Gideon's Redemption by Maddie Taylor

reestablish their relationship. He also wanted to spend some one-on-one time with Eli before adding to their family. Thoughts of marriage and family reminded him of a little something he had stashed away. Making a detour to his dresser, he retrieved a little black velvet box, before crawling back into bed and pulling Shannon into his arms.
    “Honey?”
    “Mmm,” was her sleepy, sated response.
    “Stay awake another few minutes, babe. I have something for you.”
    Curiosity roused her and she turned toward him, her eyes widening as she spied the ring box he held in his hand. Her breath caught audibly and tears wet her lashes as he opened it to reveal a stunning, marquise cut diamond engagement ring. It was framed with smaller, round diamonds and additional matched stones sparkled along the band.
    “Oh, Gid, it’s gorgeous,” she breathed softly. “When did you find time to shop for that? We’ve been so busy.”
    As emotional as she’d been lately and with the guilt still near the surface, he hated to even tell her. “Try not to lose it again when I tell you this, Shannon,” he forewarned.
    “What? Why would I lose it? Other than the fact that the ring in that box is spectacular.”
    “It’s smaller than I’d like, but it was all I could afford at the time.”
    “But that’s a least a carat there, plus all the little stones…” She paused and he could tell she was putting it all together. “At the time?” she asked, hesitation in her voice as her eyes rose slowly to meet his. It was clear she was dreading what was coming next.
    “I picked this ring out ten years ago, honey, before our trip to Napa. I planned on proposing then.”
    As he expected, the tears overflowed as his words sunk in. Damn! He should have let her believe he’d just gotten it. But he thought it was important for her to know how serious he had been then, as now.
    He tried to deflect some of the gravity of the moment by taking on a light, teasing tone. “Those better be tears of happiness, Shannon, because my hand and your butt can’t take anymore guilty feelings tonight.” His attempt at teasing fell flat and he decided that maybe it was better for her to get it all out of her system. He slipped the solitaire on her left hand as he spoke, smiling as it fit perfectly on her ring finger.
    “You kept it all this time. Even when you thought I’d dumped you for no good reason?”
    “Yeah, a man in love acts that way.”
    “Oh, Gid! Hold me. My heart can’t take much more.” Wrapping her arms around his neck, she clung to him, once again sobbing out all her pent up emotions.
    “Shh, baby. This should be a happy moment.”
    “These are happy tears. Don’t you know women often cry at proposals?”
    “Hmm… I guess it’s good that this ring isn’t actually part of a proposal. The hardware just makes it official, baby, a public proclamation that we belong to each other. It’s a done deal anyway since we’ve already discussed it and you’re already moved in. We are marrying, building a family for Eli, and together we are going to finally have our happily ever after. I think we’ve more than earned it.”
    “Yes, we do and yes, I will—marry you, I mean.”
    “I appreciate that Shannon, but I think you missed my point. I wasn’t asking; I was telling. It may make me sound like an arrogant douche, but I’m not giving you a choice in the matter. Understand?”
    She pulled back to look at him through long, spikey black lashes, her face wet and reddened from tears. As he waited for a feminist reaction to his domineering male power play, he was surprised to see her lips twitch. She was trying not to smile but failed miserably as her lips kicked up into a huge grin.
    “I understand Gid, but I want you to know that I am very happy and willing to marry you. Although the telling versus asking part is quite caveman-like in nature, it is exactly what I expected from my take-charge kind of man.” Reaching up she cupped his cheek