At the Dew, I slid on the barstool next to Hix, murmuring, “Thanks, baby,” as he handed me my sparkling water.
It was packed that night, but Hix had arrived early, bringing me in to sing. There had been tables available. Why he was at the bar, I had no clue.
Before I could ask, he said, “It’s totally corny.”
I took a sip from my straw but did it with my eyes to him.
When I finished, I asked, “What?”
“Wanted to do it before, but wanted things to be about Shaw during his graduation and before he left. I struggled with it. He’ll be upset he wasn’t around when it happened. But it’ll get his ass home when he can come home so we can have a delayed celebration.”
I stared at him as he spoke, not having any idea what he was talking about.
“I’m not following, darlin’,” I shared.
“Met you here. Started the ride when you sang ‘At Last’ to me. Tried to deny it when you sang ‘Stay’ to me. Knew I was gone when you sang ‘Cold’ to me. And knew you were gone when you sang ‘Glitter in the Air’ to me. So it had to be here. And here is where it’s gonna be.”
I was kind of following, but not exactly.
And I couldn’t find it in me to figure it out because I was dealing with him sharing he remembered all the important songs I’d sang to him.
His eyes dropped to my drink but all he said was, “Corny.”
I felt my brows draw together then I looked down to my drink.
Sparkling water. Ice glittering. Blue straw with those ridges that you could bend so— Oh my God.
My hand started shaking.
Oh my God!
I felt Hix’s hand span the top of my thigh, his lips to my ear, where he whispered, “Time for the next step, Greta.”
I turned my head, he pulled back, and I caught his eyes.
“Is that—?” I started.
“Marry me.”
Tears filled my eyes and he saw them instantly.
So just as instantly, he lifted both hands to my face and put his in mine. “Baby, no tears.”
“No . . . no . . . no damned way I’m not crying right now, Hixon Drake.”
His thumbs went under my eyes and he warned, “Sweetheart, no—”
Too late.
One slid over and hit his thumb.
His gaze came to mine.
“I love you,” I whispered.
His eyes flashed with humor. “Does that mean yes?”
“Do you have to ask?” I retorted.
“Kinda important for this question I get an answer, gum drop.”
“Then yes.”
No humor for that.
Just intensity.
He also didn’t move.
“Yes, Hixon.” I lifted my free hand and wrapped it tight around his wrist. “Yes. Yes. Yesyesyesyes. Yes,” I stated fiercely.
I said it but Hix still didn’t move.
He just sat there, holding my face, his pool-blue eyes staring into mine.
I was going to get to swim in those eyes forever.
Another tear slid into his thumb.
“Glass, bro, put that bling on her finger before she combusts,” we heard from beside us, and I looked to Danny, the bartender, who’d set an empty glass on the bar between Hix and me.
He was also grinning like a maniac.
Hix took my glass, poured out the water, but sifted it through his fingers in the end so he could catch the ring.
Danny threw a bunch of napkins on the bar for Hix to dry his hand but Hix didn’t touch them.
He took my hand and slid the cold metal of the ring on my finger.
It was very simple, not large, not tiny, set in white gold or platinum, and it had five little diamonds embedded in each side of the band.
Keith had given me a two and a half carat, cushion-cut diamond surrounded by a band embedded with two rows of them.
This was not that.
What it was, was the most beautiful thing I’d ever seen.
I felt another tear fall.
“Baby,” Hix warned, his hand closing around mine, taking the view of my ring from me, his other hand sweeping away the tear. “Stop it.”
I looked to him. “You’re right, it was corny.”
He grinned.
“Totally corny,” I declared.
He kept grinning.
“And I’m so happy, if you don’t kiss me, I’m gonna scream,” I shared.
He continued grinning even as he stood from his stool, got in my space in a way I had to twist my legs to the side and wrapped a hand around the back of my neck.
I tilted my head way back, curving my arms around his middle.
And it was then, he kissed me.
I heard the tinkling of something against a glass but I was so lost in Hixon, I didn’t take it in.
I still didn’t take it in when I heard Gemini shout, “She said yes! Raise a glass! We’re toasting to the soon-to-be Mr. and Mrs. Hixon Drake!”
I only surfaced when Hix lifted his mouth from mine and I suspected he only did this because everyone was cheering and shouting.
We looked to the club to see everyone on their feet, everyone looking our way, everyone clapping and everyone smiling.
Hix slid an arm around my shoulders and tucked me into his side.
“Danny, champagne for all!” Gemini announced.
More clapping and cheering and I settled my wet gaze on Gemini.
He moved to us, smiling even bigger than Danny had been doing.
Hix lifted his hand to shake Gemini’s and accept his murmured congratulations then Gemini moved in and touched his cheek to mine.
He moved back and caught my gaze. “Happy for you, beautiful.”
“Me too.”
He gave me a soft smile. “You need the rest of the night off?”
I shook my head. “If you don’t think I’m gonna give the performance of a lifetime crooning to my new fiancé, you’re crazy.”
That got me a bigger smile.
He moved away and clapped Hix on the arm before he walked away.
I looked up to my man.
No.
My fiancé.
My future husband.
No.
Just my future everything.
“I should have taken the rest of the night off.”
He dipped close to me. “You want that, Greta, have a feeling Gemini would give you anything.”
“Do you want me to grab him?” I asked.
“I want you to do what you want.”
“Okay, but what do you want?”
“I want what you want.”
I looked into his eyes.
And doing it, I knew that was what he wanted.
That was all Hixon Drake actually was.
He was a man who wanted what those he loved wanted.
After the life I’d lived, how had I gotten so lucky?
I lifted my hand, pressed it against his shoulder, watching myself do that, seeing my new ring wink at me. Then I slid it to his neck and curled it around, looking back at him.
“I want to sing ‘At Last’ to you. And ‘Stay.’ And ‘Cold.’ And ‘Glitter in the Air.’ And then I’ll cut the set short because I wanna go home and make love with my fiancé. Does that work for you?”
“Absolutely.”
I tipped my head back and swayed closer to him.
“You’ve made me very happy, Hixon Drake.”
“That makes me happy, Greta, but just to say, sweetheart, even before that you returned the favor.” He touched his nose to mine and finished, “In spades.”
“No,” I replied and saw his eyes smile.
“Uh, baby, I’d know.”
“No you wouldn’t. Because you didn’t grow up like me. You didn’t live a life like mine. You got kicked in the teeth at forty-two, then you found me. So this match, smokey, no doubt about it, I win.”
Both his hands cupped my jaws before he growled, “I’ll give you that win, angel.”
I smiled at him.