“I suppose,” he agreed reluctantly. “It’s not that I’m not grateful to be alive, but I didn’t want to see anybody I cared about hurt because of me.”
Ellie gently stroked his neck. “The only one hurt was you.”
“I’ll live,” he joked. “I’m nearly healed.”
“I hope you’re planning on giving yourself time to recover before you jump back into the lab.”
“My assistant director has taken over Sean’s position. I don’t plan on hurrying back. They can manage just fine without me for a while.”
“Do you want me to go back to Denver and see what I can do to help the new guy since Elena is gone?” Ellie didn’t want to leave Zane, but it was better than him hurrying back to work.
“Hell, no,” Zane objected fiercely. “In fact, I’ve been thinking about firing you.”
“What?” She lifted her head to look at him. “Why? I organized you; I keep you on track. I’ve done a damn good job.”
“Agreed.” He planted a gentle kiss on her forehead. “But your business is picking up, and I want you to pursue your own dreams, Ell. I’ll help you, and you help me stay organized from home so you can start to grow your company. The only thing stopping you is time. You’re too damn busy when you have to go to the office every day.”
“Zane, I still need a job. I have to support myself while I’m trying to build a business.”
“No, you don’t.” He got up and went to retrieve his jeans, fumbling through his pocket until he pulled out what he wanted.
Ellie watched him curiously, wondering what he was doing.
He turned, and came back to the couch and kneeled beside her. “This isn’t the way I planned this. I thought of all kinds of romantic ways to do it, but now feels like the right time even though we are both naked and sweaty.”
He grinned at her and her heart melted as he popped open a jewelry box holding an enormous diamond. When it finally dawned on Ellie exactly what he was doing, her heart skittered.
“Marry me, Ellie. Please. I’ll never be worth a damn without you, and I promise to always love you, and be the best man I can be for you.”
Zane couldn’t ever be a better man than he already was, and her tears started to flow as she looked at the glittery diamond ring nestled in velvet, another gorgeous Mia Hamilton creation. She tried to speak, but the words wouldn’t come.
“Don’t say no,” Zane said hastily when she didn’t answer. “If you need some time to decide, that’s okay. But don’t say no.”
She reached out and touched the beautiful ring carefully, tracing the center stone and the accent diamonds surrounding it. “It’s beautiful. I want to say yes.”
“Then fucking say it,” Zane grumbled, not guarding his words because he was obviously anxious.
Ellie squashed her old hang-ups about not being good enough for a man like Zane, or that he couldn’t possibly really love her.
He did love her.
And nobody would ever love him and cherish his love like Ellie would.
She realized the only one holding her back from making her dreams come true was herself.
“Yes,” she answered with a happy sob. “Yes. Yes. Yes.”
He pulled the ring from the box and slipped it onto her finger. “You hesitated,” he pointed out carefully.
“Old ghosts,” she confessed. “But I think I exorcised them.”
He nodded like he understood, which he probably did. She and Zane sensed each other’s emotions at times, in an almost unbelievable kind of way.
“There’s nothing I want more than to be your wife.” Ellie hauled him onto the couch and kissed him with all of the love and joy that she was feeling at the moment.
He cuddled her against him when they finally had to come up for air. “Let me help you build your business, Ellie. My lab is my dream. I want you to reach for your own, too.”
In many ways, Zane was her real dream. But she did desperately want her business, too. “Some businesses fail,” she reminded him.
“Ellie, you’ll have some of the greatest business minds in existence to mentor you along. Including me. I might be a science geek, but my lab makes a more than healthy profit. Then there’s Marcus, Gabe, and Chloe, and a whole lot of other friends who are amazingly successful in business to give you any advice you need.”
“I’m still going to try to organize you,” she warned him.
“That’s okay. It’s your strength, and I need that. Hopefully you’ll need some of my strengths, too.”
Ellie smiled at him through her tears. There was never any mention of the fact that it didn’t matter whether or not her business failed because he was filthy rich. He had faith in her, and didn’t make light of what she wanted for herself. “I need all of you,” Ellie whispered, her voice trembling with emotion.
“You have me,” he answered gruffly. “Now that you said yes and my ring is on your finger, you’re officially stuck with me.”
She nodded with a smile on her face. “I think I can handle that.”
He kissed her with so much tenderness and adoration that she sighed happily when he finally ended the magical meeting of lips that was an act of love.
Ellie cuddled into Zane, feeling a sense of security that was completely new to her, especially after what she’d endured. She was used to being alone, taking care of herself. Until Zane had rescued her, showed her how it felt to give and receive real love.
Her insecurities and her struggles were in the past. Zane was now her future.