Bound to my Enemy

Chapter 279: This time, for real.

A good week later, I’m convinced every woman in my life has lost her mind. Including Ivy, especially Ivy.

"Why do I need to wear this?"

I hold up the white dress in disbelief. It’s beautiful, absolutely gorgeous.

Soft fabric with elegant cut. Something I would normally love but that’s not the point.

The point is that everyone is acting weird, vey weird.

"You’ll look pretty in it," June says.

"That’s not an answer."

"It literally is," Lila replies.

"No, it’s an evasion."

Tessa immediately looks away....suspicious.

Very suspicious.

I narrow my eyes.

"What’s going on?"

"Nothing."

Three voices answer at once.

I immediately know they’re lying so I turn toward Ivy.

"What’s going on?"

She gasps dramatically.

"As if I’d betray my sisters."

That isn’t reassuring, not even slightly.

Still, after fifteen more minutes of arguing, they somehow manage to get me into the dress.

I stare at myself in the mirror.

Okay.

I hate that they’re right, it’s absolutely beautiful.

The white fabric hugs me perfectly before flowing down softly.

Elegant, simple and Comfortable.

It’s....Perfect.

"See?"

Ivy practically beams.

"I look like I’m about to get married."

The second the words leave my mouth, all of them suddenly become very interested in literally anything except looking at me.

My eyes narrow.

"Oh my God."

"Nope."

"What?"

"Nothing."

"You’re all terrible liars."

Tessa immediately starts pushing me toward the door.

"We’re late."

That doesn’t answer anything. Unfortunately, nobody seems interested in answering anything.

The drive is equally suspicious, every time I ask a question, someone changes the topic.

By the time we pull up outside one of the fanciest restaurants in the city, I’m ready to start threatening people.

"What are we doing here?"

Ivy links her arm through mine.

"Eating."

I stare at her.

"You’re the worst."

"I know."

The restaurant itself is beautiful, it’s elegant lighting, soft music.

Expensive enough that I don’t even want to know what a glass of water costs.

But the second we step inside, something feels off. The place is strangely empty, almost completely, which makes absolutely no sense.

I stop walking but the girls keep moving.

I don’t.

"Okay."

They freeze.

"What is happening?"

Silence.

Then Ivy grins.

A huge grin.

The kind that immediately makes me nervous.

"Oh my God."

The lights dim slightly and suddenly I hear footsteps.

My heart skips, because somehow I know those footsteps. I’d know them anywhere.

I turn and there he is.

Zane.

Standing at the other end of the room, looking devastatingly handsome like always.

My stupid heart immediately starts beating faster.

His eyes meet mine and suddenly I forget how to breathe.

"What are you doing?" I whisper.

He doesn’t answer. Instead, he walks toward me slowly and somehow every step makes me more emotional. By the time he reaches me, my eyes are already burning.

Because I know, I know exactly what’s happening.

"Zane..."

A small smile touches his lips, then he lowers himself onto one knee and I immediately burst into tears.

"OH MY GOD."

Laughter erupts around us, i don’t care.

I am crying, fully....Ugly crying.

The man actually looks amused.

Which is rude, very rude.

Then he pulls out a ring box and opens it.

My breath catches.

"No way."

The ring...My ring.

The ring!.

The one I thought I’d lost forever, the one that belonged to his mother. The one I’d been wearing before everything happened. The one I’d thought disappeared during the kidnapping.

"Oh my God."

Fresh tears immediately spill down my cheeks.

"I thought I lost it."

A laugh escapes me. Half crying, half laughing.

"I thought it was gone."

Zane’s expression softens.

"I found it."

I stare at him, completely overwhelmed.

Then he takes a breath and he starts speaking.

"Last time I asked you to marry me, it was for a contract."

My throat tightens, his eyes never leave mine.

"It wasn’t because I deserved you."

My vision blurs with tears.

"It wasn’t because I loved you."

The room falls completely silent.

"But this time..."

His voice softens.

"This time it’s because I do."

A sob escapes me. Somewhere behind me Ivy starts crying too.

Traitor.

"I love you, Elaine."

His words hit me straight in the chest.

"I love our not so little family...."

Another tear slides down my cheek.

"I love our future."

His eyes drop briefly to my stomach, then back to me.

"And I want to spend the rest of my life with you."

My hand is covering my mouth now, trying and failing to stop crying.

"So..."

A smile touches his lips.

"Will you marry me?"

I don’t even let him finish.

"YES."

The word practically explodes out of me.

The restaurant erupts into cheers, whistles and applause.

I don’t hear most of it.

Because Zane is smiling agin and somehow that matters more than everything else.

He slides the ring onto my finger, it’s a perfect fit just like before.

Then he’s standing and the second he is, I throw myself at him.

His arms immediately catch me, holding me close.

Then I kiss him Passionately, like haven’t nearly died, like I haven’t spent weeks recovering cause I’m making up for lost time.

A few seconds later...

"Okay, cut it out!"

Lucas.

Of course.

I pull back laughing.

"The kissing is too much!"

A second later I hear a grunt.

Then Caleb’s voice.

"Shut up."

"Did you just punch me?"

"You deserved it."

Then Aria.

"Caleb!"

Everyone bursts out laughing, even Lucas.

Though he still looks offended.

I turn back toward my family, towards my friends, toward everyone who helped get us here.

My chest feels so full I think it might burst. Then I hold up my hand, showing off the ring.

Immediately, the entire group starts cheering again.

I laugh so hard my cheeks hurt.

"This is happening."

"It’s happening," Ivy screams.

"Oh my God."

"It’s happening!"

Zane wraps an arm around my waist, pulling me gently against him.

Then he leans down, pressing a soft kiss against my forehead.

"I’m going to give you your dream wedding."

I smile up at him then he wiggles his eyebrows.

"And the honeymoon too."

I immediately smack his chest, the idiot starts laughing.

I start lauging too and standing there surrounded by the people I love most in the world...Wearing his mother’s ring, carrying our baby and saying yes to the man I love...i realize I’ve never been happier.