Page 82 of Tide and Seek

“Break up with you?”Max stared at me like I’d announced I was moving to Mars.“Why would you think that?”

“You were acting so strange.I was afraid maybe when James tried to kiss you at the party, it woke something up inside you.”

Max winced.“Oh, you heard about that, huh?”

“Yes, C.J.told me.”

He drew his dark brows together.“Nothing was awoken other than anger.James acted like a fool, and I made it clear I have no feelings for him other than friendship.”

“Thank God.”I slumped.“You didn’t want to talk about what happened at the party, and I got in my head again.”

“I’m sorry, Royce.”Max squeezed my fingers.“I didn’t want to talk about how he acted because I was so disappointed in James.”

“Okay.I… I guess I understand that.”

“You really thought I was going to break up with you?”His eyes were dark with emotion.“Royce, that’s the last thing I want.”

“You sure, Max?”I didn’t love how needy I sounded, but I couldn’t help it.

His expression was dead serious as he pulled me close, putting his mouth near my ear.“Royce Callum, you’re the only man I’ve ever loved, and you’re the only man I can see myself marrying.So please, say yes.”

“God, yes,” I choked out.“Of course I want to marry you, Max.”

“Okay, then.”He kissed me, his mouth warm and sweet.

I kissed him back eagerly, and he tasted of rain and relief and promise.I couldn’t believe this was really happening.Max had actually proposed to me.He wasn’t breaking up with me, he was asking me to be his husband.

When we broke apart, we were both smiling, despite the downpour soaking our clothes.

“Hold out your hand,” he said, his voice gruff with emotion.I did as instructed and he slid the ring onto my wet finger.

“It’s perfect,” I said softly, admiring the ring.It was beautiful, rose gold with a single diamond set to one side, elegant and understated and so perfectly Max.

“I bought two of the same, one for you and one for me.”He frowned.“Should I have let you buy my ring?Did I do it wrong?I don’t know the etiquette.Am I supposed to wear one now, or do I wait until after the wedding?”

The wedding.

My wedding.

To Max.

“You didn’t do anything wrong,” I said softly.“I love the idea of us wearing the same ring.We can do whatever we want.”

“I want us to wear the same rings.”

“Then I do too.”I smiled.

“How about we pop the champagne, but we do that inside?”He smiled wryly, raindrops clinging to his thick, dark lashes.“Unless you’d rather stay out here.Now that I’ve accepted my waterlogged fate, it’s rather refreshing.”

“Nah, let’s go inside.”I kissed him again.When the kiss ended, I said, “I think we need a hot shower so we don’t get pneumonia.”

“Okay.”He grabbed the bottle of champagne and we headed inside.

After grabbing two champagne flutes from the bar area, we went straight upstairs to the master bedroom.I popped the cork on the bubbly, while he got the shower going.We stripped out of our wet clothes, and then toasted each other stark naked, standing in the steamy bathroom.

It was the best glass of champagne I’d ever had, and that had nothing to do with the fact that it was expensive, and everything to do with the fact that Max was going to be my husband.

Chapter Fifteen