Craving Cherry Pie

Chapter Twenty One - All is Fair in Love

Silence.

Surrounded by a crowd of people, I could see people talking and whispering to each other. Some were cheering and clapping, and some stood with their hands over their mouths or on their heads in anticipation, but I couldn't hear anything.

It was like all the sounds in the room had disappeared, and the only one I could hear was coming from the most handsome man in the world, who was currently down on one knee in front of me.

"cariño" his voice said, low and full of raw emotion.

Staring into his deep green eyes, my entire world changed with a single word.

"Yes" I whispered.

Tanner rose from his knelt position, taking my left hand and sliding the most beautiful ring onto my finger, it fitting perfectly. This ring was crafted for me. Holding my hand up, the diamond glistened in the light. Turning towards Tanner, he gathered me in his arms and kissed me.

The kiss was so tender, his hands coming to rest on either side of my waist as my hands found his chiseled jaw, pulling him closer to me.

The resounding shouts and whistles brought me back to the reality of where we were. Pulling away from each other, Tanner kissed my forehead before pulling back to look in my eyes.

"eres mi mundo cariño y te atesoraré por siempre [you are my world sweetheart and I will cherish you forever]" he said. I made my third mental note to purchase a Spanish translation book. I needed to know what he said when he whispered these things to me.

I felt a sudden presence beside me and I turned to see Orlando, who was seething with anger and distaste. I knew he was hurt. I felt the joy drain from my face in an instant.

"Luna please tell me you did not just agree to marry the man who broke your heart" he spoke in a harsh tone. I flinched slightly before stepping forward.

"I'm so sorry Orlando, I never meant to hurt you" I said, reaching out to touch his chest. His hand met mine as he looked into my eyes.

"If you think this will end things between us, you need to know that I will fight for you too Luna, I'm not going to give up on you" he said with such certainty in his voice, I knew he meant it.

Tanner stepped forward, gripping my hand and pulling me back to stand slightly behind him.

"Orlando, you do not want to make a scene. Please remember your manners, and kindly keep away from my fiancé" he finished, his voice cool and collected.

"Are you afraid she will change her mind? That she will realise who has been there for her and who has not?" He said, accusation in his tone. Tanner stepped forward, meeting Orlando's glare. I noticed that Tanner was taller than Orlando. Not by much, but he was taller.

"Besides," Orlando started, looking directly at me,
"You aren't the only one who understands her desires anymore Tanner".

Tanner sharply inhaled before taking a step forward. Quickly stepping between the two, I pushed against their chests to create distance.

"This is not the time or place for this... Orlando I apologise for the interruption to your party. It is after midnight so Tanner and I are going to head off. I will call you tomorrow and we can discuss everything... privately" I said, emphasis on the final word.

Turning, Tanner and I made our way up the stairs and into one of the taxis lined up against the driveway, giving the driver the hotel address. Finally having a moment to gather my thoughts, I was interrupted as Tanner reached over to turn my face towards him.

Pulling me closer to him, his lips met mine in an intense and heated kiss, leaving my head swimming.

"Luna, you are my fiancé now. I will not let anything or anyone come between us. You are mine and I am yours" he said, a fierce protective tone coming through.

"I need to speak to him Tanner, I need to try to explain—" my sentence trailing off as I thought about him. My heart hurt thinking about what he had to witness, just after confessing his love for me.

We travelled back to the hotel in mostly silence. I was deep in thought when we arrived. Stepping out of the taxi, we headed into the lobby and waited for the lift to open. It was well after midnight and it was quiet, the only sounds coming from the receptionist on the phone with someone from maintenance.

The elevator dinged open and we stepped inside. Once the doors were closed, Tanner was on me. Grasping my hands and holding them tightly against my sides, he leant in and and kissed me, hard.

His lips moving from my mouth to my neck, down my throat and across my chest, the ache between my legs growing stronger. Bringing his mouth back up to mine for a soft kiss he pulled away and smiled.

"I love you, I am so grateful you are my fiancé... I promise from this moment on I will never let you down" he said, such sincerity in his voice it caused tears to well up in my eyes. Pulling my hands out of his and gripping his face, I kissed him again, trying to show him how much I loved him too.

We stepped out into our hotel floor and made our way to the door. Surprising me, Tanner swooped down and lifted me into his arms bridal style, carrying me into the room and over to the bed, he turned and sat on the bed, holding me in his lap.

"Luna I know you're worried about hurting Orlando, but there's something you should know about him"he said, the tone of the conversation turning serious.

"I spoke to some people at the party, and they told me that an agreement between Orlando's family and Camila's. They officially got engaged six weeks ago" he said, not breaking eye contact with me. I stopped to take it in, replaying the words over again in my mind.

"How do you know that? That would have been around the time he was in New York.. the time we spent together.." I trailed my thoughts off, not wanting to say them out loud.

"I know" he said, empathy strong in his voice.

"It's just a contract marriage, they have no real feelings for each other. Camila is all about what financial position this will put her in, and it means new deals, more money and more power for his company here in Spain" he said.

My heart felt less heavy. I knew Orlando was hurt, but he was engaged to be married. I knew there was no future between us.