Chapter Eleven

 

* KELSEY *

 

I raised my head sleepily and peered at the glow of the alarm clock display. Just after four a.m. But the alarm clock wasn’t the only thing glowing in the bedroom. Luke’s laptop was casting a soft blue light across the room. He was sitting in front of it at the small desk in the far corner of the bedroom, typing away at a breakneck speed. I sat up and watched him for a while, a small smile turning up the corners of my mouth.

He’d been writing for long stretches of time ever since the night we made love in the library. He called me his muse, and told me that because of me he’d beaten his bad case of writers’ block. I wasn’t sure how much I really had to do with it. I figured Driftwood Island itself had to take at least partial credit. The island was the perfect place for a writer, and I was glad that Luke had decided to settle down here, not just for my sake but for his. He was more relaxed now than he’d been when he first arrived, and he told me he was happier living here than he’d been living anywhere else before.

That didn’t surprise me. Nothing could beat island life. Still, if he wanted to give me some credit for his writing breakthroughs, I wasn’t going to fight him on that. My smile widened. I’d never had so much fun in my life as I’d had over the past few weeks, spending my days with Luke.

I’d never felt so safe, either. I knew that as long as he was here, no one was going to be able to hurt me. Certainly not some half-witted drunk like Kyle. Luke had helped me with the process of getting a restraining order against Kyle, but more importantly, Luke himself was a big deterrent to someone like Kyle. Luke had made it clear that he would protect me no matter the cost, and he had the muscles to back up that claim. I felt pretty confident that I’d seen the last of Kyle.

I settled back into bed, listening to the rhythmic sound of the keys clacking away as Luke typed. He’d discontinued his use of a writing coach a few days ago, saying that a coach hadn’t been what he’d needed after all. He told me he’d needed a fresh start, and that I’d given it to him. Now, three days before the deadline for him to finish his book, he was writing like a maniac. He was confident he would finish on time.

So was I. If there’s one thing I’d learned about Luke in the weeks I’d known him, it was that when he decided he wanted something, he got it. Luckily for me, he’d wanted me. My life had forever changed for the better. With a smile on my face, I drifted back into happy dreams.

 

* * *

 

Three days later, I went to spend some time at the Conch Shell Café with a book I’d been wanting to read. It was the last day for Luke to finish his book, and I wanted to stay out of his way so that I didn’t distract him while he finished up. He was confident he would finish on time, but I figured it was better to give him his space. Besides, I had a day off and I’d been wanting to read my new book. This was the perfect chance to do so over coffee and a cupcake. I’d been reading for hours and had lost track of time when Luke suddenly appeared at my table and sat down across from me.

I looked up, startled, then smiled when I saw him.

“Hey you? Are you done?”

He grinned. “Finished, in the nick of time.”

I shut my book. “Congratulations! We should celebrate.”

“We will. I thought we’d make a visit to our favorite Italian restaurant tonight. But first, I have a gift for you. Come on.”

He stood, and I looked at him suspiciously. “A gift? For me? But you’re the one who just finished a book.”

“Doesn’t matter. You’re the one who kept me inspired. You deserve this.”

“Okay,” I said slowly. Then I rose to follow him outside. I didn’t see his rental pickup truck anywhere, but he was walking confidently toward a brand new Aston Martin.

“Did you finally get a car of your own?” I asked. I knew he’d been wanting to order a new car to be delivered to the island to replace his rental, but as far as I knew he hadn’t chosen what he wanted yet, let alone had time to order it and have it delivered.

But he was shaking his head. “No, this isn’t mine. This is yours.”

My jaw dropped. “What? No, Luke, you can’t be serious.”

“I’m dead serious. Get in.”

“But this gift is too big!”

“I said, get in. The driver’s seat, not the passenger seat.”

Reluctantly, I climbed in. I’d never sat in anything that felt so luxurious before. The leather seats were so soft that I felt like they were hugging me, and everything in the car gleamed and looked polished.

“Turn it on,” Luke said.

I gave him a doubtful look. “I can’t drive this. I’ll just ruin it. I mean, have you seen me trying to parallel park?”

“I have. Which is why I think this car is perfect for you.” Luke reached over and turned the car on, then pointed to the surround cameras that gave me a view of the entire perimeter of the car. “Look, now you have cameras to help you with parallel parking. It’ll still take some practice, but you’ll get used to it quick. Besides, no woman of mine is going to drive around in anything less than pure luxury.”

I just stared at him. “It’s beautiful, but it’s too much. I mean, we haven’t even been dating a full month. We’re not engaged or anything…it’s just…it’s too much.”

Luke smirked at me. “Listen, Kelsey. I know you’re an expert on authors, so I know you know I’m a billionaire. The cost of this car doesn’t set me back any. And besides all that, I’m hoping that within the next few minutes we will be engaged.”

“What? What are you talking about?” My heart started pounding in my chest, and I could feel my breathing growing faster. Was he about to do what I thought he was doing?

He reached into his pocket and pulled out a small black box. “I’m talking about this.”

He opened the box to reveal the most beautiful diamond ring I’d ever seen. I gasped as I watched it sparkle in the sunlight that was coming in through the car’s front windshield.

“I guess I planned this poorly, because I’m supposed to get down on one knee and that’s hard to do in a sports car. But just humor me and pretend I’m down on one knee while I ask you this. Kelsey, will you marry me? I know I must sound crazy to be asking this already, but the truth is that I’m crazy in love with you. I can’t imagine life without you. You’ve inspired me anew, you’re my muse, and you’re the most beautiful woman I’ve ever met. I couldn’t have finished this book without your encouragement, and I wouldn’t have wanted to. I want every book from now on to be inspired by you. I want every day to be lived with you. You’ve made me happier and more complete than I’ve ever been. Please say yes. You’re all I need. All I want. You’re everything.”

He looked at me with such hope in his eyes that my heart hurt. I smiled at him and nodded. “Yes. My answer is yes. It is crazy, but I don’t care. You’ve shown me that I’m worth loving. You’ve shown me that I’m not the only crazy book lover out there. You’ve shown me that life with another person can be truly magical. I can’t imagine spending a single day apart from you anymore.”

Luke smiled and pulled the ring out of the box to put it on my finger. It fit perfectly, and it felt surreal to look down and see something so beautiful on my finger.

“This is too much,” I whispered. “The car, the ring, the proposal. What did I do to deserve all this?”

“The only thing you ever have to do to make me happy: you were just yourself. Your wonderful, perfect self. Just keep doing that. It’s all I want. Well, not all I want, I guess. I’d eventually like to have a house full of kids with you.”

I smiled shyly up at him. “Me too. And I want them all to look just like you.”

“Nonsense! They need to look like you. You’re the better looking one between us by far.”

I felt my cheeks heating up as I blushed even deeper. Before I could say anything, he was leaning over to kiss me. His lips were warm and firm, and I had a feeling we might be heading home to consummate our engagement before we ever made it to dinner. I couldn’t think of anything I’d rather do.

Life with a billionaire author was a bit overwhelming, but I wouldn’t trade a single second with Luke for anything. No matter how many stories he wrote in the future, I knew my favorite story would always be the one that was just beginning: ours.

 

* * *

 

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