CHAPTER 95 - THE SUGGESTION

Lace

Sex with Dean feels so different after all these weeks apart. It feels more intense, more meaningful. At one point I felt like I would explode not just from the sexual satisfaction but also from the insane feelings in my brain. I love Dean but I never knew that I loved him more than anything else in this world. As I lay beside him I realize that this is how I want to spend the rest of my life – waking up next to him every day for as long as I breathe.

‘Lace?”

Dean props himself on one hand and gazes at me. “We need to go. We both have more than a dozen missed calls and even more messages from our parents.”

“Oh, sweet heaven!” I whisper. For a moment it felt like Dean and I were living together again.

“I know, right.” He kisses me on the tip of my nose and sits up. “It’s dark already.”

“What? How long have we been here?” I ask him, surprised.

“About five hours,” he says with a wide grin.

“It went too fast,” I complain, “Maybe we should just move back into my apartment.”

“No!” He puts on his pants and walks to my side of the bed. “I will not let you go back there until Jason is convicted and put behind bars for good!”

He hugs me tight and I can feel the emotion emanating from him. “Okay, we won’t go back there and I won’t bring it up again,” I promise him. He helps me dress and we leave. Dean settles the hotel bill and drops me off at home. Waves of emotion wash over me as I watch him drive off. Surely this is true love. If it is then maybe Dean and I should take the next step in our relationship…

***

Dean.

I stare at Lace’s reflection in the rearview mirror until I drive out of her street. The thought of spending one more night away from her, and not waking up next to her in the morning rips my heart in two. How much longer will I be able to carry on like this? I sigh. If only there wasn’t a backlog in cases and we didn’t have to wait for Jason to be sentenced, then I wouldn’t mind buying a place of my own with the payout I received from ZN Consulting.

My parents are waiting worriedly on the porch for me. Crap! I forgot to call them.

“Mom! Dad! I am so sorry!” I rush to them and hug them. “I am so sorry. I was with Lace.”

“Yeah, we know. We called Alison and Lace’s Mom. But it’s still too soon for you and Lace to be staying out this late without telling us where the two of you are.” My father’s voice is heavy with worry.

“I am so sorry,” I tell him and hug him tight. “I missed Lace so much.”

“Then maybe it’s time you married her,” my mother says.

“Maybe we should all go inside and then continue this discussion,” my father says.

My mother laughs and holds my hand as we walk inside. “You’re ready to marry Lace,” she says, “I am going to make us all some masala tea. God knows I need it.”

My father waits for me to make myself comfortable on the couch across from him before he speaks. “Jason asked to meet me today,” he says.

“What?! Dad, I hope you didn’t go.” My heart lurches at the thought of my father coming face-to-face with that sick psychopath.

“I did and I am glad I went. I was wired of course. Dan and Archie insisted on it.” He sighs. “I am so glad that sick, twisted criminal didn’t kill you. I will never be able to thank God enough for keeping you safe.”

“I am glad he didn’t try anything either, Dad. But I will never know for sure whether or not he planned to kill me too that night.” My heart shatters at the betrayal of my best friend.

“According to what he told me today, that was his intention.” My father shakes his head. “He confessed everything he did.”

“Why?” My heart races as the realization of why Jason confessed dawns on me. “What did he ask you to do, Dad?”

“He wanted to cut a deal,” he replies.

“And?” I ask anticipating the worst.

“Did you know that he had a crush on Dana?” my father asks, avoiding my question.

I shake my head, stunned at my father’s question. “No.”

“He orchestrated that accident because he felt that you stole Dana from him.” My father shakes his head. “I know that you were quite the ladies’ man, Dean. Did you know that Jason had feelings for Dana?”

“No. If I had known, I would have backed off. We followed the bro code.” I search my memory for the day I met Dana. “I just remembered something. Jason introduced me to Dana. They were working together at a bookstore. That’s how he knew her. I went to visit him at the bookstore and he introduced us. He never told me had feelings for her. And, she asked me for my number. I didn’t flirt with her or anything because I didn’t want things to be awkward for Jason at his workplace just in case Dana and I didn’t work out.”

“That’s not how he saw it. He said that you turned on the charm for Dana. I could just see the hatred in his eyes for you.” My father pauses. “Then he told me about Lace and how he watched the two of you while you were intimate. He planned to kill Lace because the two of you were so happy.”

“What? I mean I knew he was crazy, Dad but I never knew that he was a pervert too. I can’t believe he was watching Lace and I. That is just so sick.” I feel nauseous just thinking about it.

“He also contacted Von Holden’s daughter while you were in Switzerland. I don’t know how he managed to get her contact details but he used her to get to you and to keep you away from Lace. He told me how he tricked Alison into believing he was Louis. Thankfully, Zane reconciled with her before he took things too far. God only knows what he would have done with Alison.” My father leans back in his favorite recliner. “I wish I could have protected you from him.”

“It’s not your fault,” I assure my father. My mother arrives just then with steaming cups of tea.

“Let’s not talk about that criminal,” she tells us, making herself comfortable next to me.

I feel sick to my stomach at the thought of Jason plotting and planning my demise all these years. I sip the tea and I am so grateful my mother made the tea hot and strong.

“I was serious when I suggested that you propose to Lace,” she says, “it will help keep your mind off Jason and the two of you can plan the rest of your life together.”

“That isn’t such a bad idea at all, Mom,” I tell her as the nausea in my tummy fades away.

“I have to agree with you, honey,” my father tells my mother, “you need some joy in your life.”

My previous depressed mood is replaced with growing happiness. “Mom, I would love to marry Lace. You know when I was with her this afternoon…” I stop abruptly. What person in their right mind tells their parents they spent their afternoon having sex in casual conversation?

“Relax son, we know where you were and what you were doing,” my father says and laughs for the first time that evening.

“Well, at least that saves me from the embarrassment of having to explain,” I say and laugh.

“We both knew,” my mother adds, “now how about I help you plan the most romantic proposal of the decade,” she asks beaming at me.

As I sit there with my parents, I realize that having their input into how I propose to the only girl who ever accepted me for who I am is what I want. I want them to be a part of the moment I ask Lace to spend the rest of her life with me.

“So what kind of proposal do you want?” my mother asks, grabbing her notebook and pen which just happens to be on the coffee table.

“Lace deserves the best kind,” I tell my mother, “maybe a fairytale one?”

My mother nods. “She strikes me as the type of girl who would like a classic, romantic proposal,” she says.

“I have to agree with your mother,” my father says.

I cannot believe that our evening conversation changed from the darkness of discussing Jason and his evil deeds to planning my marriage proposal.

“I have to book a photographer.” My mother writes furiously in her notebook. “I need to hire someone who can design a dress at short notice. Who is Lace’s favorite Disney princess?” she asks me.

I shake my head. “I never asked her but Lace does enjoy cooking.”

“Do you think she likes Cinderella?” my mother taps her pencil against her forehead. “No. she doesn’t strike me as a Cinderella type. What else does she enjoy?”

“Writing,” I blurt.

“Ah. Beauty and the Beast.” My mother grins. “Now this I can work with.”

My father laughs. “Nobody’s going to bed early tonight,” he teases.

I join in the laughter and realize that I wouldn’t spend my evening any other way. I love my parents and I am so happy that they are so ready to welcome Lace into the family.