Behind Closed Doors (35 page)

Two weeks passed and nothing. He didn’t mention their date again. Then, on a sunny Friday morning, he surprised her saying they were taking a road trip. He refused to tell her where they were going, just asking her to trust him.

They stopped along the way a few times for food and to stretch their legs, but he still wouldn’t tell her where they were going.

Six hours later, they were driving into Nashville. She didn’t think anything of it, until he pulled off the highway and began winding down side streets. “Nashville?”

“Yes.”

“Not that I’m complaining, but why?”

Chris turned into a drive that was blocked by a large gate. He entered a code into a small keypad, and the gate rolled back allowing them entrance.

The paved driveway wound around manicured lawns leading up to a house that looked like something a celebrity would live in. Was this a private hotel?

He parked the car in front of one of the four garage doors before helping her out. “What is this place?” she asked, looking up at the three-story stone mansion.

“This is Gage’s house.”

“Your brother?” she asked, stunned. “He lives
here
?”

“Yep.” He laughed as he grabbed their bags. “Come on. His game’s out of town this weekend, and he’s letting us borrow his house while he’s gone.”

She followed him inside, oohing and aahing the entire way. The kitchen was bigger than their whole apartment.

“Feel free to look around,” he said. “I’m going to take our bags to our room.”

“Okay,” she said absently. Her attention was on the mountains she could see through the floor to ceiling windows lining the back of the dining room.

She was so caught up in the view, she didn’t hear him come up behind her. “Beautiful isn’t it?”

“Amazing.”

“I arranged for dinner to be delivered in about an hour if you’d like to freshen up. Gage had the lower-level suite made up for us, so it’s just down the hall.

As she riffled through her bag, she found that Chris had packed her bathing suit and wondered if that meant there was a pool.
Of course there’s a pool. It’s a mansion!
She had no idea what else he had planned for the evening, so she took a leisurely shower and changed her clothes. Almost an hour later, she emerged from their room feeling refreshed and ready for whatever he had planned.

As she walked back into the kitchen, a bell rang signaling they had a visitor. “That would be the food. I’ll be right back,” he said, giving her a kiss on the cheek. “You look beautiful, by the way.”

She’d found a black skirt and fitted shirt in her bag. It looked to be the dressiest thing he’d brought with them, so she’d opted for that.

A few minutes later, Chris appeared carrying several bags of food and a white envelope. He set it all on the large island and set the letter aside. “What’s that?”

“No idea,” he said, taking containers out of the bags. “The delivery man said he found it tucked into the gate. It’s probably a fan letter or something. Gage is a pretty big deal around here.”

She helped him remove the food from the boxes and carry it to the table, or at least she tried to. After the first few tries, he told her he’d get it and to go sit down. This was a date after all.

Along with the food, he also brought a bottle of wine and two glasses.

“You drink wine?” she asked. Beer she’d seen him drink at the BBQ, but she’d never thought of him as a wine person.

“Sometimes,” he smiled. “Do you not like wine?”

“No. I do. It’s just . . . you strike me as more of a beer and brats man.”

Chris laughed. “Well, you have a lot yet to learn about me, Ms. Marshall.”

“I guess I do. And I do so love a challenge.” She winked. This made him laugh harder and soon she was joining him.

He poured him each a glass of wine. “To us,” he said, lifting his glass.

“To us.”

They enjoyed their meal, laughing and talking. She didn’t think she’d ever seen him this happy. All the worry was gone from his features.

Chris took every opportunity to touch her throughout the evening. His fingers would graze the back of her hand or her wrist—his foot would rest against her ankle—just as long as he was touching her somewhere, he seemed to be happy.

When it was time for dessert, he surprised her by standing up and leading her downstairs. “No dessert?”

He smiled at her. “Oh, there’s dessert.”

The look in his eyes sent the butterflies in her stomach fluttering, her body hoping that the kind of dessert he had in mind involved a bed and absolutely no clothing.

“Come on,” he said, pulling her across the room over to a large bar. He led her over to a barstool and helped her up.

“What are we doing down here?”

“You’ll see.” She huffed playfully while he stepped behind the bar.

He disappeared under the counter for a moment before emerging with a pint of double chocolate fudge ice cream and two martini glasses.

Her face lit up. “Ice cream?”

“Yes.” He laughed. “I’ve been told this is your favorite.”

“Jan shouldn’t be telling my secrets.”

He laughed as he scooped ice cream into the tall glasses. “It’s not wise to keep secrets from me, Ms. Marshall. I always find out,” he teased.

After they’d both eaten their ice cream, Chris cleaned up and led them out to a small walkout patio. The night was clear and warm. With the mountains, it almost looked magical. Chris guided her to a small stonewall near the edge. They watched the last rays of sunlight dipping below the mountains.

She sighed, content. “You’ve thought of everything, haven’t you?”

“Hopefully,” he said, suddenly serious.

She looked over at him, concerned. “Chris, is something—”

Her voice cut off as Chris knelt on the ground in front of her. Taking her hands in his, he lifted them to his mouth for a kiss. “I know you’ve already said yes, but you deserve a proper proposal.” Releasing one hand, he reached into his pocket and pulled out a small black box. “Elizabeth Marshall. I love you more than I ever thought possible. I love falling asleep with you every night and waking up to you every morning. I want you with me for the rest of my life. Will you marry me?”

She could feel the tears streaking down her cheeks as he spoke. By the time he finished with his speech, she was so choked up she could barely speak. “Y-yes.”

He stood up and pulled her into his arms. “I love you,” he whispered, wiping her tears away.

“I love you, too.”

She kissed him in a way that wasn’t entirely suitable for public viewing. Thank goodness there wasn’t anyone around to see. When they finally broke apart, he slid the diamond ring on her finger.

They were lying in bed that night when he asked, “Do you really like the ring?”

“It’s perfect.”

He breathed a sigh of relief. She couldn’t believe he was still worrying about this. Chris had given her so much. He made her feel beautiful and special; things she’d not truly believed about herself for a long time.

She kissed him again, silencing his fears. Chris was one of a kind, and she couldn’t wait to spend the rest of her life with him.