Chapter 51

I have one more hour before our date. Liam said he would be waiting by the lake, and Collette will come to fetch me to bring me to him.

I chose to wear my skinny jeans, a black singlet, and my cardigan. I don't have to wear too much makeup since we will only have dinner by the lake. Liam has been very busy all afternoon preparing because he only texted me once since he left.

I let my hair down and curled the tip a little bit to add body to my hair. I was putting my cardigan on and whisked some perfume when Collette knocked on my door.

" Ready, Bels? You're Prince is waiting." She asked and grinned wickedly. I grinned back and nodded excitedly. We went out of my room and saw mom and Sophie in the living room watching TV.

" Mom, I'm going now. Please help Sophie to bed by 8 pm." I told my mom.

" I'll take care of Sophie, hon. Go ahead and enjoy your date. I know you've been waiting for this night since you were in grade school." She teased, and Collette laughed. I blushed so hard and hit Collette in the shoulder.

" Baby, mommy will be out late tonight, okay? Nan will tuck you to bed and keep you company for a while." I kissed my daughter's head and looked into her eyes.

" I know, mommy. Daddy told me this afternoon. He will have a surprise for you." She said animatedly. Her eyes are tinkling with excitement, and I smiled at her action. I pinched her nose and kissed her before moving to the door.

Collette brought her car, which confused me because the lake is only at the back of their house. She said it was Liam's instruction. He doesn't want me to tire myself from walking. My boyfriend is the sweetest and the most thoughtful guy.

When we parked outside their house, Collette looked at me and hugged me tightly. She then went out of the car, and I followed. We went inside their house, and she told me to head down the lake alone.

Mr. and Mrs. Jones are in the living room waiting. They smiled when they saw me, and Aunt Carmen came rushing in to hug me and whispered in my ear.

" Welcome back, sweetheart. I am so happy for you and Liam." She kissed my cheek and smiled. Uncle Demitri hugged me too and said the same thing.

Todd was in the corner drinking his wine. He smiled when I looked at him and raised his glass to me. I smiled at him then went to the back patio heading to the lake.

I suddenly felt nervous and excited at the same time. I can see Liam standing by the end of the trail. The path was lined with candles, and rose petals are scattered on my path. I can see a candlelit table set by the big tree and a blanket spread beside it.

Liam stretched his hand when I drew nearer. He is looking in my eyes with so much emotion, and a soft smile lingers on his lips. We are staring at each other's eyes until I reached him and accepted his hand.

He pulled me close and wrapped his arms around my waist. I automatically wrapped my arms around his neck and looked up at him with a glowing smile.

" Hey, beautiful. I've been waiting for a long time for this." After saying that, he swooped in and captured my lips in a hot demanding kiss. I kissed him back because I was waiting for this moment too. I missed him today, his smell, his touch, his voice.

After a few minutes of torrid kissing, we broke free and stared at each other, panting. His forehead is against mine, and we smiled with eyes half-closed.

" I miss you today, baby, so bad. I was counting the minutes before I could see you, hold you and kiss you like this." He whispered huskily.

" I miss you too, babe. I was so excited the whole day for this. You turned this place magical, Liam. This is so enchanting. Thank you for doing this," I told him emotionally. He held my face and kissed me tenderly.

" Anything for you, my love. I want to erase the last memories you have here and replace them with happy ones." He said seriously, staring into my eyes.

He pulled me to the table and seated me before he went to his side and sat down in front of me. He prepared steak, grilled vegetables, and mashed potatoes. He also prepared red wine, and soft music is playing on a portable player hanged by the tree.

The whole tree was decorated with small twinkling lights and confetti. He really went all out for this date, and it made me fall in love with him even more. We ate our dinner and chitchatting about our day.

After our dinner, Liam pulled me to my feet and asked for a dance. He said he wanted to ask me to the Prom before but was too chicken to ask. If only he knew he's the reason I didn't go to the prom my senior year. I only wanted to be with him and only him.

" Why didn't you ask me then? I would have said yes in a heartbeat." I told him honestly.

" I didn't know before, baby. If I'd only known you are feeling the same way, I would have done this a long time ago. I was so scared you only see me as an older brother, and at that time, Jenny and I are a thing. I thought you didn't want to be with me." He whispered regretfully and kissed my forehead.

" Oh, Liam, if you only knew. Together with you is my favorite place to be. Every moment with you is a moment I love. You should have known, babe. I was always in your house, even when you were in college. I made sure I am around when you come home." I stared into his eyes and poured my heart out.

" Yes, I noticed, and I was always excited to come home because I know you will be in our house. I was so miserable when I was away. I wanted to call you, but I was scared. I wanted to hear your voice, but I thought you would think it strange for me to call." He said, laughing a little.

" We were foolish back then, huh? We could have saved each other the heartbreak if we were just honest with ourselves." I told him, and he nodded. We stopped dancing, and he guided me to the blanket to sit.

He leans his back on the tree, and I am in between his legs wrapped in his arms. We stared at the calm water basking in the warmth we feel hugging each other.

" I love you, Bella, so much. God, whenever I think about the accident and how I almost lost you, it makes me crazy." He tightened his hold on me and kissed my shoulder. I hugged his arms around me and looked back at him.

" I love you more, Liam. I have always loved you and always will." I smiled at him and kissed his lips. He deepened the kiss and turned me around to straddle him. He took off my cardigan and started kissing my neck and my shoulders.

" I want you so bad, baby." He whispered while still kissing me hungrily.

" I want you too, Liam," I admitted. He pulled me closer, if that's even possible, and devoured my lips.

" Okay, we should stop first. I want to feed you your cupcake." He said, smiling, and reached for the cupcake placed on the plate. He placed it near my mouth for me to take a bite. I did what he asked and took a bite.

I was chewing slowly when I suddenly bit on something hard. I touched it with my tongue and took it out from my mouth with the tissue Liam handed me. My eyes went wide when I saw what it was.

It's a diamond ring! My mouth hangs open, and my eyes went wide, looking back and forth from the ring to Liam's solemn face.

" Liam," I whispered, choking. My eyes watered at what I saw and held in my hand.

" Bella, if there's one thing I learned from the accident you had, it is that life is too short. I don't want to live it with more regrets and more what-ifs. I want you and our daughter to be in my life forever, and I never want to part from you, ever again." He said in a serious and emotional tone. I am sniffing at the moment because my tears won't stop flowing.

He took the ring from my hand, wiped it with the tissue, and held it in front of me. His eyes never left mine, and he's also tearing up.

" Baby, I have always loved you and wanted to be with you. When you left, I was so lost and broken., but when I saw you at the airport, it felt like I could breathe again. You are the love of my life, Bella." He paused and took a deep breath.

" My one true love. You and our daughter Sophie is my life now. Will you please do me the honor of becoming my wife?" He asked with pleading eyes, and I sobbed while nodding my head vigorously. He sighed in relief and smiled while placing the ring on my finger. He then kissed my hand, and we embraced, both so emotional.

" God, I love you so much, baby. You are mine now, and I'm never letting you out of my sight again." He whispered through my hair. He held my face and wiped my tears. We then kissed and showed each other how much we longed for this moment.

But little did we know, two pairs of blazing eyes are watching us from afar. He is fisting his hand and is seething in disgust and anger.