"I have to go pick up something really quick. I won't be gone more than 30 minutes, I promise." He smiled, as he walked over to her and pulled her close to him, placing a soft kiss on her lips.
"You know you always disappear whenever you might get stuck cleaning something, or actually doing something helpful around here. It's starting to become a real trend, and I'm catching on! Just thought I'd let you know." Melissa smiled playfully, teasing him. "Damn, I've been exposed!" JC grinned, as he leaned down and cupped Melissa's face in his hands, softly pressing his lips against hers. Melissa laughed softly against his lips and kissed him again, "I thought you had to go?" JC sighed and reluctantly pulled away, "I do, and if I don't go now, I'll probably never leave." He laughed, as he pulled his car keys out of his pocket.
Melissa nodded and turned back around, wiping off the kitchen counter with a wet sponge. "Where are you going anyways?" JC smiled to himself and spun his car keys around his finger. "Oh I just have to go pick up a few things, nothing important sweetheart. I'll be back soon." JC said. He kissed the top of her head. "I love you." Melissa smiled and looked over her shoulder as he was walking out of the kitchen. "I love you too Jace." She called out after him. JC smiled to himself and walked out to his car.
Later that night, JC had disappeared outside and had been gone for almost an hour. Melissa looked up from her nursing textbooks, studying for a renewal exam for her nursing license, and glanced over at the clock cocking an eyebrow. Melissa shrugged to herself and pushed her textbooks off her lap and crawled off the bed. She walked out into the hall and raised an eyebrow at the staircase, noticing the stairs were covered in a trail of purple rose petals. "What on earth?" Melissa said to herself.
She walked down the stairs slowly and saw one single, solitary purple rose sitting at the bottom of the staircase with a note attached to it. She bent over and picked up the rose, then opened the card:
There's more where this came from.
Melissa cocked a confused eyebrow at the card, then turned her head glancing over at the French Vienna doors that lead to the back patio, seeing there was a note attached to the door. Melissa walked over and detached the note from the door, and opened it up:
Are things getting suspenseful yet?
Melissa shook her head thinking, "What on earth is Jace up to this time??" Melissa shrugged her shoulders again and opened the door, then walked out onto the patio. She looked around and didn't see anything. Then a flicker of a few dim lights over towards the beach caught her eye. Melissa squinted and tried to focus on the lights, trying to see what lay around the lights. She wrapped her arms around herself and walked down the back steps of the patio then stepped onto the sand of the beach.
As she slowly approached the lights, she quickly noticed that it was a circle of candles, sitting by the water's edge, with an object sitting in the middle of it, along with another note. Melissa stopped and looked around once more, still not seeing anything else. She sighed to herself and leaned over picking up a small box, then opened the note:
I knew you'd open this first! Hurry and open up the box!
Melissa laughed softly to herself, thinking 'Jace you know me way too well.' She slipped the note into her pocket as she held the box in both of her hands looking at it. She slipped one hand up to the top of the box, letting the soft velvet glide under her fingertips as she opened it slowly, exposing a beautiful diamond ring, with tiny diamonds encrusted along the gold band.
Melissa gasped in shock as she gazed at the ring, overwhelmed by it. Just then she felt a pair of strong arms encircle her waist from behind. JC smiled to himself as he nuzzled his head against her neck, looking over her shoulder at the ring she was holding.
He placed a soft kiss underneath her earlobe and very softly whispered against her ear, "Will you marry me?"
Eighteen