Taking His Hand (Under His Roof #2) (18 page)

He’d tell me about that, I’m sure. The more I think about it, the more I start to second guess myself. What is he off doing?

I text him,
Where are ya?

He answers immediately.
I left you a note.

It feels heavy. Too serious for a beach weekend. I assume he means in the bedroom, and I push open the door. There’s a single red rose laying on the middle of the bed. Beside it, a small, handwritten note on pale lilac stationary:

Rachel-

Come meet me for dinner at seven. Just walk down the beach for about a half mile. The restaurant is the Ocean Grill.

I love you.

David

It’s just after five, now, so I still wonder where the hell David went. At least he’s made reservations for dinner. I check online to see what type of restaurant it is so I can figure out what to wear. It’s a nice place, and the ambiance is casual enough for a summer dress and sandals.

Samantha hands me a margarita when I return to the kitchen. I tell her about the date.

“
Oooh, great. Patrick and I picked out a restaurant, too. That’ll give Mitchell and Erin the place to themselves.”

The margarita is sweet and cold, hitting the spot. We sit outside, everyone but David, and I try not to wonder where he’s gone. I don’t want to be the obsessive girlfriend who needs to know his every move, but aren’t we supposed to be on vacation together?

If he needed to meet with a client, couldn’t he at least have told me?

Is the nice restaurant his way of apologizing for deserting me?

Sam nudges me. “You gonna get ready?”

It’s six thirty. I sigh and get up to prepare. It doesn’t take me long, and soon I’m walking, sandals in my hand and my feet on the wet sand. The night air is calm and cool. There’s a gentle breeze, and the sound of the ocean helps me forget about my anxiety over David.

It’ll be nice to have a quiet dinner with him.

A family approaches on my right. They’re laughing together, like someone’s just said something really funny. The mother sees me and smiles in greeting.

As we pass one another, she produces a red rose I hadn’t noticed and hands it to me.

I stop and look at her, confused, but she just keeps going.

“
That was weird,” I say to myself, continuing forward.

I hear footsteps, and see a teenage boy running toward me. He, too, has a red rose. He thrusts it at me, and I take it from his hands.

“
Thank you?” I say, truly confused.

He smiles and runs away.

And it happens again.

A older gentleman, walking hand in hand with his wife, hands me a rose.

A little girl, who couldn’t be over seven years old, walking her toy poodle, hands me a rose.

Over and over. I know David’s done this, he’s organized this. My heart is beating hard. I stop seeing the individuals handing me the roses. I know I must be smiling. This is more than a romantic gesture, it has to be. But could he really be doing this,
this,
so soon?

I see him, up ahead, in front of the restaurant. He stands by a table. In the middle of the table, there’s a large vase that holds just one, long stemmed red rose. He’s grinning at me as I approach.

“
David, what—” I begin, but he shakes his head to stop my speech.

He takes the rose from the vase and holds it out to me. I accept it, adding it to my armful of red roses. Then, he’s down on his knee, looking up at me. And the box in his hands, opened to show the ring.

It’s beautiful, he’s beautiful. The roses are beautiful.

I hold my breath, waiting for the words.

When they come, they’re like music.

“
Rachel, will you marry me?”

~12~

David

It is eternity, that long moment. I’m holding the ring. I’m holding my breath. I’m sure she’s not aware of it, but Rachel is holding my heart in her hands. Her next word will either complete me or destroy me.

Please say yes. Please, please say yes
.

Tears run down her cheek as she gazes down at me. My mind is in a whirl of panic, trying to decide what, exactly, the look on her face, her small smile, means. It is a sympathy smile, like, ‘Oh, David, you silly man, how could you possibly think I’d say yes?’ Or is it a smile of love?

“
Rachel, say something,” I whisper, not able to take it any longer.

She shakes her head and says, “Yes,” simultaneously, the words a little choked, and I realize that she was struggling to speak.

I slide the ring on her finger and say, “Whew!” and she’s laughing, and crying and squeezing my neck like it’s her lifeline, her life, the roses scattering in a circle around us.

“
Yes, David,” she says, her voice now the clear, crisp song of an angel. My angel. “Of course, yes! I’ll marry you.”

<<<<>>>>

A note from the author, Sadey Quinn

Hello, Reader!

Thanks so much for reading
Taking His Hand
. I really hoped you enjoyed this novella. I'm writing a sequel that should be out Spring 2013.

If you liked or hated this book, let me know! I'm always open to feedback, and love to get reviews on Amazon and Goodreads. Interacting with readers is one of my favorite things about being an author.

I post news about books, personal anecdotes, and other random stuff on my blog. Check it out if you're interested:

www.sadeyquinn.com

xoxo!
Sadey

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Under His Roof (Under His Roof #1)