Puck Princess (Houston Scythes Hockey #2)

37. Callie

37

CALLIE

I slam to a stop in the doorway and blink. Once. And again.

I’m not sure if I’m waiting for the image in front of me to dissolve like a mirage. Maybe I should give myself a good, hard pinch.

Then again, I might not want to wake up.

The apartment is dim, the only light coming from the flickering of tealight candles that are scattered across every conceivable surface. They illuminate enough for me to see the roses.

Scattered rose petals. Random long stemmed roses. Rose bouquets… everywhere .

As dreamlike as that all is, it’s not what has me frozen in the doorway. It’s not what has me wanting to take a mental snapshot of this moment that I can live in forever. One I can come back to anytime life gets dark, a reminder that impossibly good things can still happen.

Owen is standing in front of me. In a suit. With a ring box in his hand.

And he’s on one knee.

“Hey, Cal.”

His deep, happy voice tugs me another step closer.

“What is—” I drop my hand from my mouth. “Hi. Hello. What is… happening?”

As if I don’t know. I was never great at math, but this equation isn’t hard to work out. I’ve seen movies. I’ve read books. And I’ll never ever admit it, even under penalty of death, but I’ve spent time imagining what it would look like if, somehow, in some way, I ever got lucky enough to have Owen Sharpe propose to me.

And this is it.

Yet, I’m still having a hard time believing it. Because…

Wow.

Just wow.

Owen clears his throat, and I think he might be nervous. “Callie, I love you.”

Welp, any chance I had of keeping my emotions in check goes right out the window. No chance, no way. Tears roll down my cheeks, and I blink them away fast so I can see him. I don’t want to miss a second.

“Owen, I?—”

“I should’ve said it before this moment. I might be doing this out of order, but it feels right to me. You feel right to me. I’ve been stubborn and bullheaded about it, but I’ve known for a while now that I love you. Since the first time you were in my bed, and I realized I didn’t want you to leave.”

The night we met. The night that was the beginning of the rest of my life. Our lives.

My chest hitches with a sob. “Owen, I?—”

He keeps going, the words racing out of him like he can’t say them fast enough. “You’ve changed me, Callie. I didn’t think I wanted love—I didn’t think I was capable of it. But you make it so damn easy. Loving you comes as easily as breathing, as easily as laughing at your sarcastic jokes or making you moan my name.”

“Owen!” I swat at his chest, and he catches my hand with fire dancing in his eyes. Leave it to him to compliment himself in my proposal.

I can’t even be mad. I love him for it.

“You made me realize that I want love, but I don’t want it with anyone else. It’s you or nothing, Cal. I want all of you for the rest of my life. Come rain or shine or drama or chaos or whatever. Because I love you.”

He said it again and my heart is overflowing. I can’t stand here another second.

I rush over to him, bending down to kiss him. We get lost in each other for a moment and it almost seems like we are going to make love right then and there when he pulls back, breaking the magnetism between our lips.

“I wasn’t finished,” he chuckles.

“If you keep going, you might kill me,” I gasp. “It’s so— You’re so— I love you! Of course, I love you, too. You know that, right?”

“I was banking on it. Actually, I still had more to say—” He smirks, holding up the ring box.

“Oh my God. Right, sorry. Go on.”

He kisses my cheek, his lips whispering against my ear. “You have to stand back up.”

“Right! Sorry!” I stand, wiping my eyes as Owen clears his throat.

And even though I see it coming, even though he is on one knee, and I know what’s coming next, nothing can actually prepare me for it.

“Callie Coleman, will you marry me?” He pops the box open, but beyond noting the general size and glitz of what must be the largest ring I’ve ever seen, I barely even see it.

I’m too busy looking at him. At the man I love. The man I’m going to marry.

I levitate out of my body with sheer joy as I nod, tears rolling down my cheeks. “Yes. I’d love to marry you.”

He stands and takes my hand, sliding the ring onto my finger. I hold it out and have to blink twice. Partially because my eyes are full of tears and partially because I just can’t believe it’s real.

“Do you like it?” he asks.

“I love it.” I stretch onto my toes and wrap my arms around him. “And I love you.”

It’s so easy to say. So simple. As he pulls me against his chest and kisses me, I’m not sure why we haven’t been saying it all along.

Suddenly, there’s a crash. We turn to see Lance and Kennedy on the balcony.

“What the hell?” Owen lets out an irritated sigh and marches through the rose petals to rip the balcony door open. “You were supposed to go to her balcony!”

Lance holds his hands up in surrender. “I did! But she shoved me back and told me to help her over here. Ruining the moment, as usual.” Lance glares at Kennedy, but she is a tearful mess of laughing and crying as she rushes in to hug me.

“I am so happy for both of you. I can’t believe we pulled this off!”

“Almost pulled it off.” Lance shakes his head. But Owen can’t fight the joy spreading across his face. He hugs his best friend and the moment isn’t ruined at all. It’s better with them here.

“A baby shower and a wedding?” Kennedy blubbers blissfully. “Listen, if I have to have a painfully boring life and live only vicariously through someone else, I am so glad it’s you! I can’t wait to plan all of it.”

“Which we can do after we give the newly engaged couple some privacy.” Lance grabs her by the shoulders, steering her to the front door. Kennedy is so busy being happy for us that she doesn’t even seem to care that Lance is touching her.

“You guys have fun,” she says as he pushes her through the door. “And congratulations!”

“Goodbye!” I wave.

“And text me!” She adds just before the door slams closed, and we hear their usual bickering commence.

Owen rolls his eyes at the two of him before he turns his attention back to me. “Where were we?”

“I think I was about to make love to my fiancé on a bed of rose petals.”

He cradles my face, tipping my mouth to his. “I think you’re exactly right.”

Owen and I kiss as he lowers us to the floor. Nothing is hurried. Every touch, every kiss is intentional. Nothing outside of us and this moment exists.

He kisses my neck and my shoulders. I was so annoyed Kennedy wouldn’t let me put on my oversized sweatshirt in the car, but I’m beyond grateful as Owen moves the straps of my red dress down to expose more of me. His mouth is hot against my skin, setting my nerves on fire.

I arch my back off the floor so he can unzip me. Once I am naked, he kisses down my chest, paying close mind to pampering each nipple with soft kisses.

He makes his way down my body, whispering “I love you” into my skin. Then he kisses the bump in my belly, cupping it in both hands. “And I love you.”

I stroke my fingers through his hair as he makes his way from hip to hip before spreading my thighs. Then he stops. Leisurely he sits back and takes me in.

I’m not sure what I look like right now, naked on a bed of rose petals, my hair a tangled mess around my head. But the way Owen looks up at me, candlelight flickering all around us, I feel incredible.

“You are the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen.” His words are strangled.

I smile through happy tears. “I want to see you.”

Owen stands, slipping out of his dress shoes. He undoes his tie and lets it fall to the floor before slowly unbuttoning his shirt. As he slips it off, the flames dance on his bare torso. I swallow hard, taking in every curve, every muscle, every inch of this incredible man above me.

As he unzips his slacks and lets them fall to the ground, he’s already hard inside his boxer briefs. My thighs tense in anticipation.

Owen tosses the rest of his clothes aside and lowers to his hands and knees, hovering over me. He presses a soft kiss between my thighs. It’s just a flutter of his lips, but it’s enough to send a pulse of need through me. He crawls over me, and I can’t wait. I curl my hands around his neck and bring his lips to mine. He parts my lips with his tongue, and I groan as he notches himself between my thighs and pushes in.

We both moan, our hips moving fluidly.

His head drops to my shoulder as we slide together, and I stroke my fingers along the soft hair at the back of his neck.

This is mine.

This soft mountain of a man who shreds me to pieces with the gentlest touch—he’s mine.

We make love slowly, losing all sense of time and place. It’s just the two of us, connected and falling together. When the edge nears, I strain against him, begging for more. And Owen gives me everything. He pushes deeper and presses his lips to my forehead. “I love you.”

I gasp, my body bending to meet his. “I love you too.”

And we come undone.