More Than Words
Hunter
A Year and A Half Later
“HONEY, I’M HOME,” Bailey called out into our apartment. The sound of our door closing was followed by our cat’s meow. We adopted her about a week after my girl decided it was finally time to move in.
Abby was our baby and a spoiled brat like her mother.
My little B. had wanted the full college experience when she made the move to Pensacola. She’d decided that moving into the dorm rooms was the right thing for her, and I won’t deny that I was disappointed, but I also understood her need to be on her own.
To taste the freedom that came with being an adult and away from home for the first time. So, with the help of family, we moved her in and I waited for her to get fed up.
Because she would and did.
Not everything was as she thought it’d be, and within a month she hated the girl she’d been paired with, a simpering airhead that’d been ridden hard and put away used.
However, I pushed her to play nice and try befriending her roommate. I gave her advice when asked. An ear to listen when the need to vent became too much.
But then again, that’s what relationships were about: compromise and understanding.
We were both working toward the same goal, and I needed to be patient. Give in now and collect my reward later.
Often, Bailey spent the night at my place.
We cooked together, washed clothes, and hung out like all normal couples do. She got to experience what our lives could be a few times a week, and I literally watched as her resolve caved.
It also didn’t help that Emily and Thomas lived in my building four floors down. She saw how happy Emi was and how they made it work with a full school load and Thomas’s part-time job at a restaurant close by.
For the first few months it worked, until one day it no longer had the same appeal and she’d asked me if she could stay permanently.
Best motherfucking night of my life.
She was my rock. Best friend. Everything.
And I wanted it all with her.
“Baby? Are you home?” The sound of our fridge opening followed a few low mutters that I couldn’t make out. Those grumbles didn’t last long once she noticed her flowers sitting on the countertop. “Aww, baby. I love you too.”
Still I stayed waiting for her to find me.
The sound of her feet padding through the apartment caused my anxiety to spike and not for a negative reason. No. Not at all.
This moment right here was everything.
Worth it all.
“Come on, sweetheart. Find me,” I muttered low, a few beads of sweat forming at my brow.
I’d worked hard all day to set this moment up just right.
Moved furniture and bought everything directly from the source to mimic that day.
“Where the heck…oh shit!” At that point I didn’t even say anything about the slip; the look on her face was priceless. Tears brimmed, and her bottom lip quivered. “How did you? Jesus, Miles.”
Her eyes darted around the room, taking in the mini replica I’d created of our stay at the Waldorf in Orlando. From the bedding to the dinette set—the serving dishes for our meal, I’d paid a pretty penny to the hotel to buy these items.
It took some negotiating on my behalf. That, plus a discount on a small advertising campaign I’d be submitting to them within the next two months.
“Surprise.” I walked up behind her, arm winding around her waist. My lips skimmed the shell of her ear and down to her cheek. I turned her around to face me and wound my hand in her hair, releasing it from the clip she held it in. My hold tightened as a whimper met my ear. “Welcome home.”
“I’ve only been gone a day, but—”
“Next time I’ll go with you. Share the good news together.”
She raised a brow. “Good news?”
“The best.” I took her hand in mine and walked us over to the small table in the room. It only had one chair, and I sat down with her sideways in my lap. Just like the last time, I had three covered plates with a surprise message beneath. “Are you hungry?”
“Are you going to jail?” At my incredulous look, she shrugged with a small smile. “Well, it’s not our anniversary, and you’re dressed in the black on black on black pants, shoes, and shirt I love. Something must be up, and it’s huge. Hit me, Miles. I can hang.”
I tapped the end of her nose. “Your mind is a dangerous place at times, Bailey. No words.”
She rolled her eyes and flipped me off. “So, no jail?”
“No.”
“Someone die?”
“No.”
“Then what is…” I lifted the lid, and she stopped talking. Her eyes, glassy and filled with unshed tears, were focused on the plate in front of her with a stack of pancakes. This time they were shaped into a giant ring and were laid beside a question written in chocolate sauce.
Marry me?
Today. Tomorrow. Always.
“Miles?” Bailey’s voice was low, hands shaking beside my own.
Turning my palm to face upward, I displayed the engagement ring I had for her.
It was unique. A one of a kind. Made by a client who I’d helped in a jam a few months back, and when he found out that I was getting ready to propose, he all but demanded to design it.
The pink and white diamond heart ring was stunning and would look perfect on her finger.
“Marry me, Bailey Jones.” I shimmied my hand beneath her trembling one and trapped the ring between us. “Even as kids, I always knew that there was something between us that was different. Special. The kind of bond that is unbreakable and pure. What I didn’t know then was that you were the other half of my soul. My one.”
“Baby…I…oh my God!” She gasped, tears running down her cheeks. “Is this really happening?”
Any other day I would’ve kissed her at how adorable she was being.
“I want to wake up every morning and see you beside me. Have babies with you. Grow old together.” With my other hand, I wiped away her tears and held her stare. “Baby, please be mine for the rest of our lives, as I’ll be yours.”
“Yes!” She launched herself at me, kissing my face and anywhere she could reach.
The ring fell onto the table as my mouth met hers in a furious kiss. It was frantic and sweet and full of the love we shared.
Everything we’d been through had led us to this moment, and I couldn’t be more thankful to whatever deity above convinced her to let her guard down and let me in.
I’d gotten the girl.
A future where her smile would get me through anything life threw my way.
Bailey was made for me, and I for her.
She was my one.
I’d stolen a kiss and she’d taken my heart.