Hot Ink

Epilogue

Four months later...

"Bye Garret." Mina waved as Eric's roommate stepped out of the apartment and into the hall, holding the last of his boxes against his chest.

"See ya, Eric, Mina." The door swung shut and he was gone.

"So are you going to advertise for another roommate?" Mina asked, glancing around the living room and the adjoining kitchen. The apartment seemed strangely empty without Garret's belongings. She'd grown used to the sight of them over the past few months. Not that his move was entirely a bad thing ... it might leave Eric without anyone to split the cost of rent and utilities with, but she couldn't help but get excited when she thought that until he found a new roommate, they'd be able to have the apartment to themselves anytime they wanted. God, it would be nice to have a private place to retreat to without having to workout a schedule first. Up until now, they'd always had to worry over whether Jess would be home at Mina's place or Garret at Eric's, possibly with company of his own.

"I don't know," Eric said, turning his back to the door to face her. "I was hoping that I'd be able to come up with a better solution."

"What do you mean?"

"Mina," he took one of her hands and clasped it in his, "I know it's sometimes hard for us to find time to spend alone with each other. Being together at work and hanging out with friends is great, but I want more. What do you think about living together?"

As her heart skipped a beat, she swallowed the knot that had formed in her throat as he'd spoken. It wasn't like she'd been caught totally off guard by his question. It had occurred to her more than once before that he might eventually broach the subject, and now, with his roommate gone, was the perfect time. A part of her was thrilled that he'd asked, but... 

"I don't know, Eric. I love you, and I'd like nothing more than tohave more time with you..." Just the thought of spending the night inhis arms warmed her. Despite their months of intimacy, it was something she'd never done. "But I don't know if it would beright." She dared to meet his eyes, expecting to find disappointment and maybe even hurt. What they actually reflected seemed more like compassion, but there was no denying she still owed him an explanation.

"I've told you quite a bit about how Jess and I grew up. You know how our mother was always going from boyfriend to boyfriend, attaching herself to a new man each time one of her relationships blew up. I swear, each one was worse than the last. I hated having to live with those men. Our household was always changing, and we were always expected to mold our lives around my mom's latest guy. I know you're nothing like them, and this isn't the same sort of thing, but I promised myself that I'd never put Jess through anything like that again. 

"I want her life to be stable and simple, and a part of me doesn't feel comfortable with the idea of living with a boyfriend. I don't want Jess to think that I'm like our mother." As she finished, she bracedherself for his rebuttal. Surely he'd tell her that this wasdifferent. She knew it was, but she couldn't shake her inhibitions. Jess had been doing so well ever since the homecoming dance, and she didn't want to do anything to compromise her happiness or sense of security.

"You're nothing like her, Mina." Eric traced the line of her jaw with his fingertips and cupped her chin."But I understand."

Relief flooded every nook and cranny of Mina's being. "Eric, you're perfect. Thank you. I wish I could say yes."

"Don't thank me. I'm not giving up just yet."

She tried not to let her confusion show on her face as he dug into his pocket.

"Would it change things if I was more than just your boyfriend?"

Realization struck her as he pulled a small black box from his pocket, and she froze, standing as still as a statue as he opened it.

"Mina, will you marry me?"

A diamond winked from the box's interior, but she could barely manage to tear her gaze away from his. His eyes were more gorgeous than ever, and his gaze melted something inside her, sending warmth flooding through her body. The butterflies that had plagued her when they'd first started dating were back in full force, fluttering like crazy in her belly. He was serious. This was really happening.

"Yes." She threw her arms around his neck, letting his stubble rasp against her cheek as she buried her face in his shoulder. The unease that had settled over her when he'd asked his first question was gone. This moment felt perfect.This moment felt right. She'd known a few short weeks into their relationship that she never wanted to be with anyone else.

He hugged her back, squeezing her so hard that her breath rushed from her lungs in a gasp.

After a few moments Eric loosened his hold, allowing a few inches of space to separate their bodies. He pulled the ring out of the box, took her left hand and slid it onto her finger. "Just let me know when," he said. "We'll get married whenever you want to. I'm not going anywhere." He brushed a kiss across her lips. "You're the only one for me, Mina."

She touched the tip of her tongue to her lip, tasting where he'd kissed her. "I'd marry you right now if I could, but I think we'd better wait a little while. Karen will kill me if she doesn't get to take any engagement photos, and I'm sure Jess won't want to miss out on the chance to be a bridesmaid."

"What, the poster doesn't count as an engagement photo?" he asked, teasing.

She smiled as she remembered the first time they'd posed together. If it hadn't been for that, they might never have fallen in love. She wriggled her fingers. "I'm pretty sure I have to be wearing the ring for it to count. Or at least,that's what Karen will say."

He grinned wickedly, drawing her close again and pressing his lips against the arch of her neck. "Whatever. Isn't she too busy with all of her clients and those magazines to be bossing you around? Maybe I should take you to the courthouse right now."

She giggled as his stubble tickled her neck. Maybe he was right - Karen's photography business had virtually exploded over the past couple months - but with Garret finally gone, she wasn't about to go anywhere until she and Eric took advantage of the empty apartment. "Wouldn't you rather spend the rest of the afternoon here? I mean, now that we've got this place to ourselves..."

He swept her feet out from under her and lowered her onto the nearby couch, pinning her against the cushions and kissing a trail from her jaw to her collarbone. "I guess you're right. We should celebrate getting engaged first."