Forrester laughed. “You know as much about me as I do about you,” he said. “You know my father let my mother die. That she died during my birth.”
“I do,” she said.
Forrester nodded. “There aren’t many secrets in small towns like this, are there?”
“No, there aren’t.”
“I guess you also know that my father tried to kill me once. He locked me in a basement with fighting dogs.”
“The pit bulls from your tattoos.”
“Yeah.”
“I heard all of it.”
“If you can love me for all that I am, I sure as hell can love you for every atom in your body, Elle.”
“Really?” she gasped, her eyes filling with tears.
“Really,” he said, and he grabbed his jeans from the floor by the bed.
In the pocket was the ring, his mother’s engagement ring. He hadn’t thought about it since putting it in there. He pulled it out. Then, with a little difficulty because of the injured ribs, which were even more raw after the passionate lovemaking, he climbed out of the bed and faced Elle. He got down on his knee.
Immediately, Elle started to cry. Tears streamed down from her beautiful eyes, over her cheeks, and it was everything Forrester could do to stop himself from kissing her face and drinking those tears. He’d die for this woman, he knew that now.
“Elle Barclay,” he said.
She let out even more tears. He looked at her and again the thought that she might already be carrying a child for him flashed across his mind. He looked at her face, her voluptuous breasts, and the spot between her legs where he knew his come was.
“Elle Barclay, will you do me the honor of being my wife.”
Chapter 46
Elle
ELLE COULDN’T SPEAK. She couldn’t say anything. She just nodded her head, and cried, and between sobs, managed to get the words out.
“Yes,” she cried. “Yes of course. Nothing would make me happier in the whole world.”
With that, Forrester bent down and lifted her up from the bed.
“Your ribs,” she cried. “You’ll hurt them.”
“We haven’t been one bit careful with those poor ribs today, have we?” he said.
“No, we haven’t.”
Forrester carried her over to the armchair by the fire and put her down on it. She was wearing a pink nightdress that he found incredibly sexy, and he kissed her and then put his mother’s engagement ring on her finger.
“Where did you get this?” she said.
“It was my mother’s.”
“Oh,” Elle said, and then she started crying again. She couldn’t help it. “I’m sorry I can’t stop crying,” she said.
“You’re allowed to do whatever you want, sweetheart,” he said.
She couldn’t believe it. After everything that had happened, everything she’d been through in her life, all her fears, this was how it was turning out. She was being proposed to by this beautiful, strong, kind man.
She knew he was a bad boy. He got into fights, he was covered in tattoos, he had a sharp mouth, but he also had a heart of pure, solid gold. That was the most important thing in the world to her. More important than the fact that he had a lot of money, or that he was built like a Calvin Klein model, or that he was hot as hell in bed. What mattered was his heart.
And she knew he’d be a loving and loyal husband. He hadn’t looked at another woman since meeting her. He’d barely spoken to another person, other than to get in a fight with them. Again, she was aware of the fact that she really was the only person that he seemed capable of opening up to and letting in. He was at war with the rest of the world, it seemed.
Her, and his family back in California. Those were the things that mattered to Forrester and it was so clear. He’d kill for family, he’d die for family, and nothing else really mattered that much. And that made her feel safe. It made her certain that he’d look after her, protect her, and protect whatever children they might have together. She put her hand over her belly at the thought of children.
She looked at the engagement ring. How had this happened? She thought of all the things that had led to this very moment. That ring had been on the hand of a woman who’s husband abused her. It had ended up in a box in a basement. A little boy had been locked in that basement and found that ring.
She’d been sold to a criminal gang, and then miraculously rescued from that gang when they were all killed. She’d struggled in a life with Gris until she’d gained the courage to leave him. She’d arrived here in Stone Peak, and at the exact same time, Forrester was there, getting a cup of coffee on his way to his father’s funeral.
It was almost too strange, too unlikely, too miraculous. It couldn’t have all happened without the guiding hand of God. She was convinced of that. God had led her to that point, and he wanted her and Forrester to be together.
“Am I really going to be your wife?” she said to him.
He caressed her hand in his. “Yes you are, Elle Barclay.”
“Elle Snow,” she said.