Free The Only One for Her by Carlie Sexton Page B

my expression startled as I stared up at him.
    Trace caressed my face with his hand. “I want nothing more than to come in and spend the night with you, but I don’t think you’re ready for that. Something in your eyes is saying to wait. And you’re worth the wait.” He kissed me on the forehead and began making his way to his room.
    Once inside my hotel room, I needed time to regroup. His words had overwhelmed me. Dane had said the same thing to me when we were dating. Dane had waited for me to be his wife before we ever made love. I was his princess and he was my prince.
    I wrapped my arms around myself as I thought about how incredible my evening with Trace had been. Had another prince found me? I just hoped if this was my new fairy tale it would last forever this time. But that was the thing with time. Sometimes it was unmerciful, fleeting. It took no prisoners and made no apologies for shattering your life.
    Placing my hand on my neck, I picked up the locket Dane had given me, opening it. One side held a picture of my wonderful man. The other side had the words, “Marry me,” engraved on it. That’s how he’d proposed. 
    Taking me out to the most romantic Italian restaurant in town, Dane presented the locket to me at the end of our dessert. When I opened the box and saw it, I instantly loved it.
    “Before you open it, Lindy, I want to tell you that you are the only girl for me. I love you more than I ever thought I could love someone. You have been with me through so many hard times. You are my rock and I want to be yours for the rest of our lives.”
    “Dane, what are you saying?”
    “Open the locket, Lindy.”
    I opened it, seeing his picture, thinking it was like a promise ring. But then I saw the other side and the simple two words etched in it. Marry me. He was asking me to marry him. I looked up to find my handsome man on one knee.
    “Lindy, will you make me the happiest man in the world? Will you marry me?”
    “Yes, Dane. You’re all I want and all I need. I love you so much.”
    “I love you too, baby.”
    Sighing, I put the locket against my chest again. I never took it off. It guarded my heart, not letting anything or anyone penetrate. But tonight, tonight I thought Trace might be the man I would take off my locket for. The man I could give my heart to. I had allowed the locket to protect my heart for a long time. Perhaps now I could let it rest, be put away as a special treasure I would always love. Was I finally open to love again? Hopefully, tomorrow would give me more insight as to whether or not my locket would be stored away.
    My phone lit up just as I was thinking I should call Ro.
    “Are you still on your date? Am I calling at a bad time?”
    “We just said goodnight,” I said laughing. “You sound like a nervous wreck.”
    “I am a wreck. You just went on a date and I need to know everything that happened.”
    “It was so good, Ro. Trace was such a gentleman and I had a great time.”
    “I’m so glad. I wanted this day to end on a positive note. You deserve to have fun, Lindy.”
    “It was fun, overwhelming, sexy. It was a lot of things.”
    “Sexy, huh? What happened?”
    “After dinner, we went for a walk on the beach and Trace held me in his arms. We ended up kissing for a long time.”
    “Just kissing?”
    “Yes, just kissing. I just met the guy, Ro.”
    “I know, I know. Going slow is good.”
    “Well, I did kind of blurt out an invitation for him to come in, but he said he could tell I wasn’t ready and he didn’t want me to do anything I would regret.”
    “Seriously? He put your feelings before his own? He sounds so great. Most men wouldn’t have thought about your feelings. They would have just thought about what they wanted.”
    “I know, right? He really made me feel special.”
    “You are special, Lindy. You have so much to offer. Any man would be lucky to have you.”
    “Thanks, Ro.”
    “So, I guess it’s a good thing I couldn’t come with you