me a better man, and I’m grateful for that, as well. And for you. I love you with all my heart. I have almost from the day we met and I will continue to love you until I breathe my last.”
He released her and dropped to one knee. “Marry me, Abby. Marry me and let me be your lover, your husband, your partner, for the rest of our lives.”
Tears filled her eyes as she tugged him to his feet, then threw herself at him. “I love you and yes, yes, I’ll marry you.”
He pulled her close and kissed her. After a few minutes of very sexy kissing, he drew back and slid a ring on her finger. They both stared at the glinting diamond.
“Was this your plan all along?” she asked softly. “You were so particular about exactly when we came to Hawaii.”
“I thought it would be a good place to propose. As for asking you today, I wanted to respect your wishes.”
“It was a general suggestion, not an order.”
“I just want to make you happy, Abby.”
She leaned against him. “You do. Always.”
They walked out onto the balcony where he poured her a glass of champagne. Behind them, the sunset sent colors of fire across the sky, but Abby and Joaquin only had eyes for each other.
“You know we’re going to have to have a big wedding,” she told him.
“Absolutely. At least three hundred. Your family alone is close to fifty.”
“Plus our friends and the people we work with. Or we could run away, if that would be better for you.”
He sat down and pulled her onto his lap. “No way. When I marry you, I want the whole world watching. Let them all be amazed that I got the girl.”
“And I’ve got you right back.”
* * *
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