Truth (Betrothed #10) - Penelope Sky Page 0,63
January…and I hated January. It was just this long, cold month of nothingness. It sucked.
But Heath kept me warm now, and he would probably keep me warm until spring returned.
I got out of the shower, dried my hair, and put on my face before I looked through my side of the closet to find something to wear. I decided on a long-sleeved dress with thigh-high boots and with my long coat.
I intended to go to Damien’s for lunch, so I walked to my nightstand and pulled the diamond ring off my finger. It was the first time I’d taken it off since Heath gave it to me. It was painful to set it down, to part with the diamond ring I’d become so attached to. It was like having a piece of Heath with me everywhere I went, even if he wasn’t with me there. It was such a stunning ring. I wanted to show it to Anna, show it to my family.
But that was a really insensitive way to announce my engagement.
Especially since my father didn’t even know about Heath.
I sighed as I looked at it, touched my left hand with my fingertips, my hand suddenly so light…and naked.
Then I left the bedroom and entered the living room. “Oh my god…is that a Christmas tree?”
He secured the base of the tree in the corner, a tall pine that was only a few inches lower than the ceiling. On the counter were boxes of ornaments and lights, like we would decorate it together. He straightened and turned to me. “Do you like it?”
“Who doesn’t like Christmas trees?” I came close to him, smelling the fresh scent of the needles as they filled the living room. I rubbed a green needle between my fingertips, the smell becoming more potent. “Do you always have a tree?”
“No.”
My eyes softened. “So, you did this for me?”
“Baby, you know I do everything for you.” His arm hooked around my waist, and he pulled me close. “Let’s decorate it tonight. I don’t have any personal ornaments—”
“We’ll make our own every year.”
He gave me a slight smile. “I’ve never had a tradition before. Every year, I kinda forget it exists until Balto and I get together.”
“Well, things are about to change.” I turned into him and kissed him as I wrapped my arms around his neck.
His hands immediately went to my ass, underneath my coat and dress. “You look hot, by the way.”
“You always say that.”
He chuckled against my lips. “Well, you do.”
I pulled away, a permanent smile on my face because I was happy, so happy that I forgot there was a possibility that one of Heath’s enemies might hurt one of us. It was easy to forget during romantic bliss.
“Going somewhere?”
“Yeah, I’m going to see my father.”
His eyes glanced down to my left hand, and he immediately looked disappointed to see the ring absent. He looked at me again, his mood noticeably different. “So, this is gonna be a secret forever—”
“I was going to tell him about you today.” I didn’t want to deal with his wrath when we were having such a nice moment. “And I think walking in there with a baseball-sized diamond ring is not the right way to do it. My family is very traditional. You need to ask permission first.”
“Well, I didn’t, and you already said yes.”
“And my answer is still yes, but let’s just put on the show for them.”
He was still irritated. “And if his answer is no?” He’d been hurt by me many times in the past, so now, he was always afraid he might lose me, that something could change and I’d walk out the door for good.
“My answer is yes—no matter what.”
He finally relaxed, the irritation in his expression fading away like smoke from a dying fire. “Should I come with you?”
“I think I should just talk to him alone. I don’t know what his reaction will be, and if I bring you, it might overwhelm him. He’s very intelligent, but he’s also over seventy, so he gets worked up sometimes.”
“Alright. But I’d like to talk to him—man-to-man.”
“You will.” I turned to the kitchen counter to grab my purse.
“I’ll take you.”
“No, it’s okay—”
“It wasn’t a question.” He grabbed his keys and wallet and headed to the stairs.
Caught up in our joy, I’d forgotten about our current situation, that he didn’t want me going anywhere alone…just in case.
He pulled up to the curb right outside the double doors that led to the three-story mansion Damien called