The CEO's Rose

Ryan’s POV

Before Bryce’s attack, Ryan had been wrecking his brains, trying to find a way to get Vivian’s ring size without alerting her.

He’d had several plans to pick from when it finally came to the moment where he would ask her to be his wife. He had wanted everything to be perfect, so he had come up with some elaborate ways to pop the question.

But now he had gone and ruined that. Instead of his proposal being a romantic thing with the two of them dressed to the nines, it was the exact opposite.

It was the middle of the night, both of them were in rumpled sleepwear. The TV was playing cartoons on mute. They’d just finished almost breaking up. Ryan was crouched before her, no ring in sight and he had just blurted out that he wanted to marry her.

It was well and truly over for him.

He would go down in history as the least romantic man to ever exist. How could he blurt it out like that? There were no roses, no candles, there was no music playing, just a very disturbing show that had letter shape cartoons.

What sort of engagement story was this?

How was Vivian ever supposed to tell other people that he proposed in such a lame way? Quickly getting to his feet, Ryan backed away from her.

"No, no. This is not how I was supposed to ask you. Forget that I said anything. Just cover your ears and pretend like you didn’t hear me ask that,"

Instead of giving him that decency, Vivian got to her feet and moved over to him until she was right in his personal space. Standing on her tiptoes, she rubbed their noses together, then she settled back down.

"And just why would I do that? You have just asked me to marry you. The answer is yes by the way," She told him, a big smile on her face.

She wanted to marry him!

Ryan’s heart sang, but at the same time he felt like sinking into the core of the earth.

"No Vivian you don’t get it. I have been planning this for such a long time. I was licking your fingers, tying strings around them. All manner of things trying to get your ring size so that I could ask you to marry me with the perfect ring. I was going to make the whole thing be magical for you,"

Her eyes going wide, Vivian’s mouth fell open, then she doubled over laughing loudly.

"Wait, so all of those times when you were focusing way too much on my fingers, you were trying to get my ring size?"

His face flaming, Ryan nodded. "I was trying everything I could, but you seemed to have some sort of bulletproof vest when it came to everything that I tried," Laughing once more, Vivian darted into his personal space and kissed him on the cheek.

"Ryan, that is so sweet, and it also helps to settle my mind. For a while there I was actually operating under the belief that you had a finger kink,"

Now it was Ryan’s turn to be surprised.

A finger kink?

"Wait, is that why you sometimes just waggled your fingers in my face while we were having sex,"

Vivian nodded. "I thought you were getting off on it because you were always licking them,"

Taking a moment to think of how his obsession with her fingers must have looked from her point of view. Ryan suddenly found himself being the one who was unable to control his laughter. Oh goodness, he really must have looked like a finger fiend to her, but she had not judged him. Instead she had taken it all in stride, playing along because she had thought that it made him happy.

Could the woman be anymore perfect?

***

Realizing just how much she was willing to accept when it came to him, Ryan took a step from her, then he waved his hands in front of her face like a magician. Vivian blinked.

"What are you doing?"

"I’m trying to make you forget this entire thing so that when I finally ask you to marry me, it will be in this big extravagant way. And you can brag about it for years to come," Walking right back into his personal space, Vivian kissed him. Looping her arms around his neck, she smiled at him.

"There is no need for that. This is already one of my favorite memories. I will always remember and cherish it,"

Ryan shook his head, " But you deserve more...you are worthy of way better," Laughing softly, she kissed him again, then she spoke up.

"If it really means so much to you, we can redo everything. Set up whatever you like and ask me again, the answer will still be yes. As far as I’m concerned, our engagement is already official,"

Ryan looked down at her, not quite able to believe what he was hearing. The entire time he had been so stressed, wanting to make his proposal special. Yet here was Vivian telling him that she did not care about all of the other stuff.

For her, the most important thing was that Ryan had asked her, that was all that she cared about. Leaning in, he drew her into a kiss and did not release her until both of them were struggling to breathe.

"So you’d really marry me, even with this horrible proposal?" Vivian nodded, her grin so wide he worried that her cheeks were hurting.

"I would marry you even if you asked me to be your wife using a plastic ring,"

Ha! As if! He would never do such a thing, if he had his way, she was going to be spotting the biggest rock ever. Reaching down, Ryan easily lifted her into his arms, Vivian giggling wildly as he began walking.

"Where are we going," She asked? Not even pausing in his steps, he answered her. "We are going to the bedroom to celebrate our engagement. Once I am done with you, you will not have any trouble falling asleep,"