CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE
HONEY
“What do I stir in next?”
Gavin’s nerves were clear in his voice, and it was so amusing that it had me trying to stifle a smile. His brows were furrowed, and his lips were pursed in concentration as he stirred in steady, circular motions in the pan.
“Chives. Then just add in the sour cream,” I said easily.
I watched as Gavin nodded his head stiffly, then followed my instructions in precise movements. It was amazing how he could follow instructions to a T—but then again, with his work, he had to be precise at all times.
He was trying to make mashed potatoes, an old recipe I had that we both decided to spruce up with a couple of new spices. It really smelled good so far from where I was sitting, and I couldn’t wait to give it a try. I sifted through the magazine I had in hand and tried relaxing on the couch, only calling out instructions when Gavin specifically asked. The urge to hover was intense, but I knew it would just get to him all the more, and he really wanted to do this by himself.
There was some clanking in the kitchen, followed by a muttered curse. I almost burst out laughing but pressed my lips together, pausing from my reading as I craned my head.
“Everything okay there?”
“Yes,” he called out. Then the clanking continued.
I didn’t smell anything burning, so I didn’t move and let him be, and soon I was absorbed in an article about some organizational bedroom hacks that I might just need to try out soon. I was pretty bored, with the major races now done and my next minor race not until a month from now.
“It’s ready.”
I looked up at Gavin’s voice, then wandered over to the dining room where he insisted we should eat. It was dim now, the lights turned off and only candles all over the table lighting it up. My smile widened when I eyed the mashed potatoes in a bowl, along with some pork teriyaki that he made. There was also a round cheesecake which he made from scratch—cookie dough cheesecake, he proudly announced.
“Wow. Are you trying to take over my cooking from now on?” I joked.
Gavin grinned, and it made my heart drop, then revive and beat faster. His smile always did get me, and he didn’t even know it yet.
“I just wanted to be the cook for once—and to do it properly.”
He was too sweet for his own good, really.
We sat down and ate, and it was accompanied with the story of Gavin’s client’s latest antics—in particular, running away from him in the mall so she could hang out with her boyfriend. I grinned as he got to the part where he found them making out by the fountain, then running off when they spotted him. Gavin’s client was the teenage daughter of a wealthy businessman, recommended by Sara who was the businessman’s partner in a business project.
“And how long did it take you to find them?” I asked in between making noises about how delicious all the food was.
“An hour later,” he grumbled. “I didn’t let her out of my sight after that.”
“So mean,” I teased.
“I treated them to lunch.”
“Mean and sweet.” I leaned over and kissed him on the cheek, then jerked back with a giggle when he attempted to kiss me on the mouth. I winked. “Stop. If you kiss me right now, we’re never going to finish dinner.”
Gavin smirked. “Why?”
“Because you can’t resist me,” I shot back. “And you’re going to sweep everything from this table and break all the dishes again just so you can have sex with me.”
“That was a one-time thing.”
“Those were fine and pretty dishes,” I said.
“So you didn’t like me taking you on the table?”
My mind flashed to the memory of that moment—our bodies tangled and sweaty, me begging Gavin to slide his fingers deeper as he brought me to orgasm. Then he’d been sliding his cock in and fucking me right then and there, and it had been so aggressive and urgent that it took over us completely.
The thought alone had me sweating, and I could feel a certain throbbing in between my legs. Gavin’s observant eyes watched me, and I crossed my legs and affected a calm expression. “Maybe next time, when the table’s empty.”
That was a complete lie, of course. Nothing could stop me from wanting him, and it was amazing because we’d been together in the longest relationship I had—the only relationship I had, actually. We had a lot of bumps along the way, but here we were now, almost a year after our confession and still going strong.
And still wanting each other more than ever.
We kept taking teasing jabs until dessert, when he probed about my racing schedule and if I had any time after my next minor race. I thought about it, running through my mind my photo shoot schedules as well as the practices that Sara already planned out. Then suspicion arose, and I raised a brow at Gavin.
“Are you asking me to go on vacation with you, by any chance?”
Gavin raised a brow back. “Did I say that?” he asked innocently.
I eyed him watchfully, but his face didn’t give anything away. Then I was distracted by the first bite of cheesecake, which was just about as divine as it looked and melted in my mouth. I closed my eyes at the second bite and savored it.
“Oh, my God. This is so good. So good.”
Gavin nodded. “I’m glad you think so.”
There was something off in his tone, which had me opening my eyes again. His brows were furrowed again like when he was in the kitchen earlier, and the sudden switch of mood was puzzling. I was about to ask him what was wrong when something hit my tooth and had me wincing. Then it had me startled, because it felt like a rock had gotten in Gavin’s cooking. Oh, he was going to be so pissed.
I slipped out the object. “Don’t overreact, but…” I trailed off and stared at the object on my palm, unable to believe what I was seeing.
Oh. Oh.
It was…gold—a gold band, to be specific, with simple, clean lines and some tiny diamonds lining the sides. There was a bigger diamond in the middle, sparkling up at me and making me gasp. My eyes widened, thinking that maybe someone dropped it here.
Then realization rushed like a wave and my stomach dropped.
“Gavin?”
“Marry me, Honey.”
Oh, my God.
“Oh, my Lord.”
It all happened too fast—one minute, he was still sitting down, and the next he was kneeling in front of me and holding my hand with the ring. Those dark eyes of his pinned me in place, and I could see so much emotion in them that it just took my breath away. But above all, there was patience—the kind of steady, supportive patience that told me he would still be here even if I rejected his proposal, would still be by my side no matter what.
He’d been married before and had been hurt, which was why I never broached the topic with him. But to have him risk it all now, for me…that was it. That was it for me.
It had me falling too deeply to ever go back.
I urged him up, then stood up, too. Not breaking our gazes, I opened his hand and placed the ring there, watching as sadness flickered in his gaze when I didn’t say anything.
God, I couldn’t possibly love this man more, but here he was proving the impossible.
“I’ll marry you, Gavin.”
The sadness cleared, and a burst of joy entered that gaze. Then his mouth slowly lifted into a smile, one that was so rough and sexy that I just had to stand on tiptoe and pull him down for a long, lingering kiss. His mouth devoured mine, and we lost ourselves in that intimate moment. Belatedly, I felt his thumb rubbing my cheek and realized that there were tears falling. Embarrassed, I pulled back.
“I’m going to turn into a blubbering mess now,” I warned.
“Come here,” he murmured. He lowered his mouth to mine and kissed me some more, distracting me from the crying enough to kiss him back. We stayed like that for a while, our dessert forgotten before I felt him take my fingers. He broke the kiss first, albeit regretfully.
We both watched as he slid the ring on my finger, where it fit perfectly and sparkled rather cheekily. I grinned down at it. Then I grinned up at him, unable to believe I could be this happy. My heart was about to burst out of my chest.
But it didn’t matter because I wouldn’t have it any other way.
“Sex?” I blurted out.
Gavin grinned, eyes gleaming.
“Sex,” he murmured in a hungry tone.
And that was how we capped the wonderful night off.
Loving each other.