Page 201 of Protecting Peyton

She sighed, looking out the window. A few seconds later, she spoke. “Okay, that’s depressing. Time to move forward. What do you have planned this morning?”

“You’ll see.” I knew that this wasn’t truly over for her. The loss of her friends would weigh on her for some time.

When I parked in front of the narrow house, I mentally crossed my fingers that this went the way I hoped.

After opening the car door for Peyton, I pulled the key from my pocket.

“Rollerblading?” she guessed.

“Stop guessing. It isn’t going to get you anywhere.”

Her words triggered the memory of her saying she wanted to go rollerblading sometime. It was definitely going on my mystery date list for the future.

“Are you allowed to park here?”

“My friend said so.” Like a klutz, I was so nervous I dropped the key before I even got it into the lock. Man, I hadn’t been this nervous in forever, but I did have good reason.

“Who are we meeting?”

I pulled open the door and started up the stairs without answering.

At the top, I walked into the empty room. “What do you think?” Nobody was here, and now I realized how rundown it looked with the dingy carpet and no furniture.

Her mouth dropped open as she noticed the most important thing in the room, the windows, and the view. “Wow.” That was an understatement. This was beachfront property. Nothing lay between these houses and the wide beach with the ocean beyond.

“I love this view.” She walked to the window, mesmerized by the sand and the Pacific. “But why are we here?”

Showtime—I walked behind her and pulled out what I’d brought.

Peyton

The view of the beach,the people, and the water was entrancing.

When Zane didn’t answer, I turned around, then my hands went to my face as I gasped.

He was on one knee with a box in his outstretched hand. “Peyton Clarke. I’d like you to change your name one more time and become Peyton March.” The open jewelry box he held contained a beautiful princess-cut diamond.

Tears flooded my eyes. “Really?” I’d been so focused on reaching the step where we could sleep in the same bed like a normal couple that he’d taken me completely by surprise.

Tears twinkled in his eyes as well. “Angel, this is the kind of question you say either yes or no to.”

“Are you sure?”

“Tell me one time I said something I didn’t mean?”

“It’s just…” I’d lost Zane once before over his fear of his nightmares hurting me. It had been the worst feeling of my life—the feeling that it was truly over between us. Even being taken by Lucifer hadn’t turned my mood as dark because I knew things would get better when Zane came to rescue me.

“Peyton?” he prodded.

What if the nightmares hadn’t completely stopped yet?

He stood, closed the box, and put it back in his pocket.

My legs went weak as I felt my world collapse. “Zane,” I croaked.

He moved forward and took my hands in his. “Look at me.”

I locked my eyes with his, feeling more insecure than I ever had.