Chapter 151 Chapter 151 - A Million Times Yes

Chapter 151 Chapter 151 - A Million Times Yes
Adrielle Hale

His arms wrap around me, pressing me against his body. My hands hold his face against mine. I'm trying not to pull away from him so quickly. I imagine it's because of his absence all day. I only saw him in the morning.

Studies say that longing is good for human beings. The need to want someone amplifies when we miss them. Absence becomes necessary for us to value what we can't have all the time. Sensations and desires, that's all a human being wants to feel in themselves and for another person.

His tongue intertwines with mine, without fear of being caught in public. We're no longer running from the media; it's as if they don't even exist around us.

"Why are you so bothered by things? Hmm?" he asks, as soon as his mouth moves away from mine. I'm dissatisfied because I want more than that. "It seems like you had a tense day."

Pedro kisses the tip of my nose before focusing his eyes on mine. His arms still hold me close.

"I think I'm just tired from the day. A patient's surgery took longer than I thought," I reply, giving him a quick kiss on the lips. "Sorry for ruining your plans." I caress his cheek with my thumb.

He gives a small smile before gently nuzzling my nose with his.

"We're just getting started, my love," he whispers. "Come on, let's go."

He offers his hand. I remember the box in my car. If we're going for a drive, it might take a while. And maybe this is the perfect moment for him to open it.

"There's something in my car," I say, looking at him. Pedro frowns, a huge look of confusion on his face. "It's for you. I have to go get it."

"Carter will get it, don't worry," he says, before waving to someone behind me. My whole body freezes at the thought of being seen kissing. "What did you bring?"

I blink a few times, banishing those thoughts.

"It's a surprise…" I reply, looking into his eyes. "But you can only open it later."

Pedro smiles slightly, tilting his head gently.

"Okay. I promise I'll only open it when you let me," he says, intertwining his fingers with mine.

He guides me along the wooden walkway until we reach a large yacht. As expected, it belongs to Pedro. The hull is painted white with dark blue stripes that reflect the sea light. The bow is beautiful and long, and the stern is open with a dark wood tone. I can see that it has two decks. But I imagine that a yacht of this size also has a lower deck with cabins.

A mechanical walkway extends towards us as we approach. Pedro walks ahead, his hand firmly intertwined with mine. I see that there are sofas spread out on the stern while the interior has a dining table and a bar. I see a staircase leading to the upper deck and another that might lead to the lower deck, I imagine.

"Here you go, Mr. Hernandez," I hear a male voice say.

When I turn around, I see Carter with the box in his hands. Pedro walks over to him on the gangway and takes the box.

"Thank you."

"Have a good trip. We'll be on standby," Carter says in a serious tone.

Pedro shakes his head and returns to the yacht with the box in his hands. The letter is on top, in a white envelope. His eyes are focused on the box, but he doesn't dare open it. Pedro leaves it on the dining table, as if intending to open it later.

"How about some wine before dinner?" he suggests, wrapping his arms around me.

I shouldn't drink.

I know that perfectly well.

"I'm driving. I can't drink," I reply, hugging his neck. "I think I'd prefer some grape juice, if you don't mind. You’re not driving back, my love. But if you prefer juice, that’s fine by me,” he says, kissing my cheek. “The chef is in the kitchen, finishing dinner. In the meantime, we can go to the bow and watch the sunset.”

“That’s an excellent idea, love,” I say, before giving him a quick kiss on the lips.

Pedro smiles before stepping back and intertwining his fingers with mine. As we climb the stairs, the yacht begins to move. I wonder if someone is at the helm, and where the command room is. We reach the bow, where there’s a huge sofa bed for us to lie down on and a hot tub a little further away from us.

We sit on the sofa together. I feel like I’m going to need a good massage to sleep tonight. I can feel Pedro’s nose touching my skin, as if he wants to absorb my scent.
“If you keep this up, we won’t wait for dinner…” I say, with a mischievous smile as I feel his warm tongue on my neck.

"I'm satisfied just kissing you," he murmurs, his kisses trailing up my jaw.

"Hernandez, don't lie to me," I say, holding his chin before it reaches my mouth. "But I can't wait if you keep this up. Behave yourself. Let's eat first."

He smiles slightly, touching my arm with his hand.

"Did you have lunch today?"

"No."

Pedro is more serious now.

"Then let's go downstairs and hurry the chef along," he says, before stepping back to stand and extending his left hand to me. "This is unacceptable, you should have eaten. Damn it, I should have come to see you at lunchtime." His free hand massages the back of his neck.

"You wouldn't have found me, my love," I reply, taking his hand and standing up. "I was starting surgery."

He grumbles, his eyes focusing on the buildings receding from us. His fingers intertwine with mine and we walk downstairs. There, the table is set. There's wine in the glasses. Pedro pulls out a chair for me to sit and soon sits down opposite me. I don't see the chef, not even at the bar. I hear a noise coming from the farthest part of the interior and I can see him.

For the starter, we have burrata with baguette and vinaigrette. Our main course was filet mignon with potato gratin, creamy Swiss chard, roasted mushrooms, mashed potatoes, and a special chef's sauce. A well-done filet mignon reminded me of the time Pedro tried to cook for me. I'd say it was the first time he'd ever cooked in his life. It resulted in a nearly burned-down kitchen and lots of laughter from us.

Our dessert was a small chocolate cake with a scoop of ice cream and fruit, accompanied by a syrup that looked like honey, but the chef said it was imported from a Latin American country. Good thing it wasn't honey; Pedro is allergic, as is Abby.

"You know, this reminded me of the first time you tried to cook. Do you remember?" I ask, suppressing a laugh as I put the spoonful of dessert in my mouth.

Pedro laughs lightly, remembering it too.

"We almost burned down your parents' kitchen. I almost burned it," he says, with a small, pleasant laugh escaping. "My culinary skills have improved so much, you know."

"Yes, I know," I reply, resting my chin on my hands. My eyes focus on the wooden box that hasn't been touched yet. I think now is the right time for that. "You can open the box now, my love," I say, turning my focus back to Pedro.

"I'll open it. In a little while," he says, with a small, gentle smile.

I hear music in the background. I turn my head, searching for the source of the music.

"I waited a hundred years
But I would wait a million more for you
Nothing prepared me for
What the privilege of being yours would do
If I had felt the warmth of your touch
If I had seen how you smile when you blush
Or how you curve your lips when you concentrate enough
I would know what I was living all along
For what I have lived
Your love is my page turning
Where only the sweetest words remain
Each kiss is a cursive line
Each touch is a redefining phrase."

The touch is beautiful, mixed with an almost angelic and soft voice. The volume is low but enough to make the atmosphere pleasant.

I hear something dragging under the marble floor of the yacht in front of me. Turning around, I see a scene that I expected to take longer than it actually did. The shine on that little box is intense, bluish from the yacht's lights.

Pedro - who was sitting across from me - is kneeling on the yacht's floor, holding a small blue box containing one of the most beautiful rings I've ever seen in my life. The central diamond is large, surrounded by smaller diamonds that shine intensely. Deep down, I expected this; it's our plan. But I'm surprised he did all this, planned everything, just to propose.

"Seven years away from you felt like an eternity. Now that life has brought me back, I won't let go of your hand again. Seven years ago, I was ripped away from everything that made sense in my life. Seven years, and not a single day has passed without me thinking of you. When I returned to Los Angeles, I thought I'd never have you back…" he says, his blue eyes focused on me, almost brighter than the ring in the small box in his hand. "I thought I'd only find shadows of what I left behind… but I found you. You, stronger, more beautiful, more essential than ever. I'm not the same man anymore." I carry scars, sorrows, stories that time hasn't erased… But if there's one certainty that has never changed in me, it's you. You have always been my home, even when I was an ocean away. I came back to be your safe haven, your shelter in the storms, just as you are mine. I came back to love you in every way, at all times, in the right way, as you should be loved." The man before me has never chosen his words as well as he does now. "And I want to do this for the rest of our lives. I want to love you and Abby. Today, before the city that witnessed our story, I only want to ask you one thing: Allow me to build all my tomorrows by your side. Allow me to repair, with love and with my life, everything that was taken from us." My vision is starting to blur, more than I planned. "Adie, will you marry me and allow me to make you happy every day?"

I blink a few times, trying to hold back the tears. I can't even answer that without a tearful tone. I push my chair back to stand. His eyes are focused on me, as if everything around us no longer matters.

"Yes… a thousand times yes. A million times yes," I answer before kneeling down to his height and holding his face. I take him in a kiss almost desperate for love, for him. My heart is racing and I barely have control over my tears. "You are everything I've asked for my whole life. Everything I've silently dreamed of all these years, my love."