After Hours

Chapter 17

Laying beside the man I love, I stare at the ring on my finger. Even in the darkness, it glistens from the dim moonlight coming through the windows. I slowly detangle my body from the blankets before climbing off the bed, careful not to wake him. After slipping into my robe, I walk outside onto the balcony. So much has changed in such a short time and I'm feeling a bit overwhelmed although I know this is what I want.

When I hear the door open behind me I don't bother looking back because I know exactly who it is. He wraps his arms around me before kissing my cheek. "Are you okay?" he whispers.

"Yes," I whisper, turning my head to look at him.

I press a soft kiss to his lips but he pulls away. "Come back to bed. I can't sleep without you."

Nodding, I take his hand and follow him back into the bedroom. I untie my robe, letting it drop to the floor before crawling back into bed with him. He pulls me to his side and kisses my forehead. "I love you," I whisper.

"I love you too."

Closing my eyes, I try to fall asleep but can't. Once Jackson's breathing calms and I know he's asleep, I roll over and lay my head on my pillow. Taking a deep breath, I try my best to fall asleep.

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When I wake up the next morning, I still feel completely exhausted from last night's events. Opening my eyes, I see the ring on my finger and smile before closing my eyes again. Taking a deep breath, I sit up and look around. Rose petals trail from the bed into the bathroom. Jackson is not in the room so I assume he's at work. Pushing the blankets aside, I saunter into the bathroom where the steaming tub is filled with bubbles. Candles surround the tub and I notice they haven't been lit for long. Stepping into the tub, I sink into the warm water. As I admire my ring, I hear the bedroom door open. "Jackson?"

He appears in the doorway wearing a stunning black suit, a smile on his face. "Hey, babe. I thought you might be thirsty," he says, holding up a champagne flute. "A Mimosa for my beautiful fiancé."

Smiling, I thankfully accept the drink. He leans down, softly pressing his lips to mine. The kiss quickly escalates and I pull away slightly. "Join me."

"I can't," he says. "I need to go to work for a while. Maybe we can go out for lunch."

"I have to be to work by ten and I'm having lunch with a client today," I say. "But I'll make us dinner."

"Invite your parent's and I'll invite mine. We'll announce our engagement," he says.

I raise my eyebrows. "Wow."

He frowns at my reaction. "What is it?"

"Nothing," I respond.

He sighs. "Look, I know it was fast and wasn't necessarily an ideal engagement but I know you're the one for me. You can still back out."

I shake my head. "It isn't that. It's just a little overwhelming. We didn't even discuss your behavior yesterday."

He takes a deep breath. "I was being an asshole. Seeing you with my brother pissed me off because I know how he is. If he knew you were my girlfriend he would have taken advantage of you just to piss me off. I don't want you to feel like I'm trying to con you into marriage but once the world knows you're mine, I will be more at ease with things like this. That's the biggest commitment we can make and with that, I will trust you completely and I won't have to worry about you so much because you can run off in our plan and have access to our money."

Whoa. What's his will be mine and the thought is odd. I will no longer have money troubles but I've also never had access to that much money for whatever I wanted. Clearing my head, I nod. "I'll call my parents on the way to work."

"Good," he smiles. "Have a good day. I'll talk to you later."

"Thanks, you too," I reply, leaning my head back for a kiss.

After kissing me goodbye, he leaves the room and I sip on my drink. When I get out, I dry up before putting on a black pencil skirt and a white button up blouse. Slipping my feet into a pair of heels, I grab my things befkre making my downstairs to the kitchen with the empty champagne flute. Marilyn is standing at the island preparing some food. "Good morning," I say, setting the glance in the sink.

She turns to me with a smile. "Good morning. I made you something for breakfast. Would you like me to wrap it to go?"

"Yes, please. Thank you."

"You're welcome," she replies politely.

I sit on one of the barstools and think about where I should make reservations for dinner. "Do you have any suggestions on restaurants for dinner?" I ask. "Jackson and I are taking our parents out for dinner tonight."

"I could always make dinner," she suggests.

I sigh. "I can't run away if I'm in my own house."

She chuckles. "There's a restaurant just outside of the city called Armani's. It's a lakefront restaurant with indoor, patio, and bar seating. There's a pianist there everynight, the service is great and the food is even better."

I nod. "That sounds perfect. Thank you."

I search for the restaurant online and save the number as she finishes putting my breakfast. Thanking her, I make my way outside where I climb into my car before calling my parents. They agree so I text Jackson, letting know that I'll make reservations. Even if his parents can't come it'll be nice to spend some time with mine. I know they like Jackson already but they should get to know their future son-in-law better.

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