Owen finished carrying all the bags into the house and glanced at the clock. Leena would be home in twenty minutes. He looked around her kitchen trying to find something that looked like a vase.
Where would she keep that?
He turned a few more times and then gave up and set the flowers on the table.
It took him most of the day to run around and get everything from the trip list. He still wasn’t sure if he’d gotten it all.
Where did he put the list?
Of course, if he hadn’t driven into the city to pick up what he’d spent half of yesterday looking for, he would have had a much shorter outing.
How soon was everyone supposed to be here?
He’d managed to talk Leena into dropping Kasey off after work and her bringing her stuff by when everyone else did. He moved bags and packages while cursing.
Where was his phone? He patted his back pockets and found it.
Ha! He’d never felt this nervous before. Flipping the phone open, he checked messages to get the time. Sighing, he looked around.
Where had he put dinner? The Jeep. It was still in the Jeep. He only had roughly forty-five minutes after she got home before everyone else got here. Tough deadline that would be.
He practically ran back out to the Jeep to grab dinner then saw the small box on the seat. Well, good thing I forgot the dinner. He laughed. As he walked back in the house, he glanced toward the backyard. Perfect, he thought, and ran up the steps to try to get everything ready before she got home.
“Owen?” Leena called at the bottom of the stairs. “Are you busy?” She turned to see him coming from the kitchen. “Oh, I wondered where you were.” She stopped and looked at the bags all over her dining room. “Did you buy ten of everything?” She smirked.
He shrugged, “Kase didn’t put quantity on most of the things, so I thought with a man’s stomach and bought double.” He walked over and kissed her softly. “I also bought dinner, so you didn’t have to try to rush before everyone got here.”
She hugged him. “Oh, you are such a sweet man.” She started to walk into the kitchen, she was starving. Owen lightly caught her hand and pulled her toward the back door.
“We’re having a picnic?” she asked when she saw the blanket on the ground and a few of her cushions.
“Yes,” he grinned, “I have something for you, but I thought I’d feed the hard-working supervisor first.” She cuddled against him as they walked across the lawn.
“Something like a present?”
“Something like that.” Owen purposely left his cell phone and hers inside the house. He had little time, and if there were interruptions, he’d never get this done.
Owen seated her on the blanket and reached into a small box he’d almost thrown out onto the lawn. Pulling out the bouquet of lilies he handed them to her and then sat down.
“Oh, they’re so lovely.” She leaned over the bouquet and kissed him tenderly. “Are the flowers the something?”
He shook his head and reached over to pull out a flower; he twisted the stem and broke off the blossom, then tucked it behind her ear. “No.” He reached into the box and produced a covered plate. “I went to that little café you told me about and got our dinner there.”
Leena reached for the plate. “I love their food. It’s like a windfall of delicious finger foods.” She looked down to see he’d gotten a very wide assortment and pulled off the cover to taste one. “Mmm. Perfect.” When she looked up he handed her a glass of wine. “Wine, too. Mr. Grey, are you trying to seduce me?” She grinned.
Owen laughed. “Would have to be a fast seduction, because the gang will be arriving in about a half-hour.” He leaned back on one of the pillows and accepted the food she held in front of his mouth. “I see why you love that café.” He grinned, “We’ll have to get Cora to go there and sample it so she can make this stuff.”
Leena shrugged. “She probably can already, although it would be a challenge to her and we’d be in free food for weeks until she got it out of her system.”
“Really? I’ll have to remember that for future reference.”
She lowered her eyes. “I don’t expect you to make dinner every night, Owen. If you don’t want to, it’s not a problem. I’ve been coming home and making my dinner myself for years.”
He lifted her chin. “I don’t have a problem with it, Leena. I actually love this. I get a lot of work done while you’re at work, more than I did in the past sitting up all hours puttering away.” Owen sat up and leaned a little closer. “I love waking up with you and sending you off to work.” He picked up her hand and kissed her palm. “I love making dinner and waiting for you to come home.” He kissed her wrist. “I can’t see a day now without you in it, Aileena. I know we haven’t been together very long, and things were kind of shaky while I had that small crisis, but you make my life feel fuller.” He reached behind her head and gently brought her mouth to his. “You belong in my world,” he whispered against her lips.
Leena leaned into his kiss and devoured his lips. When he pulled away to look at her, she smiled. “I can’t even begin to tell you how you make my life complete, Owen. I’ve never been this happy before, ever.” She kissed him again and slid a little closer to him. “I think you need to steal one of those kisses again.”
He didn’t wait a second before he pulled her into his lap and kissed her tenderly. She relaxed in his arms, and her mouth opened so he could taste her. He felt a heat flash through him and deepened the kiss roughly. If he didn’t stop, she’d be half-undressed when everyone else arrived, so he gentled the kiss before he pulled back a few inches. “Stop distracting the hell out of me. I wanted to talk to you about something.” He saw the immediate worry in her eyes. “No, not anything as stupid as the last time I needed to talk to you... this is a good something.” He held her face gently between his hands and kissed her again softly.
She smiled and tried not to look as relieved as she felt.
“I thought we were packing tonight,” Cora called from the back door. Both heads swung in surprise toward her.
“Cora, we didn’t hear you drive in,” Leena said as she slipped back off Owen’s lap.
“Obviously, you were busy,” Cora grinned as she stepped out the door.
Owen dropped his head and swore under his breath.
Leena was about to stand up and leave. Now or never, he thought. He reached for her hand and held her from standing. “You stay!” He turned toward Cora as she walked across the lawn, and he pointed at her. “You go back in the house! Please... and keep anyone else there, too!” He was on his knees at that point, ready to carry Leena in the other direction if he had to. Cora gave him a startled look until he saw her eyes pass over the flowers and wine glasses. She grinned at him and walked back in the house.
“Owen, are you all right?” Leena turned back to him after watching Cora close the door.
“No. Yes.” He let out a breath. “Other than I seem to have really bad timing, yes, everything is fine... at least I hope it will be.” He turned and pulled her back into his lap. “Leena, I’ve done a lot of serious thinking lately. Not like before.” He took a calming breath. “I meant what I said a few minutes ago. I need you in my life to make it complete. I can’t see not waking up beside you a single morning, not being there beside me all soft and sexy every night.” He kissed her lightly. “I want you for myself, for always, and me for you, for always.”
He reached into his pocket and held up the ring. “I didn’t get you a diamond or something flashy... because you’re not. You’re a part of this earth we’re sitting on that you love so much, no flash, nothing fake about you. I spent two days researching stones and thought this was the one for you... for us.” He watched her looking at the ring with such surprise on her face he continued. “It’s watermelon tourmaline, and it will always stand for love and tenderness and the friendship we’ll always have.”
“Owen.”
“I want to wake beside you as my wife for every morning for the rest of our lives, pretty Aileena. If you’ll take me on, that is.”
A tear rolled down her cheek as she nodded. She searched his eyes. “Put it on quick, before you change your mind,” she whispered. Her hand trembled as she watched him kiss the ring, then her hand, before he slipped it on her finger. She looked down at her hand with the delicate band of silver and stone then threw her arms around him to hug him tightly against her.
Owen nuzzled into her neck and squeezed her tightly. “I almost lost it, baby, when Cora came out. I was ready to throw you over my shoulder and run the other way with you.” He pulled back and held her face in his hands. “I love you, Aileena Duncan, with all that I have.” He kissed her lips gently.
She smiled and whispered against his mouth. “I love you, Owen Grey, and want nothing more than to be by your side for the rest of our lives.”
He hugged her again then sighed. “Guess I better go apologize to Cora.”
“I’m sure she’ll forgive you.” Leena snuggled into his neck, inhaling that scent that was only his.
Owen stood with her still in his arms then let her slowly slide down to touch her feet on the ground. Pulling her under his shoulder they turned toward the house. Both stopped and looked. In the back window stood the six friends who had become as much a part of their lives as they had each other’s.
Kasey sighed and looked at Cora as she turned to Dade and smiled with tears in her eyes. “That was so beautiful, without hearing a word they said.”
Dade put his arm around her. “Yeah, Owen’s going to be a hard act to follow,” he muttered.
Kasey leaned back against Chris and felt his arm go around her waist, his hand resting over her belly button. When he squeezed her back against him, she knew he could feel his little gift nestled against his palm and her skin.
“So, do we tell them we’re sneaky witches now?” Steven asked quietly before they reached the house.
“No!” Rachel put her hand over his mouth and stared at him. “Never!” she hissed.
Owen stepped in the back door and grinned. “You guys have it all packed yet?” He almost hid behind Leena as the women moved quickly toward them. They were hugging him and kissing him and kissing him some more when she showed them the ring.
“Golden boy is at it again,” Doc said loudly as a grin spread on his face.
“Better hand-fast him quick, Lee, so we get attention from time to time, too,” Chris added as he clasped hands with Owen.
“Used all the sappy lines, didn’t you, bro?” Dade asked as he sauntered toward him with a smile.
“Would have used anything it took, bro,” Owen answered as he pulled Leena back against his chest.
Leena smiled up at him then turned. “We better get this stuff organized and packed so you can all leave and I can cuddle with my fiancé all night long.” She winked up at him as everyone laughed and began to go through the bags he’d tossed on the table and floor.
No one spoke of what the gathering meant, of the murderer they knew would be there.
They just held onto the love and hope the engagement brought into their circle of friends.