Read Shelby's Secret (Once a Marine, Always a Marine Book 4) Online
Authors: Kori David
She came back out onto the stage, gazing into the audience.
The crowd wasn’t sure what to do. A smattering of applause started and stopped, and everyone looked around, trying to figure out where he was.
Shelby was out of her stage dress and stood there simply in an oversized t-shirt and blue jeans. And she was looking right at him.
A halo of bright light surrounded him from the spotlight that finally zoomed in on his position.
“What the hell are you doing out of the hospital?” she asked, one hand on her hip.
“They wouldn’t let you in to see me.” And that was the truth of the matter. He needed to see her, to touch her, to love her—for the rest of his life. What he needed to know now was if she was ready for that.
“Well, you got me back out here.” Her voice softened. “What’s your question?”
“Do you love me?”
“I wrote a song about us, Mike. The one you heard at the cabin. That was for you.”
He looked up at her. Just her. No band, no back-up singers. Just Shelby. Standing up on stage talking to him as if thousands of people weren’t listening.
“I’ve written all my love songs about this man,” she said to the audience with a wave of her arm. “You see, I’ve loved him since I was a teenager, but I broke his heart when I left him to follow my dream.”
The women in the crowd all sighed at once.
Mike couldn’t move, because he was caught up in her too. In her story, in the intimate way she drew everyone in on her secret.
Then she looked at him. “The question I have is, do you still love me?”
Mike was ready and so were his friends, because he’d planned this with them. He might land flat on his ass, but he didn’t care. He took three big strides and stepped into the stirruped hands of his best friends. They catapulted him upward to the stage, grinning and laughing as they did it. And even with one arm strapped to his body, he reached it.
The audience gasped and started clapping.
Mike didn’t waste any time in triumph, he went to his woman. He had one useful arm and he put it to work, pulling her into him and kissing her with all the love inside of him. When he could pull away, he said, “I’ve loved you almost my entire life. No sense stopping now.”
Tears gathered in Shelby’s eyes as he got down on one knee in front of God and several thousand strangers. After pulling the velvet box out of his sling, he handed it to her. “Marry me,” he said. “Let me love you for the rest of our lives.”
***
Shelby stood there in awe of the man in front of her. Battered and bruised, he’d come for her. She’d been prepared to fight for him, but he was here and fighting just as hard for her. How could she not love him?
The crowd was going wild, but she’d tuned it out.
“Say yes,” he said in a raspy voice.
The crowd had fallen silent.
She had no doubt their images were up on the big screen for the whole audience to see. “Do you have to do everything in front of a crowd?” she teased.
“Say yes, damn it,” he growled.
His face was a mask but she could see the love shining out of his eyes. She reached down to cup his face with her hands, and he leaned into her touch. She turned and lifted the microphone to her lips. “I gave myself to all of you,” she said to her fans, “but now it’s time to stop and take something for myself. This is my last concert, and I hope it was my best because I love you all. You’ve given me an amazing life and for that, I can never thank you enough. I love this man more, and I want to be everything to him now.”
Clapping and wolf whistles filled the auditorium.
“I never asked you to walk away from your music,” he said. “From being a star.”
“And I would never ask you to stop risking your life as a police officer. This is
my
choice, and I want this.”
“Are you sure? Because I won’t let you go again. I can’t,” he whispered.
“Say yes.” Rebecca’s sweet voice blared out over the loud speakers. She stood on stage with Madge who had tears streaming down her face. “I want to live with Cinnamon.”
Shelby could feel her face heat as she turned back to see Mike’s face. “I might have told her that we’d live with you.”
“Pretty confident, huh?”
She shook her head. “Hopeful.”
“Marry me, Shelby,” he said.
“Yes.”
The crowd went berserk, cheering and screaming. But that all faded as Mike kissed her again, taking his time and not caring in the least that everyone was watching.
“I love you,” she said.
“I know.”
Shelby opened the velvet box and sucked in a breath. The ring was simple, yet stunning, just like the man who’d given it to her. “This is beautiful,” she whispered.
“Put it on, Shel.”
He looked down at his sling as if he wanted to rip it off and put the ring on himself, and knowing Mike, he did. But there was no way she was going to stand by and watch that, so she plucked the ring out of the velvet and slid it on.
“Now show the damn audience that you’re mine.”
He was finally smiling and she couldn’t help but throw her head back and laugh. “Yes, sir.” Shelby flashed the ring toward the closest cameraman who put her hand on the big screen for everyone to see.
Mike pulled her close and stood by her side while the crowd cheered. “I love you, Shelby Lynn.”
“Just Shelby. Shelby Lynn is done. I only want to be called Mrs. Hanson now,” she said.
“How about Mom?”
Shelby grinned and nodded. “Or that.” Reaching up, she stood on tip-toes to kiss him and wrapped her arms around his neck. “Let’s get out of here and start practicing.”
“Hell yes,” he said.
Rebecca was waiting for them and ran right into Mike’s arms when he squatted down for her just off the main stage. She kissed him on the cheek, and he hugged her close.
Shelby’s heart was full. She was starting a new chapter in her life, and she couldn’t imagine anything more fulfilling than loving this man and raising Rebecca. And if they had more kids along the way, then her life would be complete. No more secrets, no more loneliness. Just love and joy.
They both deserved that happiness.
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