That Loving Feeling *Ch 4

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Subject: That Loving Feeling *Ch 4 - 7
Posted By: OKDeanna - ezOP
Posts: 335
Posted At: (8/23/03 2:05 pm)
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Chapter Four

Sheridan leaned her head into Luis left shoulder, her nose snuggled into his neck, and closed her eyes as the soft romantic melody continued to float around them. She could feel the steady beat of his heart underneath her palm he held against his chest and its hypnotic rhythm, combined with the heat from his touch, had her senses on high alert. Not that it really surprised her any. He always made her feel that way with or without romantic music engulfing them.

She shifted her body closer to him and smiled when his arm tightened around her waist, securing her against him. A second later, he spoke, his voice soft and low. "Do you remember the first time we danced together?"

"Of course I do." She answered, sighing against his chest as her mind reminded her how much he'd always affected her, even when she really didn't want him to. "I don't think I could forget that moment even if I tried."

"Me either." He replied, his hand pressing against her lower back as his voice lowered to a whisper. "I heard that song last night when Antonio and I went out. I swear I knew every word by heart even though it had been months since I last heard it."

Sher smiled then raised her head to meet his eyes. "I finally found someone that knocks me off my feet. I finally found the one that makes me feel complete."

"This time it's different." He whispered, reciting another verse in the song. "And it's all because of you. It's better than it's ever been, because I'm in love with you."

Her smile widened. "I don't remember that last line being in that song."

"That's because it isn't." He admitted, his eyes taking on an intense look. "But it should be, especially when we're dancing to it."

Sheridan drew in a deep breath then slowly let it back out. "You are making it awfully hard for me to be good, especially when you keep saying things like that."

"I'm just stating the truth." He said, his eyes serious and intense. "Do you even realize how much I love you?"

"I think I have an idea." She smiled. "Probably about as much as I love you, which I don't think can even be measured because it's so much."

Luis grinned then grew serious. "You know I don't think I even knew what love was until you came into my life. I thought I did. I thought I knew it all, but one second spent with you was all I needed to know that I didn't have a clue."

"I feel the same way." She whispered, her fingers lightly moving over the skin at the base of his neck. "I was positive I knew exactly what love was and that I didn't want any part of it. Then I came to Harmony for the summer and saw this gorgeous dark haired Adonis diving off a diving board. I swear the moment he broke the surface and I looked into his dark eyes, I knew I was lost. Not that I would have admitted it of course."

"Of course." Luis nodded smiling. "That wouldn't have fit in with your plans."

Sher laughed. "No, it most certainly wouldn't have. Which is the main reason I refused to let myself think of you and I in terms of possibly being more." She shook her head. "You know you invaded my dreams that very first night I was in Harmony? I should have known then it was more than just an attraction, that you got to me, but I was just too stubborn."

"You and me both." He answered with a chuckle. "I mean I fought things pretty hard at first too. I knew you got to me too. More than anyone else I'd ever met, but I refused to acknowledge just how much you got to me until I was all but forced into it."

Sher shook her head. "What on earth ever made us think we could just have a no strings attached affair and not get involved emotionally? I mean the first time I looked in your eyes I felt as if I'd been hit by lightning! I have no idea why I thought that didn't mean anything."
Luis laughed. "I don't know either, but I'm glad it didn't take us all that long to figure things out. And I'm especially glad we did it before you had the chance to leave for New York. I swear I would have gone after you had you really left."

"I know you would have." She said, blinking back a sudden rush of tears that threatened to fall. "I know I told my parents I would leave with them, but I also know I never would have gone through with it. I told myself I would. I told myself I could, but when it came down to it, I know my heart would have never let me leave."

As she remembered the pain those few days had caused both her and Luis, silent tears slipped down her cheeks and just as she reached up to brush them away, Luis' hand was there. "Those days without you, knowing I loved you but also knowing I couldn't have you, were some of the worst days of my life." He paused as his thumb began to clear her tears and once they were gone, he continued. "But the best day of my life was coming home and finding you sitting on my couch waiting for me. I don't think I've even seen a more beautiful sight than that or than you running toward me and launching yourself into my arms."

Her throat tightened at the memory and another tear slipped down her cheek. "I don't think I've ever seen a more beautiful sight than you unlocking that door and walking through it either. I thought for sure my heart was going to pound right out of my chest."

"I thought mine would too." He shook his head then lowered his hands and wrapped both his arms around her waist. "I swear I don't ever want to go through anything like that ever again."

"Me either." She whispered, closing her eyes and enjoying the feel of his arms around her as they slowly began to sway to the soft romantic music still playing.

* * * *

Luis leaned his cheek against the top of Sher's head then inhaled, smiling as the soft fragrance of her shampoo mingled with the sexy scent of her perfume. It was getting more and more difficult for him to stick with his plan to wait until dinner to propose. In fact, the longer he held her in his arms, the more impossible waiting seemed to be. He was almost positive that any minute now he was going to blurt out the real reason he'd brought her here tonight and he wasn't quite ready to do that yet.

He heard her give a soft sigh against him and couldn't stop himself from placing a soft kiss against her forehead. "Did I ever tell you how good it feels to hold you in my arms?"

"It couldn't feel half as good as being in your arms does." She whispered, her soft voice floating over him in a gentle caress. "I don't think I have ever felt more safe and more protected or more loved and cherished in my life than I do in your arms."

His heart swelled with pride. "I'm glad you feel that way, because I plan to keep you in my arms for a very, very long time."

"Oh yeah?" She asked, lifting her head up off his chest. Her eyes meeting his as her voice took on a somewhat teasing tone. "And just how long is a very, very long time, Mr. Lopez-Fitzgerald?"

Luis smiled then in all seriousness asked, "How long do you want it to be?"

Watching as she drew in a deep breath, Luis forced himself to remain silent and wait for her answer. Her blue eyes searched his, almost as if she didn't quite understand what he meant by the question, and he would have laughed if he didn't so desperately want to hear her answer.
When she continued to remain silent though, Luis took a deep breath and asked the question again. "How long do you want it to be, Sher?"

"How long do you?" She questioned, her eyes still searching his, no longer giving away anything that would clue him in as to the emotions hidden underneath.

Stopping the gentle swaying of their bodies, Luis locked his eyes with hers and lifted a hand toward her cheek, the knuckle of his right index finger tenderly caressing her soft skin as he replied, "Until the end of time."

Chapter Five

During the last six months, Sheridan had seen a thousand and one different emotions pass through Luis' eyes, but she couldn't ever remember seeing the one that was reflected in them now. It was as if it had come out of nowhere, existing only in the moment stretching out between them. Yet a part of her knew it had always been there, just waiting for the right moment to surface.

Waiting for this moment, she thought her eyes still locked onto his. She knew he was trying to tell her something - something important - but the only thing her mind could focus on was the look in his eyes and the emotion she could see burning within them.

She tried to come up with a name to describe what he was allowing her to see, but quickly realized there wasn't one. The emotion went too deep. Held far too many layers.

But one thing she did know, she thought a sudden lump forming at the back of her throat. She'd never forget seeing it. He'd touched her with his words, but the look in his eyes branded her for life.

She swallowed hard and tried to draw air into her very much in need lungs, but the attempt was unsuccessful, the air somehow lodging in her throat. She began to cough a second later, causing Luis' hand to drop from her face to her arm and the emotion in his eyes to shift from the one she couldn't name to one of sudden worry and concern. "Sweetheart, are you okay?"

She coughed again and shook her head, not trusting her voice enough to speak. But then his wouldn't have given her time even if she had been able to manage it. "I think we should go back to the table. You need to drink something."

Another cough seized her, causing her to raise her left hand toward her chest and slowly nod her head in agreement. Luis' fingers gently curled around her life arm and he silently helped her back to their table and into her seat.

She immediately reached for her wine glass, praying the dark liquid would calm her suddenly rattled nerves. The smooth liquid slid down her throat, but she didn't taste any of it and while it helped cure her of her coughing spell, it did nothing to calm her nerves.

But then that was probably due to the fact that her mind was still on the look she'd seen in Luis' eyes a few moments before. She didn't know what it was about that look, but even now, she could still feel the intensity of it burning a path through her system and short-circuiting her brain.
Sher lowered her wine glass back to the table and instantly sought out Luis' dark brown gaze. His eyes were still filled with concern and worry, but they were also filled with something else, something she still didn't have a name for. She wasn't even sure there was a name for what she was seeing. If there was she highly doubted it would do the look justice. There was just something there, burning inside, and whatever it was, it touched a place so deep inside of her that she couldn't even begin to describe the feelings.

The flames from the two candles resting on the table flickered between them and as they continued to stair into each other's eyes, Sher the air shifted slightly, causing a familiar rush of heat to pool low in her belly. A familiar heat that she knew wasn't due to the candle's flames. No, the cause of the heat coursing through her system was the intense look in Luis' eyes and the warmth of his hand as he slowly reached across the table to capture hers. "Better now?"

She swallowed another lump in her throat then nodded slowly. "I�I'm sorry. I�" She stopped and took a quick breath. "I don't know what came over me." She drew in another deep breath then added, "I must have swallowed wrong or something."

Luis smiled then gave her hand a gently squeeze. "Don't be sorry. We have all night�to dance�and talk." There was a slight hesitation in his voice, along with a touch of something else, but before she could decipher either, he spoke again. "I'm glad you're okay. You had me worried there for a second."

"I'm sorry." She whispered softly, squeezing his hand as he had hers, their eyes still locked in an intense stare. "I didn't mean to worry you."

"It's okay. You didn't do it on purpose. And besides," he said, shifting forward in his chair and leaning over the table, his voice low and slightly husky. "You can make it up to me later."

He wiggled his brows suggestively and Sher couldn't help but laugh. "You are incorrigible."
At her words, Luis's face broke out into a heartstopping grin. "Isn't that one of the reasons why you love me so much?"

Sher matched his grin with a smile. "One of many."

His grin widened and he arched a brow teasingly. "Are you sure you aren't in love with me?"

She laughed then shook her head, blushing slightly at his teasing. "What gave me away?"

"Oh I don't know." He replied, turning her hand over and lightly running his thumb across her palm, causing her to shiver and a knowing look to enter his eyes. "It could be the way you react to my touch or the way you look at me when you think I'm not looking. Or even when you know I am. They all tell me the same thing."

"And what is that?"

Luis leaned back in his chair at her question then rather smugly replied, "You, Ms. Crane, are absolutely crazy about me."

She opened her mouth, ready to give him a teasingly flippant retort, but another voice spoke before she could. "Mr. Lopez-Fitzgerald?"

"Yes?" Luis questioned, his eyes not moving from hers, his voice holding a distracted tone that caused her to smile.

"I just wanted to let you know that dinner will be served as soon as you are ready."

Luis nodded at his words then raised one dark brow at her. "Think you can handle eating something?"

She smiled. "I think so, but I need to go to the powder room first."

Luis grinned then turned his attention back to their waiter. "Give us a few minutes and then we'll be ready."

Their waiter nodded and disappeared almost as quickly as he'd arrived. Sher shook her head then began to push her chair back. Luis was at her side in an instant. "Here let me help you."

She smiled once again touched by the attention he was paying to her tonight. She knew he wanted tonight to be special and she'd assumed it was because it was their anniversary, but she was getting the distinct impression there was a lot more to it than that. She just didn't know what.
Drawing in a breath, she looked up at him and smiled. "I'll be right back."

"Take your time." He whispered softly, raising a hand to lightly touch her face. "I'm certainly not going anywhere."

Her smile widened and she couldn�t stop herself from leaning forward to touch her lips to his. She'd planned for it to be a quick kiss, but that was before his hand pressed into her lower back and brought her body tight against his. Unconsciously, her hands rose to his chest and the moment her mind registered the raw strength hidden underneath, the strength she knew by heart, she moaned.

A second later, with a very distinct and very reluctant groan, Luis pulled away and leaned his forehead against hers. "You'd better go, sweetheart, before I lose all sense of reality and forget we're in a public place."

She drew in another breath then smiled and raised her finger to lightly trace his jawline. "Do you know how much I love you and want you right now?"

"I think I have an idea." He whispered, a seductive grin forming across his lips. "And I really wish we could act on it."

"Me too." She sighed, finally forcing herself to take a step back. "But there's always later."

Tossing him a quick wink, she stepped around him and began making her way toward the front of the restaurant where she'd seen the sign for the woman's restroom. She felt his eyes on her the entire way and just as she started to disappear around a nearby corner, she looked back over her shoulder, frowning slightly when she saw that he'd turned around to talk to their waiter.

Disappointed at not having been able to catch him watching her, she started to turn back around. She hesitated, however, when she saw the waiter suddenly reach out and hand something to Luis. She couldn't tell what it was exactly, as Luis' body blocked her from getting a good view, but she knew what color it was - blue.

Chapter Six

Running the pad of his thumb over the outside edge of the small blue velvet ring box he held in his hand, Luis drew in a slow deep breath. He had been planning tonight for weeks, months actually, and now that the moment was almost here, he was getting nervous. He hadn't thought he would be, but he was. He was more nervous than he knew what to do with.

It was easier when Sher was sitting across from him, her beautiful ocean blue eyes watching him, trying to figure out what he was up to. But she wasn't watching him now. Now she was in the bathroom and he was sitting at their table, holding her engagement ring in his hand, growing more and more nervous with each passing minute.

He supposed it was only right that he should be nervous now. He hadn't even gotten to his proposal yet and he'd already managed to make Sher nervous. He smiled when he remembered the look on her face as he told her he planned to keep her in his arms until the end of time. She'd been surprised he said that, surprised he'd said those words. Surprised enough that she ended up choking on her reply.

His smile fell slightly at that last thought. He wasn't sure if her reaction to what he said should worry him or not. Did her reaction mean that she wasn't ready for the kind of commitment he wanted? Or did it mean that she just wasn't sure what he meant and was nervous because of that? He didn't know, but he wished like hell he did. He was going to propose to her tonight and the closer that time got the more worried he grew. He was terrified now that she might actually say no.

What if she wasn't ready to get married? What if she thought they needed more time to get to know one another? Antonio had thought so. He thought he should have at least brought the subject up before now and Luis knew he was right, but at the same time he'd wanted his proposal to be a complete surprise. It wasn't often that he could surprise Sher. She normally figured out what he was up to before he actually did it, but he knew she didn't have a clue about tonight and while that hadn't worried him before, it did now.

He drew in another deep breath as his eyes ran over the box in his hand then nervously ran his other hand through his hair. He should have gotten a haircut earlier in the day when he'd been out running errands for tonight. He should have�

Luis lowered his hand back to the table then slowly shook his head, a self-mocking smirk playing across his lips. Sher didn't care how long his hair was. She'd told him just last week that she loved the fact that she was able to run her hands through it and play with the hair at the base of his neck.

He closed his eyes as he recalled the feel of her fingers as they slowly began to caress the skin there then gave a stifled groan when the image began a little too vivid and the sensations became a little too strong. He was already wound tighter than a new ball of string and thinking along the lines he was thinking was certainly not going to help him any.

He opened his eyes again and stared at the box in his hand, his eyes glued to the bottom half as he slowly thumbed the top open. The diamonds of her engagement ring sparkled and glittered, but it was the sapphires that caught his attention most. He'd bought the ring because they had been the closest to the color of Sher's eyes. They sparkled with the same amount of light that hers did whenever she was happy about something or whenever she laughed at something he said.

With a quick glance toward the front of the restaurant where he'd seen Sher disappear to a few moments ago and a sigh of relief that she hadn't come out when he wasn't looking, Luis reached inside the box and slowly withdrew the ring. He turned it slightly and smiled when his eyes caught sight of the engraving he'd requested - my heart, forever.

The jeweler had thought his request to have the ring engraved strange, as most normally asked the wedding ring itself be engraved, but when Luis explained that he also planned to have her wedding ring engraved and told him what he planned for it to say, the man had seemed to understand the unusual request. Seemed to anyway.

Luis felt another smile tug at the corners of his lips as another tug pulled at his heart. He couldn't wait to see the look on Sheridan's face when she saw the ring. He was terrified she might be freaked out by it, but at the same time his heart said she wouldn't be. They might not have talked about marriage, but he had a feeling it had flashed through her mind the same way that it had his. At least, that's what he was hoping at any rate. He wasn't sure what he would do if she hadn't even thought about it and wasn't sure she wanted it.

Luis shook his head again and replaced the ring into the box, his thumb automatically flipping the lid closed as he drew in another deep breath. He kept telling himself that she would say yes. That she wanted to spend the rest of her life with him just as he wanted to spend his with her. But ever since she choked up on him on the dance floor he couldn't help thinking that maybe he was setting himself up for a fall. That Antonio was right and it was just too soon to be thinking about marriage, especially since he hadn't even brought the subject up to her.

He swallowed hard then shut his eyes and jammed a hand through his hair. As much as he wanted her to say yes, he wouldn't blame her for saying no. They'd only known each other six months and while they'd spent as much time together as they possibly could during that period, he couldn't help thinking that it hadn't been enough. The only time the subject of marriage had ever come up was when she talked about her parents trying to push her into a marriage she didn't want and the way she had spoken of marriage at the time was definitely not favorable.

God, he thought his eyes popping back open as a sudden lump of fear clutched at his heart, what if his proposal completely freaked her out and she decided to end things between them? What if she was so against that kind of commitment that she thought it best to just walk away? What if she didn't even give him the chance to say he would wait until she was ready? What if she just� what if she just walked away?

He hadn't allowed himself to think about any of that before, but he was thinking about it now. Not only thinking about it, but also wondering if maybe he wasn't making a big mistake in planning to propose to her tonight. He wanted to marry her more than anything in his life, but maybe it would be best if he waited until after they'd at least discussed the subject first. Maybe it would be best to wait until they'd known each other a little bit longer.

As a dull ache began to throb inside his chest, Luis' eyes fell to the box in his hand. He gently rubbed his thumb across the soft blue velvet top then drew in another breath and moved his eyes toward the other end of the restaurant where Sheridan had disappeared to a few minutes ago. Maybe Antonio was right when he said it was too soon. Maybe now just wasn't the time to be asking her to marry him.

* * * *

Just calm down, Sheridan ordered herself as she stared at her reflection in the mirror. Luis could have been holding just about anything. Just because it had to be small enough to fit in his hand and the blue color reminded her of a ring box she'd seen her father give her mother on their thirtieth anniversary a month or so ago did not mean that Luis was holding a ring box. That was just�just crazy! Wasn't it?

Of course it was, she thought raising a hand and slowly moving her wayward strands of golden blond hair back into place. No way would Luis be thinking marriage this soon. Sure he'd given off more than one signal tonight and yeah the way her parents had been acting was a little strange, especially the crying spell her mother had seemed to take on, but that didn't mean Luis was going to propose to her tonight. That was just wishful thinking. Nothing more.

Or was it? Luis had been very attentive tonight and that intense look in his eyes she couldn't name a few moments ago would certainly fit if proposing were what he planned to do tonight. She let her lids fall shut as she pictured that look in his eyes. Remembered the tender way he'd run his knuckles along her cheekbone. The seriousness with which he told her he planned to keep her in his arms until the end of time. The expectant look he'd had after he said the words.

As her heart began beating a rapid and wild rhythm inside her chest Sheridan froze, her eyelids automatically lifting from their resting place against her cheek. Glancing at the mirror in front of her, noticing the shocked look on her face and in her eyes, Sheridan realized that was the only plausible explanation for the way Luis had been acting tonight. He hadn't only brought her here to celebrate their six-month anniversary. He'd brought her here to propose too. "Oh god, he's going to ask me to marry him!"

"That's great, honey!" A cheery voice called out from behind her. "Are you going to say yes?"

Sheridan whirled in surprise, a hand flying to her chest as she stared at the brunette she hadn't even heard come into the restroom. "Ohmigod, you scared me!"

"Sorry, I guess you were so deep in thought you didn't hear me come in." The older woman smiled with sympathy. "You look a little pale, honey, you okay?"

"He's going to propose." Sher replied, her head turning toward the door as if her eyes could really see on the other side of it. "Luis is going to ask me to marry him."

A soft chuckle drew her attention back to the woman in front of her. "And when he does, what will you say?"

"I�I�"

The woman laughed again. "You'd better stay in here for a little bit and think about your answer, honey, because if he's really going propose to you then you can bet he's going to want to hear something he can translate."

As the woman disappeared back out the doors and into the restaurant, Sheridan drew in a deep breath of air, knowing the woman was right. She couldn't go back out into the restaurant and face Luis until she knew how she felt about what he planned to do. Maybe she was way off base in thinking Luis was going to propose tonight, but she didn't think so and because of that she wasn't going to walk back into that restaurant until she knew what she was going to say to his question.

Was she ready for marriage? She hadn't been with Mike, but then again she hadn't loved Mike and she was head over heels in love with Luis. She swallowed hard as that intense look in his eyes once again flashed in her mind and then drew in another deep breath. Thousands of images began to replay themselves in her mind, but none of them affected her as much as the image of his face when he told her he wanted to keep her in his arms until the end of time.

She hadn't had the chance to reply to his statement because she'd been so choked up that he'd spoken that way, but now that she'd had a little time to think about it, she knew exactly how she would have answered him had she been able to. She would have told him the truth, the same truth that she planned to tell him tonight when and if he proposed. Taking in another deep breath, Sheridan walked toward the door and pulled it open, more than ready to get back to Luis and the rest of the night that awaited them.

Chapter Seven

When Sheridan finally reentered the dining area fifteen minutes after she first left it and caught a glimpse of Luis through a small part in the plants and shrubs encasing their table, she couldn't help but smile. He'd done everything he possibly could to make tonight a night that she would never forget and because of that, she found herself falling even more in love with him. If that were even possible. Which of course she knew it was. She loved him more with every day that passed and she knew without a doubt in her mind he felt the exact same way.

She'd told herself all through first meeting him that she wasn't looking for anything serious. That she had no intention of falling in love with him. Of giving him her heart. But that was exactly what happened. In fact, she was fairly certain he'd stolen her heart the first time he'd looked at her with those compelling, brown eyes of his and that cocky smile playing across his lips. She fought the reaction of course, telling herself that she only wanted him because he could help her ruin her good girl image, but it hadn't worked out that way at all.

And she was definitely glad about that, she thought her lips breaking out into a wide smile. Meeting Luis was the best thing that had ever happened to her, but loving him and being loved by him was more than she even dreamed possible. She let her eyes run over his handsome face again, loving the fact that he didn't know she was looking, but froze when he suddenly shifted position and arched a brow at her, his lips tilting upward at the corners to give her a devilishly handsome grin.

She swallowed hard as a warm patch of heat creeped into her cheeks then slowly let out the breath she hadn't been aware she was even holding and forced her feet to move across the deep multicolored carpet underneath her. When she finally reached their table, finally reached Luis, he was already on his feet waiting for her, that serious look she'd seen early back inside his eyes.
He didn't speak as he helped her back into her chair, but the moment she was seated and he returned to his own seat, he reached across the table and captured her left hand with his right. "Dinner will be here in a few minutes, but before it arrives there's something important I want to talk to you about. I was going to wait until after dinner, but�well I don't think I can."

As Luis drew in a deep breath, Sheridan suddenly found herself unable to breathe. She knew what was coming, at least she thought she did anyway, but she knew that actually hearing it was going to be a lot different than just knowing it was coming. She swallowed hard then whispered. "I'm listening, Luis. What did you want to talk about?"

He drew in another deep breath and she smiled at the action. He was nervous! All night he'd seemed so in control, but as she looked into his eyes now, she could see the anxiety he'd somehow managed to hide before. Was he worried she was going to say no?

"I told you that I would tell you the reason why I've been working out of town so much lately and I think it's time that I did." He pulled in another breath then stared at her intently. "When we first started seeing each other, we both said we didn't want anything serious. No strings. No complications. That's what we said, right?"

"I seem to remember us saying that, yes."

"But it wasn't that simple." He replied his eyes still locked onto hers. "We weren't that simple. I never meant to fall in love with you and I'm pretty sure you never meant to fall in love with me, but I'm glad that we did. I wouldn't trade what we have for anything in the world." He smiled at her then. "I love you with everything I have inside me, Sheridan, and there is no doubt in my mind that I wouldn't be the man I am right now if you hadn't walked into my life."

She smiled at that. "I feel the same way about you, Luis. I thought I knew exactly what I wanted and what I didn't want, but then I met you and before I knew what I hit me, I was head over heels in love with you."

He matched her smile with one of his own. "That sounds familiar." He shook his head then grew serious, the look in his eyes growing more intense. "You are the best thing that ever happened to me. I don't know what I did to deserve you, I'm still not convinced that I actually do, but I do know that I don't ever want to live without you." He smiled suddenly then got up from his chair and still holding her left hand in his, he kneeled in front of her. "You knocked me off my feet from the moment I first saw you. No one has ever gotten to me the way you do. Like the song we first danced to says you make me feel complete and I can't wait for the rest of my life because of you."

A tear began to make its way down her cheek and Luis quickly reached up with his left hand to wipe it away. "I didn't know what love was until you came into my life. I thought I did. I thought I knew it all, but one second spent with you was all it took for me to know that I didn't have a clue. Everything I know right now, I know because of you. Because of who you are and what you've brought to my life. You mean everything to me, Sheridan, and I don't want to live one day without you in it."

He paused to wipe away another tear then drew in a deep breath. "I swore after Beth that I would never let another woman into my heart, but what I didn't count on was meeting you and having you completely steal my heart away from me. Not only my heart, but my soul as well. Everything you did, everything you said, completely mesmerized me to the point where I knew I couldn't live without you"

Luis eyes grew even more intense and it was then she truly recognized that look in his eyes. It was love, but not just any kind of love. No, it was the deepest kind of love. The kind of love she'd never even dreamed was possible yet hoped to find all the same. The kind of love that spoke of forever and made promises to last a lifetime. The kind of love that�that touched a heart and filled a soul so full that it threatened to overflow.

"This is the reason I took so many out of town jobs." Luis replied reaching into his jacket pocket and pulling out a small blue box. "I knew the moment I walked back into my apartment and found you sitting on my couch waiting for me that this day was going to come and I made sure I was ready for it. I love you Sheridan Crane and if you'll let me, I want to spend the rest of my life making you as happy as you've made me over the last six months."

More tears escaped her eyes as Luis lowered his hand and flipped open the lid to reveal a sparkling sapphire and diamond engagement ring. She swallowed hard then raised her tear filled eyes back to his and listened as he asked sixteen words that for as long as she lived, she would never forget. "Will you make me the happiest man in the world and agree to become my wife?"

* * * *

Luis watched as Sheridan's eyes moved from him to the ring he held in his hands, almost as if she didn't quite believe he was really holding it. He smiled, as he awaited her answer, and a heartbeat later, she opened her mouth. Unfortunately, the only thing that came out was an unintelligible squeak that he wasn't even going to begin to try and decipher. "I think you might have to translate that one for me."

He chuckled when her eyes shot back to his. "I'm normally pretty good at reading between the lines, but even I don't want to guess at that one, sweetheart."

He watched her swallow then widened his smile as she once again looked from him to the ring he still held in front of her. When she finally glanced back at him, all traces of laughter left him as she asked, "Are you sure, Luis? You really want to marry me?"

"More than I've ever wanted anything in my life." He replied in complete seriousness "In fact, the greatest gift I could ever receive would be to hear you say that you'll marry me."

Sheridan glanced back at the ring. "Then I guess I'd better say it."

Moving her eyes back to his, laughter and happiness shining brightly through her tears, she whispered, "I can't think of anything on earth that I want more than to marry you."

Luis didn't move. "Is that a yes?"

"YES!" She screamed, falling into his arms and all but tackling him to the carpeted floor beneath them. "That is most definitely, a thousand times over, a yes!"

Wrapping his arms around her waist, the opened ring box still in his hand, Luis let out a laugh of pure uninhibited happiness. "I knew you couldn't resist. It's that Lopez-Fitzgerald charm. Gets 'em every time."

Sheridan raised her head at that then smiled down at him, amusement and love present in her gaze. "I thought it was you that couldn't resist me."

"You're right." He said, lowering his voice to a mere whisper. "I can't resist you. I love you too much."

"I love you too, Luis." She answered, leaning in to place a kiss against his lips. "With all of my heart."

Luis smiled. "You do realize that you just agreed to marry me, don't you?"

The smile that broke out across her face was absolutely breathtaking. "Of course I do, but I hope you realize it won't be official until the ring is on my finger."

Luis laughed then leaned forward to capture her lips with his. "Then I guess I better put it on you."

"I guess you should." She said, returning his kiss with another one of her own.

Luis smiled as she finally pulled her head away then slowly pulled the ring out of its box and removed his arms from around her waist to reach down and take her left hand in his. "Every time you look at this ring, I want you to remember this moment, remember how much I love you, and how I want to spend the rest of my life making you as happy as you've just made me."

Luis glanced down at her hand and gently began to slide the ring onto her ring finger. "I had this ring engraved so you would know how much you mean to me and how committed to you I am. Whenever you look at it, I want you to remember the words that touch your skin." Looking back up into her eyes, Luis slid the ring the rest of the way on her finger and whispered, "My heart, forever."

Six months later, in front of family and friends, Luis slid another ring onto her finger and this time he told her all the words that touched her skin, "My heart, forever, and all my love."

THE END

Edited by: OKDeanna at: 8/23/03 2:10 pm

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