Her teeth sunk in her lip. “No, we don’t want that.”
“Baby, I’m so sorry. I don’t care what you do or if you want to live in that little stone house for the rest of your life. All I care about is that you’re by my side each night I close my eyes and every morning I wake up. You are my life. All that matters to me.”
I dropped onto my knee and that’s when I noticed.
“Oh my God,” we both said at once.
Glancing up, her hands were covering her mouth. “Your cast is off and your leg … looks … so good. When did you get it off?”
She dropped her hands and looked at me. “Really, Ryder? Can that wait?”
“Oh … shit. Yeah.” I reached into my pocket and pulled out the jewelry box.
With a huge smile and my heart pounding in my chest, I opened the box. I knew the moment I bumped into Ava that day on the street that she was going to be my forever. “Ava Grace Moore, will you marry me?”
Tears rolled down her face as she nodded her head. Jumping up, I slipped the round antique diamond onto her finger.
“Ohmygawd,” she mumbled while staring at the ring. “It’s beautiful. It looks … so elegant!”
Knowing I was about to make her very happy, I replied. “It’s old. It was my great-great-I think one more great grandmother’s.”
Her head popped up. “Lizzy’s?”
“Yep. It’s been passed down to each first-born son.”
Pinching her eyebrows together, she shook her head. “I thought Nate was older.”
“He wanted you to have it and thought it would mean much more for you to wear it. He’s had it in a safety deposit box here in Austin, so it was perfect timing.”
Wiping her tears away, she stared at the ring. “It’s … I don’t know what to say. It’s perfect.” Lifting her eyes to mine, she whispered, “You’re perfect.”
“I’ve missed you, Ava.”
She pulled me into her apartment and we quickly got lost in a kiss. “Ryder, please make love to me.”
My lips trailed lightly across her neck while she moaned softly. “It would be my pleasure.”
Picking her up, I carried her to the bedroom where I gently set her on the floor.
We slowly undressed one another in silence. Nothing needed to be said because our love filled the entire room. My heart had never beat this hard before in my life. The idea of making love to her and knowing she would be mine forever was amazing.
Jumping back, Ava said, “Oh wait!” She reached down and began itching her leg like crazy. “It. Itches. So. Bad!”
I tried like hell not to laugh. There was no way I was going to say anything. She finally had that damn thing off and I was going to baby the hell out of her. “How about a nice hot bath?”
Her eyes lit up. “That sounds wonderful, but I’m supposed to be going Salsa dancing with Jay.”
With a chuckle, I kissed the tip of her nose. “You got your cast off and you’re ready to go.”
“Well, not really. I planned it before I got the bright idea of getting the cast off. I made an appointment and it just so happened they were able to remove it. But, now that you’re here, we have time to fool around and then go out.”
“With, Jay? Your evil friend who left you drunk and alone? No thanks.”
Ava hit my chest. “Stop it. She’s my best friend, and I’m not sure when I’ll get to go out with her again. Besides, I have a sexy little dress I’ve been wanting to wear.”
She frowned. “That is if I can still fit into it with all the food your mother has been giving me.”
Placing my hands on her hips, my chest felt tight. I loved this woman so much. “You look beautiful and I’d love to go dancing with my beautiful fiancée.”
Slipping her panties down, she gave me a sexy smile that had my heart stopping. Licking her soft lips, she softly said, “I think we need to get back to the whole fooling around thing.”
STEPPING OUT OF my bedroom, I waited for Ryder to turn around. The little silver cocktail dress I had bought a few months back fit like a glove. It hugged me in all the right places. The only thing that would make this better is if I had on my expensive-ass Michael Kors heels that I bought as a pick me up when Johnny dumped me. The last thing I wanted to do was break my ankle again.
I cleared my throat and waited for him to see me. When he did, I couldn’t hide the smile that spread across my face. Even though we had just made the sweetest love to one another, Ryder was looking at me like he wanted more. Like he needed more. His face curved up into a smile that was so breathtaking I wanted to call Jay and tell her I wasn’t interested in going out anymore.
“My god, you’re the most beautiful woman I’ve ever seen.”
I lifted my foot and wiggled my toes. “I can’t wear my sexy heels though. I think I’ll have to wear flats which won’t really do anything for the dress.”
He slowly sauntered my way. “Fuck the shoes. They couldn’t do anything more if they tried.”
Slipping his hand behind my neck, he pulled me closer. “If I kiss you, I’ll smear your lipstick.”