novelxo Chapter 224
Chapter 224
The late afternoon sun shone warmly through Ethan's kitchen as Rayna stood by the counter, chopping fresh parsley for the pasta sauce she was preparing.
The sound of the knife against the cutting board filled the room, accompanied by the soft bubbling of the tomato sauce simmering on the stove.
She hummed a happy tune to herself, swaying slightly to the tune as she worked, wholly absorbed in her task.
She had always known that she loved to cook, but cooking for Ethan gave her a sense of satisfaction that she had never known
existed.
She hoped she would be done with dinner before he returned from work at his family's company. He had quit his job, as he said, and resumed at his family's company two months ago.
Suddenly, a firm slap landed on her backside, making her yelp in surprise. She turned quickly, her cheeks flushed, only to see Ethan grinning mischievously.
"Ethan!" she scolded, though she couldn't help the laughter bubbling up from her chest. "Do you have to do that every chance you get?"
Ethan leaned casually against the counter, his arms crossed and his expression unapologetic. "Absolutely. You accused me of doing it when I didn't, so I've decided it's my life's mission to be a shameless pervert- for you, of course." Rayna rolled her eyes, though a smile tugged at her lips. "You should let go of the past."
"Not when that past has you in it. I'm letting go of anything with you in it," he said with a wink as he kissed her.
Rayna giggled, shaking her head as she turned back to her parsley.
"Why didn't I hear you come in?" Rayna asked with her back to him.
"Because I didn't want you to," Ethan said, inhaling the rich aroma of garlic and basil that filled the air and made his mouth water in anticipation. "What can I do?" He asked, looking around for any chore he could do. "You should go freshen up and relax..."
"We can do that together when we are done," Ethan cut in, and she smiled.
"Alright. You can help me clear the sink and keep me company," she said, grateful that he wanted to wait for her.
"Sure""" Ethan said, walking over to the sink to do as she requested.
They worked in silence for a while, and when he was done clearing the sink, he settled on one of the stools by the island. He propped his chin on his hand, watching her with a curious glint in his eyes. "So, how was your day? Did you have fun with Evelyn and Maya?"
"It was nice," she replied, tossing the parsley into the sauce and stirring it. "We had lunch and caught up. It was really nice spending time with them."
"I'm glad you had a good time," Ethan said, his voice warm.
Rayna smiled as she turned back to her sauce. A comfortable silence settled between them for a moment, broken only by the occasional sound of stirring and the clink of utensils.
She contemplated telling Ethan what had been on her mind all week. Her heart raced at the thought of bringing it up.
How hard could it be to say I'm ready now'? she thought, biting her lip. But this wasn't the right moment- shed wait until dinner.
"So, how's work going?" she asked, turning the focus to him. "You and Melvin managing to keep things civil at the shipyard?"
Ethan grinned, his eyes lighting up at
the question. "It's going well, actually. Meland I have our
moments, but we've been handling things pretty smoothly. We just finished up the specs on this custom yacht for a tech
billionaire-it's going to be in
spent half the day-" He stopped abruptly, a sheepish smile creeping onto his face. "Wait. I'm rambling. Sorry, I don't want to bore you."
I
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"Bore me?" Rayna turned her hands on her hips. "Babe, I love seeing you this passionate about something. was worked you wouldn't enjoy it and was scared you might have regrets about quitting your job, but so far, you seem to be fitting in just fine."
Ethan's smile widened, his shoulders relaxing. "Fitting in wasn't the issue," he said. "Shipbuilding is in my blood. It's stressful, sure, but I love it."
"I'm glad you do," she said as she returned to the stove.
"And just so you know, even if I
couldn't fit in wouldn't regret quitting my job to be with you. I'd just keep trying my hand at everything until I find something else I love to do that wouldn't keep me away from you," he said as he went to stand beside her.
Rayna's heart warmed at his words, and she sighed with contentment as he kissed her nape. Moments like this reminded her why she loved him so deeply.
After Rayna finished preparing dinner, they both went in to freshen up together before sitting down to eat.
Halfway into their meal, Rayna decided that it was time to tell him what she wanted, "So..."
"How." Ethan said at the same time, and they both paused and then laughed.
"You go first. So what?" Ethan asked, gesturing at her.
"No, you first. How what?" she insisted, her cheeks warming.
Ethan laughed, leaning back in his chair. "Okay, how about we both say it at the same time?"
Rayna nodded. "Deal."
They counted down together. "One, two, three-"
"I'm ready to get married."
"How much longer do you want before we get married?"
Their words hung in the air for a moment before they both burst into laughter, realizing that Rayna had answered Ethan's question.
"Are you serious right now?" Ethan asked, his grin widening.
"Dead serious," Rayna replied, her cheeks flushing.
"What about your apartment? Do you think you can let it go now?" He asked, and she nodded.
"The only place I want to be is by your side. I want to sleep and wake up next to you. You're my home," she said, and Ethan reached across the table to take her hand, his eyes soft and full of affection. "I've been wanting to ask you for weeks" he admitted. "But I didn't want you to feel rushed since I promised you could take your time."
"And I've been wanting to talk about it for a while now," Rayna said, her voice soft. "But I didn't want to seem like I didn't know what I wanted."
Ethan squeezed her hand, his smile filled with warmth. "Well, I'm glad you brought it up now because you just made me the happiest man alive. Let's do it, sugar. Let's start planning our wedding." Rayna smiled, her heart swelling with joy. "I can't wait," she said happily, her gaze locked with his.