Secrets & Surrender 3 (10 page)

When he strummed the last note, we sat staring at each other in silence. It’d grown dark and the only light came from the full moon above and the flickering candles. Sounds of the bubbling water and crickets mixed with the beating of my heart. I wanted to take time and lock it away with me in my heart. I’d never loved him so much as I did in this moment.

“I love you, Nic.”

“Te amo, Mandi.” Placing the guitar aside, he reached out and took my face into his hands. “I’ll never get tired of telling you how much I love you. I promise that you’ll hear me tell you that every day. And be ready, because you’ll be hearing it for a long time.”

When I opened my mouth to tell him that I would do the same thing too, he placed a finger over my lips.

“Let me finish, mi amor. I want to grow old with you. I want to be the one who puts a smile on your face in the morning. I want to be your last thought when you close those pretty eyes of yours and drift off to sleep. And I definitely want to be the one by your side when we’re old and smelly and sitting out on the front porch and you’re waving your cane at everyone who passes by our house.” I laughed at the picture he painted of us. It was perfect.

His face then turned serious and he swallowed thickly. “I want it all with you because,” his voice dropped to a whisper, “Eres el amor de mi vida.”

“You are the love of my life too.” I kissed him long and hard. This was the man I wanted to spend the rest of my life with and words were not enough to express how much I loved him. So when we finally pulled back, I blurted, “Marry me!”

“I thought I already asked you to marry me.” He grinned, lips brushing against mine.

“You gave me a ring, but you didn’t ask.”

“Well how can I ask now if you already asked me?”

“Then let’s ask each other.”

“Okay, on three. One...two...will you marry me?”

“You cheated.” I pouted.

“Well, it’s not every day I get to ask the woman I love to be mine. Manuela Florentina Ruiz, will you be mine forever? Will you marry me?”

“Yes,” I whispered.

As he took me in him arms, I gave him my heart and soul, and I surrendered to him completely.

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