Chapter Twenty-Four
Lily
Three months. Lily couldn’t believe that three months had passed since the day Declan walked into her life. She’d fought their attraction so hard and now, looking back, she couldn’t help but wonder why. He completed her in a way she’d never expected to feel. He supported all of her hopes, desires, and wishes; he never made her feel like she should keep things to herself, and he loved that she went toe to toe with him on issues that mattered to her.
They’d found the perfect house on Poland Ave. It had three bedrooms, three bathrooms, gorgeous wood floors, a kitchen she absolutely loved, an adorable front porch, and it even had a decent fenced backyard that would be perfect if they ever had kids. The house was open, airy, and light, and Lily could see them growing old together in it.
She’d finally talked Casey into moving down to New Orleans so they’d set one of the bedrooms up for Jacob, Casey the other, and now they were just waiting for them to arrive. They had an escort from Montana because Magnis wasn’t comfortable letting Casey drive all that way by herself. He was an Alpha, first and foremost, and there was no way in hell he was going to let a young, single woman with a child drive across the country, alone. Anything could happen along the way.
Looking at herself in the bedroom mirror, Lily smiled. Declan had called and told her to ‘dress up’ because he was taking her to dinner. She wondered what her mate was up to, but she knew she could ask until she was blue in the face and he would give nothing away. The man was a pro at keeping secrets. A silver dress made of silk caressed her curves as she moved. She left her hair down the way he liked it and stepped into a pair of four-inch heels. Her makeup was understated, and after she added some jewelry, she looked elegant. A quick glance at the clock told her Declan would be home any minute.
Declan
He’d been planning this night for weeks. It wasn’t easy to keep this secret from his mate but he’d managed. He wanted this to be a complete surprise. The only hint he gave her was when he told her to dress up because he was taking her to dinner. Still, he didn’t think she suspected the reason behind the request.
He’d dressed at the office. His personal security company had taken off, and they now had a team of twenty, most of whom were shifters and had become part of the pack. They had more than enough people to do the things they were all good at and made money doing it. The larger staff gave him more time to be there, in New Orleans, with his mate. The first couple of months had been a little rough because he’d had to take a few jobs himself in order to fulfill a request for aid.
When he reached the house they’d recently moved into, he smiled. It was a quaint house, and he had to admit the cast-iron railing around the porch gave it a nice touch. It added a flair to the house that reminded him of his mate. Strong and beautiful.
With a shake of his head, he climbed out of his car and headed inside. “I’m home, doll.” His eyes widened when his mate came strutting down the hall from their bedroom. “Damn, woman, are you trying to drive me crazy?” Her dress clung to her curves, and there was a slit in the side that almost reached mid-thigh.
Lily grinned at him. “Just incentive for later tonight,” she teased and leaned up to brush her lips across his. “You look amazing.”
“Not as amazing as you,” he countered and offered his arm. “Shall we?”
Lily slipped her hand in the crook of his arm and let him escort her out to the car. “Where are we eating dinner?”
“You’ll see.”
Lily settled into her seat and watched the city pass by out the window. When they reached their destination, she blinked. “Restaurant August? Wow,” she said softly. The place was one of the more expensive restaurants in New Orleans and one she’d never been to despite checking out their drool-worthy menu online.
“I wanted something special for the woman I love,” Declan said cryptically and escorted her inside. He’d gotten reservations so they would have a table waiting for them. He helped her with her seat, then sat across from her.
Lily gave him a puzzled look because of all the secrecy but she didn’t question him. They ordered appetizers, potato gnocchi for her and the shrimp etouffee for him, before they both decided on the roasted triple tail for their main course.
Declan waited until they were almost finished and dessert was delivered before he finally got to the reason he’d brought her there. “Lily. In the three months that we’ve known each other, I’ve come to realize that I was only half alive until I met you. My life was void of any real joy, no matter how much I tried to tell myself otherwise. I couldn’t imagine not waking up every morning to you in my arms; I couldn’t imagine facing a single day without you by my side. I love you more than I’ve ever loved anyone or anything.” He slipped out of his chair and went to one knee next to her seat while he pulled a small ring box out of his pocket. Inside lay a gorgeous lily-inspired ring in white gold. “Lily Amelia Harper Quinn,” he said, deliberately including the last name she’d gone by when he first met her, “will you make me the happiest man to ever walk this earth by doing me the honor of becoming my wife?”
Lily
All throughout their meal Lily had watched her mate. She could tell something was weighing on his mind, but for the life of her, she couldn’t figure out what could have him so stressed out. She’d wondered: was he getting ready to leave for a security job and he was trying to impress upon her that she was the only woman for him, that she didn’t need to worry while he was gone? She trusted him; she knew he would never betray that trust by being unfaithful. She’d had no idea that the meal, the romantic restaurant, the nervousness, was all because he was about to make the ultimate commitment.
Tears filled her eyes as he professed the depths of his love for her. “It’s beautiful,” she whispered before she lifted her gaze to his and a smile lit up her face. “Yes. Gods, yes. There’s nothing I want more,” she said and let the tears of joy flow down her cheeks.
As Declan slid the ring onto her hand and nearby diners applauded and congratulated them, Lily knew this was only the beginning of a very long and happy life with the most amazing man she’d ever met. Her love, her life, her mate.