Forged of Steele Bundle (Books 1-4) - Brenda Jackson [249]
Anyone listening to what Morgan had said, whether a romantic or not, had to have felt the deep emotions he’d just conveyed in his words. Even Gail dabbed at her eyes.
“So, have you asked this young lady to marry you yet?” Gail couldn’t help asking since she knew her audience would want to know.
“Yes, but at the time I asked her for the wrong reason. Now I want to ask her for the right one. I want her to know how much I truly do love her and that more than anything I want her to be my wife and the mother of my children. And whether I win this election bid doesn’t matter as long as I have her by my side and in my life.”
Gail dabbed at her eyes again. “Do you think she’s out there watching the show and knows what you’re saying?”
“It’s even better than that,” he said, smiling. “The woman I love just happens to be here onstage with us.” Then before anyone could blink, Morgan got out of his chair and on his knees in front of Lena, while pulling a small white velvet box out of his pants pocket.
The cameras moved in closer, determined to capture the entire thing on film. Morgan took Lena’s hand in his and gazed up into her eyes and took a deep breath. “Lena, if there is anything such as love at first sight, then it happened to me the night of the American Cancer Society’s annual ball, when you walked into that ballroom. I can remember in full detail the dress you were wearing that night because you were such a vision of beauty in it that it took my breath away. And I knew from that night on I had to make you mine.
“And I’m here before you, on bended knee, wanting to do that. I love you and I believe you love me, too. Otherwise you would not have cared what became of my future. But what you don’t know is that I truly don’t have a future without you. You are the essence of my very being. You are the woman I want to see when I wake up in the morning, and the last face I want to see before going to sleep at night. You are the only woman I want and need in my life. You are my perfect woman. You are my everything.”
His smile wavered just a little when he saw all her tears. He hoped they weren’t tears of sadness but tears of joy. He opened the ring box and held the ring in his hand. “And will you make me the happiest man on earth, sweetheart, by agreeing to marry me? Will you marry me, Lena, and have my babies, to stick beside me for better or worse, richer or poorer, sickness and in health, until death do us part?”
Tears continued to stream down Lena’s face. The man she loved more than anything was proclaiming his love for her for all to hear. It was only when everything in the studio got quiet, except for the sounds of more than a few sniffles, that she realized that everyone, especially Morgan, was waiting on her answer.
She leaned forward and cupped his face in her hand. Meeting his gaze she said, loud and clear, “And I love you, too, Morgan, and yes, I will marry you and have your babies. And you will make me an extremely happy woman as well.”
Morgan slid the ring on Lena’s hand, and of course the cameraman had to slide his camera over for the ultimate shot for the television audience.
“Can you believe the size of that rock?” Gail exclaimed to everyone as the monitor continued to zero in on Lena’s hand.
“Well, folks, this is certainly a first. I don’t know of any other morning show where someone can officially announce their candidacy and do a marriage proposal in the same ten-minute segment.”
Everyone heard her words, but most people were staring at Morgan when he stood to his feet and pulled Lena into his arms for one whopper of a kiss.
Gail smiled brightly, knowing her ratings would soar. “Well, there you have it, folks. A man who puts love before any political career he might be seeking certainly will definitely get my vote. And remember you saw it live right here.”
Lena smiled tremendously as she glanced around the room. “Are you sure this is the house you want,