A/N: Just to let you know, I rewrote the end of chapter 3. After seeing that one deleted scene I simply couldn't stick to my version of the story, so Letty did have her last name changed to Toretto.
To the anon, who gave that long review: That part about chap 2 and 3 got me thinking in ways I haven't yet, so thank you. Always appreciate food for thought. I'll try to use Dom's character to change tack in terms of her body issues, though I always had this idea about how to explain that. Maybe I'll stick to that or do both. Will see. As for Dom's emotions and how he felt when he thought Letty was dead, I was planning to tackle that issue later in the story and I hope you'll like it when you read it. Also gotta thank you for that huge compliment on my language skills. Really means a lot. (I still wish I had a richer vocabulary tho.)
Now, remember y'all, the following part is actually a flashback, as Letty is recalling that memory to tell Mia. Somehow this chapter turned out to be the longest... I tried to not make it too cheesy, but I guess at some point my inner fangirl got unleashed. I hope you like the mess she did X
Rating: M (just to be safe)
It had been two days since Letty threw that bag at him, asking him where to sleep. Two days in which they had rekindled the spark in their relationship in a way that made them both feel like they had just fallen for each other and not decades ago. It all felt different than before. They had never been so in love.
Waking up next to him immediately brought a smile to her lips. Letty felt Dom's arm wrapped around her upper body, his breath tickling the skin right next to her ear. Slowly she turned around in his embrace. As she faced him, she noticed how calm his expression was.
He usually worried so much about everything and everyone when he was awake, even when he didn't want people to know, that whenever he was asleep Letty felt like this was really the only time when his mind and his soul were truly at peace.
Dom always needed to have a good night's rest to recharge his battery, and got terribly grumpy when he didn't, so Letty had learned not to wake him up before he opened his eyes on his own accord. Most times when she was awake before him, she slipped quietly out of the room. This time, however, she stayed.
Letty studied his face, took notice of every detail of it. He had gotten a little old, you could tell, she thought, then smirked, thinking that she better not let him hear that. He wouldn't like it. He wanted to stay young forever so he could keep doing the kids' stuff like chasing around in cars, stealing things, making stupid jokes and basically just act immature.
Kids.
Letty had never actually thought about it, but if there were one good reason for Dom finally wanting to grow up and stop being a kid, it would probably be having one of his own. Or was she completely wrong to think that? Maybe so.
It was not like she could even picture herself having a kid right now. Besides, she would probably be the worst mother ever. She wasn't cut out to be a mom. Unlike Dom's sister. If anything, she could be a great aunt to Mia's kids – if Mia would ever have any. Dom on the other hand, as caring and sweet as he was, would be an amazing father.
Letty closed her eyes and shook her head lightly as if to get rid off those thoughts. Why now think about expanding their family when they had forever to figure that out. And shouldn't they be married first anyway? Did they even want to go there? Did Dom want to? What if she were to ask him? Would he say yes?
Letty opened her eyes again and couldn't help but giggle to herself. The things he made her mind wander off to were crazy – and yet she couldn't stop thinking about them.
Marriage unlike kids was something she could indeed picture herself getting into. Even at this very moment she could imagine looking at her husband instead of just her boyfriend. As a matter of fact, she felt a wave of excitement rushing through her body at the mere thought of it, and slowly but surely Letty's mind became aware of what her heart had known all along. There was absolutely nothing that could keep them both apart. They were meant to spend their lives together and life would always find a way to reunite them, if they were ever forced to part ways again like they were before.
She had never really thought about marrying him some day and they hadn't talked much about getting married either. And when they had, she had always told him how crazy he was to even bring that up. But like Dom had said two days ago 'Life had a way of changing one's plans,' and life obviously wanted them to change theirs. Being able to track him down after she had almost given up on ever finding him was proof enough that their bond was to last for a lifetime, so why shouldn't they make it official under the law, with God as their witness?
"Are you watching me sleep?"
Dom's thick, sleepy voice almost gave Letty a heart attack. She had been so wrapped up in her thoughts that everything else had just faded out, including him.
"You're awake," Letty smiled happily.
Dom had his eyes still closed, but smiled back at her, his cheek nestling up against her hand as she caressed the right side of his face.
To him, there was nothing more satisfying than waking up after a good night's sleep, to the love of his life, knowing they had all the time in the world to cuddle – and do other stuff – before they had to leave the cosiness of their bed.
"C'mere," he whispered, pulling her closer.
Letty put her arms around him, resting her head against Dom's shoulder right next to his. She gave him a little peck on his neck and started to massage the bare skin on his scalp with her hand. When she heard him sigh with pleasure she smirked.
"Slept well?" Letty asked him quietly and felt Dom responding with a nod.
After a few minutes of just holding him tight, stroking his head, Letty faced him again. Dom welcomed her with a big smile.
Letty looked him deep in the eyes while she let her hand rest on his cheek, moving her thumb in circles over it.
He was so very handsome, especially with that bright look on his face. She was a lucky woman to be able to call him her boyfriend. She could only imagine how amazing it would be to get to call him her husband. For her, it wasn't a question of if anymore, just when. Maybe she would find out real soon how it felt like to be married to him. All she needed to do was ask him, and she really wanted to do that. She just didn't know how yet; if there would ever be such thing as right timing.
Letty felt like it'd be easier for her to plan their next heist than to figure out how to pop the question to someone she had known almost all her life. How could that be? It wasn't like she was scared of what his answer would be, she just wanted the moment to be perfect.
"If I get to start all mornings like this, I'll die a happy man," Dom's voice sounded, that smile still on his lips.
"You mean with a massage?" Letty chuckled, running one finger over his lips before she rested her hand on the mattress.
Dom shook his head, tucking a strand of Letty's hair behind her ear.
"With you," he corrected her, "That massage is just a bonus, I feel very honored to receive."
His smile turned into a grin and his hand did exactly the same thing as Letty's had done earlier. It cupped her cheek, and Dom had his thumb move up and down as a sign of affection.
She was absolutely beautiful, Dom thought, especially in the mornings when she was still drowsy with sleep and her hair all messed up from all the tossing and turning in bed during the night. He loved that look on her. Thinking about today, Dom had no doubt that the thing he had planned would sweep her off her feet. He wanted her to remember that day for as long as she lived.
After she had spent a while just returning his meaningful look and not saying anything, Letty asked curiously, "And what do I get?" as she grinned back at Dom.
"You get me. What more do you need?" Dom answered amused.
Letty stifled a laugh. That man was completely full of himself, but that was only one of the many reasons why Letty loved him so much. She couldn't imagine Dominic Toretto without his ego. It had caught her attention right from the start, and she was attracted to it still.
"Right now, a kiss is all," she stated in response to his comment and smiled.
Dom fumbled around with strands of her hair, taking his time to respond.
"Where?" he then asked with a wide smirk on his face, looking at her suggestively, but not giving Letty a chance to react, as he added quickly, "Oh, say no more."
Dom licked his lips and crawled under the blanket, lowering himself until his head was between her legs. It was only then that Letty became fully aware of his intentions.
"What are ya doing?" she laughed, "Dom, no, this is not what I meant."
Dom completely ignored Letty's little protest, as he got down to action with his mouth on her lower body. She would thank him for that later.
Soon Letty's laughter faded away and she started releasing moans of pleasure. She hadn't asked for it, but she sure as hell didn't mind either. It was amazing how great he could actually be when he didn't use his mouth to talk but had it speak to her in a way that addressed every fiber of her body like he did now.
She moaned his name, once, twice, as her muscles tightened. When she held her pelvis out towards him, Dom grabbed it firmly.
With his hands around her body, Letty was forced to keep still and it drove her crazy. She wanted to move, twist and turn under the pressure of her sexual arousal, but he didn't let her and the fact that he continued to give her pleasure didn't make it any easier on her. He knew exactly how to drive her over the edge.
Dom enjoyed hearing her moan and how she tried to free herself from his grip, but couldn't. When she finally reached her climax, her body still shivering with excitement, Dom slowly pulled up her body, leaving a trail of kisses behind.
His head emerged above the covers, as he now lay on top of Letty, making sure not to crush her with his full body weight. She was still breathing heavily when he looked at her with that same smirk he had left her with.
Within a second, Dom claimed her lips and, slipping his tongue into her mouth, gave Letty a taste of her own juices. He wasn't surprised to feel her join in by pulling his body even closer. Eventually, Dom rolled over onto his back, dragging her with him, so she got atop of his body. When Letty pulled away from him, Dom kept his arms around her waist, holding her.
"So you liked ... breakfast?" Letty asked him, grinning broadly.
"Loved it," Dom smirked, licking his lips. "Are you not having any?"
"Of your special breakfast, you mean? No, thanks," she laughed, "but I'll have a shower."
Letty shook her head in amusement. Of course the man wanted something in return. That wasn't surprising at all. But she didn't feel like giving it to him now. He could wait a little bit longer to receive. After all, he had more or less tortured her by not letting her move in the way she wanted. He deserved a bit for that.
"Does that mean, I can't join you?" Dom wondered, looking like he'd seriously be disappointed if she told him no.
"Wait a sec," Letty said, acting like she had to think real hard before she could answer that question. "You'd have to be naked in order for you to do that, so I guess– Well, good for you, I know how to get rid of that problem immediately."
Letty sat up straight, leaving Dom's embrace to shift backwards until she had full access to his boxers. Sitting at the edge of the bed, she pulled them down slowly, always keeping her eyes on Dom. She could see in his face how much he'd like her to get down on him at this very second.
"There you go," she smirked, "You're good to go. Now, I just have to–"
Dom looked at Letty, as she pulled her top over her head, exposing her bare breasts. She got up from the bed to stand on the ground, pushing her undies down as she headed to the bathroom at a leisurely pace. Literally everything she did, she did in a very lascivious way.
God, he hated her right now.
How could any men ever not melt at the – now very naked – sight of her. She was a vision of delight with those perfect curves and the dark tone of her skin. Suddenly, the thought of showering with her didn't seem like the best idea to him anymore. If he wanted to torture himself, then yes, it did, but with her not wanting to give him what she had received, it'd be extremely hard on him to be in the shower with her, both of them naked.
"You coming?" Letty turned to face him before she entered the bathroom. "Or are you–"
"No– I mean yes, I'll be a sec," he said, fumbling with words.
Letty laughed. He was too cute. As if she didn't know what was going on in his head or rather somewhere a bit lower than that. Was he planning to do it himself if she didn't? Probably. He seemed very needy right now.
"Well, suit yourself. You know where to find me," Letty cackled, disappearing behind closed doors.
About two minutes passed before Dom appeared in the bathroom, stepping into the shower to join her. He hugged her from behind, resting his chin on her shoulder. Both had their eyes closed, feeling a warmth between them that wasn't alone coming from the water running over them. It was rather the heat their bodies gave off in that tight hug.
"I love you, Letty," Dom whispered in her ear, kissing her cheek.
Letty turned around in his embrace and looked him right in the eyes. Dom could feel her hands stroking along the sides of his body while her fingernails left red marks on his bare skin, her breasts pressing hard against his chest. He didn't actually know what to do. It was like his mind had simply forgotten how to think straight, so he just let his own hands rest on her back.
"I know you want me, Toretto, so why don't you just take me," Letty purred, inviting him to have his way with her. "I'm all yours."
Dom couldn't help but grin. If she really meant it like it sounded, and it absolutely seemed that way, the kind of pleasure he'd receive would even be better than what he'd had in mind before. Much better. For both sides.
He pushed Letty gently against the wall, not letting her challenge him twice. He would take her by her word, take all of her until he was done.
"This will be one hell of a ride," Dom mumbled, kissing her.
He grabbed her ass and lifted her up in his arms. Letty flung hers around his neck, holding on to him for dear life, determined to make this ride one to remember indeed. And the second Dom thrust hard into her, she knew it would be – like so many times before.
Even when they were doing it the hard way, Dom treated her with a certain tenderness, always wanting to make sure that she enjoyed it just as much as he did. Letty loved that about him. He knew his business thoroughly; what turned her on, the things she didn't like and just how she liked it the most. Dom didn't need to figure that out anymore, he simply knew.
He kissed her eagerly until he needed to recover his breath. His breathing was heavy, Letty's too, and the looks they then shared just had them going crazy. When they reached the finish line, it seemed as if their moans could even be heard from outside the place.
Carrying Letty's weight as well as his own, Dom could hardly keep himself on his feet, his whole body shaking from that mind-blowing orgasm. He claimed her lips once more, not ready to let go of her just yet. Letty welcomed him with pleasure by allowing his tongue to gain access to her mouth where a brief tussle soon escalated into a war, as both their tongues fought desperately for dominance.
She felt her breathing get heavier again and that's when she knew, she needed to put an end to it, if they ever wanted to make it out of the shower, or anywhere, because she could continue this forever. In the shower, in bed, on the floor... She could have sex with him all day long, but she still had plans and those were important. Not quite as important as engaging in sexual activity with her boyfriend, but important enough that, for now, she actually needed to go out and do something else. Something he had no idea she was even thinking of.
Yet Dom at least seemed to have a similar thought on his mind, as he broke the kiss and let her down, so she came to stand on her own two feet again. He still had her locked in his arms when he pulled her closer with a toothy grin on his face.
"I'm sorry about your back," Letty apologized, referring to the scratch marks she was responsible for.
She didn't know if it had hurt him, but it wasn't like the blame was all on her anyway. He had wanted to drive her out of her mind and he'd known she wouldn't be able to hold herself back once he did, so those marks were just a little reminder of how well he had succeeded.
"With every ride, there's casualties," Dom stated, still grinning. "Collateral damage," he added. "And if there's not, well, then it wasn't a great ride."
"But it was amazing," Letty grinned.
"Exactly, so don't you worry about any scratches you might've left on me. You just marked your territory," Dom told her, giving Letty a little peck on the lips before he turned the water off with his hand.
They both got out of the shower and Dom quickly grabbed a towel for her to wrap around her body. Then took another one to dry himself off.
He loved doing his morning routine with her being in the bathroom, too, because he could watch her getting ready for the day. He just leaned against the bathroom cabinet and kept his eyes on Letty while she did her hair or got dressed. He followed her every move with his gaze.
Letty occasionally shot him a smile, noticing how he eyed her carefully. When he told her that a strand of her hair had fallen out of place while she was trying to tame it in a bun, she was instantly reminded of the way Dom liked to examine what was under hood of someone's car, as his eyes never failed to overlook a detail. He was a pretty keen observer.
"Thank you," Letty smiled, looking at his reflection in the bathroom mirror before turning around to face him.
"What for?" Dom asked, pushing himself away from the cabinet.
"I don't know, for... being so caring, I guess. It wasn't always like that, so I'm still kinda amazed by how attentive you can be to me," Letty smiled, slightly embarrassed now that Dom had approached her and his big, brown eyes were staring right at her.
"You know how it is. There comes a time when everyone of us has to grow up eventually," Dom laughed.
"I wouldn't go that far," Letty smirked, "You're still such a kid sometimes, but at least you're making progress."
She let her gaze fall and did a quick inspection of his lower body.
"Yeah, I definitely see some progress there. At least some part of you managed to grow a little."
Letty tried to keep a straight face as best as she could, but it wasn't the easiest thing to do with Dom looking at her like that. He seemed to be a bit stunned at first, but then grinned like he wanted to let her know he would retaliate against her soon for that comment she made.
The part she was referring to had grown more than only a little, but of course she was just trying to tease him. He wouldn't give her that kind of satisfaction, though. If she wanted to play games, the teasing kind, he would certainly find a way to show her how it was done. He could already think of something.
Letty put her arms around his neck, showering him with kisses. She finally had an idea about how she could go through with her proposal and she honestly couldn't wait to hear what he had to say to that. She knew what his answer was going to be, but would he actually be so happy that he cried? Or would he just be Dom and play it cool?
"Do you remember the nice spot we were at when we watched the sunset yesterday?" she asked him. "Can you meet me there in 'bout half an hour?"
"Sure thing," Dom nodded, as he wondered what she had planned.
It had to be something special, because given the look on her face it obviously meant a lot to her that he met her there. She enjoyed the element of surprise, so maybe, Dom thought, she wanted to surprise him with a breakfast at the foot of the cliff, right on the beach. She knew he'd like that. But what else did the spot have to offer that could be of any importance to her? He would just have to wait and see.
"Good," Letty smiled, cupping his cheeks with her hands. "I promise you, you're not gonna regret it."
"I know, I won't," Dom noted and kissed her one last time before he went to get fresh boxers from the drawer. Letty watched him, as he left her to stare at his naked butt while he walked away.
"Oh, and, by the way, I love you, too," Letty called out after him, walking out of the room while she was accompanied by Dom's laughter.
When Dom arrived at the beach where Letty had told him to meet her, he couldn't spot her anywhere. For a second it made him wonder, if he was in the wrong place after all, but then he heard her voice.
"I'm up here," she shouted, and when Dom looked up the small cliff, which was still about 32 feet high, his heart skipped a beat.
Letty sat on the edge of it with her hair blowing in the wind. It was a sight that would've made a beautiful picture if caught on camera, but the huge rock she sat on looked like it could break loose from the rest of the slope and fall down any minute.
"What is she–" he mumbled, watching her anxiously as she rose to her feet to stand up.
"Letty, get the fuck down there," Dom yelled at her in a harsh voice.
Last night, when they had watched the sunset here, they had seen rocks falling down not too far from where they had been sitting. The same rocks Letty was now so recklessly putting her trust in to be able to hold her weight. He couldn't believe she would risk her life like that.
"No, you need to get up here," she yelled back, not even thinking about following his orders.
Dom started to run as fast as his legs could carry him. This wasn't a game to him anymore. If he'd known before that her plan was to put her life in danger, he would've never let her go. And the fact that she didn't listen to him made him furious. Sometimes she really was a handful.
"Letty, I'm not gonna tell you again. Get the hell away from that cliff," Dom gasped out as soon as he had reached the top, standing only a few inches away from her.
He reached out his hand, but Letty didn't take it. She just turned around and gazed at the sea, trying to think of something to say. She had known exactly what to say to him, but now that the man she wanted to propose to was actually here she couldn't remember the words anymore.
"Letty, I swear to God, if you don't take my hand now, I'm gonna push you down that cliff myself," Dom said, being more concerned than angry, though. "I'm serious. It's too dangerous. Please, just–"
"This is it, Dom. This is exactly it," Letty interrupted him, facing him again. Dom, obviously confused by the choice of her words, shot her a questioning look.
"We're so used to be living our lives in danger that we sometimes forget how lucky we are to still be alive and to have each other," Letty explained.
"Remember when I wrecked my car on the highway all those years ago when we tried to raid that truck. The day you found out Brian was a cop?"
"How could I ever forget," Dom answered, remembering everything about that moment; the anger he had felt towards Brian for lying to him the entire time, and especially the fear that Letty would not make it out alive of that car, as he saw it crash.
"I could've been dead, Dom. You know that," Letty sighed. "And you could've get yourself killed so many times with the stupid things you did."
"We can talk about this, but please, Let, c'mere," Dom pleaded, leaning forward to grab her arm to pull her towards him. He didn't want to discuss these things with her while she stood on the brink of a cliff.
"No, I don't wanna– We don't need to talk about this now, I just wanted you to know that–"
Letty swallowed hard. She closed her eyes, trying to get her head to stop spinning. Now was the time for her to ask what she had thought of asking him ever since she'd woken up earlier. She needed to concentrate, needed to do this right. It would change her life forever.
Dom noticed the tension that had suddenly seemed to paralyze her body. He could tell that there was something else going on on her mind she wasn't telling him.
"What is it?" he asked concerned, wanting to hear her thoughts.
Sometimes, just sometimes, Letty really hated that she couldn't keep anything from him. There were times when he knew what she was thinking before she even became aware of it herself. They connected on a level that reminded her of when people talked about their soul mate. She had never believed in that kind of stuff, but her relationship with Dom lead her to believe in all kind of things she didn't think existed.
"Dom, I need you to ask something and this is kinda– It's important you're not gonna make fun of me or anything, because this is already– I'm already having enough trouble as it is with wanting to ask you that and not knowing how. I'm–"
She felt Dom's arms wrap around her waist, which only made it harder for Letty to focus. He hardly ever knew what his touch did to her. He must've had an idea, but he couldn't possibly know that his touch still caused her body to feel like it was set on fire. Everything was fireworks with him.
"Just say what you wanna say, Letty, and I promise I'm not gonna pull your leg." Dom smiled as these words left his mouth. He could see how nervous she was in the way she squeezed her hands, so he seized and held them firmly to offer her support.
"When I was watching you sleep earlier, I– I thought about my future and... whenever I do that, then all I see is you and– and I want it to stay that way forever," Letty mentioned quietly. "I know you can't promise me this, and that's okay, but you said, you wanna start all mornings with me, and I want that, too. I don't wanna be apart from you ever again."
A weak smile tugged at the corner of her lips. Letty knew that this was absolutely the right thing to do. She was so in love with him, she couldn't wait to marry Dom and be his wife.
"You're my ride and die, Dominic Toretto, you've always been, but how about you'll also be my husband? You'd like that? Because I do."
She hadn't planned that speech so whatever she could think of, she said. It didn't need to be cheesy; it just needed to make Dom realize that she was goddamn serious about this. In fact, she had never been so serious about anything concerning their relationship ever before.
"Oh God, I'm making a complete fool of myself," Letty groaned, as she looked up to him.
She couldn't make out what he was thinking, but it was obvious that she had taken him completely by surprise. His mouth fell open and his hands soon let go of hers. Was that a bad sign, though?
"Dom, I never thought I would ever want this, you know, to get married, but with you– We've had our ups and downs, probably more downs than ups," Letty forced a chuckle, "but the way I feel right now, I have never felt about you."
She took his face in her hands, her hands shaking a little, not being able to hide how nervous she was. She smiled happily at him, her eyes sparkling.
"I love you," she whispered, "and I wanna be married to you. I wanna be your wife."
Letty caressed his cheeks, kissing him tenderly before she finally asked, "So will you marry me?"
Dom didn't quite know what was happening or how he'd even gotten here, as his mind was thinking all kinds of thoughts, but when Letty told him one more time, "Marry me, Toretto," he knew he wasn't dreaming.
He was flabbergasted, speechless, and he needed some time to process what he had just heard. For as long as he could remember Letty had taken no stock in anything he or anyone else for that matter ever had to say about marriage and getting married. At least that's the feeling she had given him, which is why he then stopped bringing it up. He had just insinuated the topic to see her reaction.
Once, she had said that she already kind of felt married to him, because they were together for so long and that she didn't need 'a stupid paper' to prove that she loved him; that if he wanted her to put on a dress and make cheesy promises to him in front of a priest, she'd strangle him with the veil before he even got a glimpse at it. Now that she had obviously changed her mind, it changed everything else as well.
"No. I mean, I can't," Dom uttered, slowly stepping away from her. It was only a little, but enough to make Letty frown.
"No? What do you mean you can't?" Letty couldn't believe her ears. Had he really said that? Had he seriously just turned down her marriage proposal? Why on earth would he do that? It had taken her so much courage to open up to him like that, how could he not appreciate that but disparage it so easily?
"Dom, are you serious right now?" Letty asked him, her voiced filled with disbelief. She tried to fathom the hidden meaning of his words which would explain his feelings for her, but there was none. There was only one way in which his words made sense and she didn't even want to think about what this could mean for the future of their relationship.
"I can... not believe this," she scolded, feeling like she had every right to be angry.
"I bare my soul to you and you're just gonna say no like 'I'm sorry, I don't love you that much, but thanks for asking and telling me all this'? Seriously? That's how you wanna play it?"
She took a step backwards to be able to see him better. Staring right at him, her eyes pierced Dom as if she wanted to stab him to death with that angry look on her face.
"I should push you down that cliff right now," she hissed, "and then throw rocks at you from up here."
She felt betrayed and it hurt her that Dom obviously didn't want the same things she did. How could she have been so oblivious to the fact that she might not know him as well as she thought she did? Was she so wrong to think he would want to get married, too? The way Dom had backed away from her shortly afterwards and his words made her feel like she was.
So, now what? Did he expect her to act like nothing ever happened? Would she just have to live with this deep feeling of disappointment? How could she?
Dom grinned, a fact that made Letty even madder. This wasn't fair. Why was he making fun of her when he had promised her not to? She seriously wanted to hurt him right now.
Letty could feel tears well in her eyes. She was so hurt and so, so mad.
"You know what, Dom? Why don't you just–"
But before she could rant some more, Dom intervened.
"Let, calm down, okay?" he asked of her, holding up his hands in defense, laughing a little. "I'm not saying, I don't love you enough. I do, you know that, it's just that–"
He could see the anger in her eyes, but that didn't bother him. It was the hurt that made him suddenly feel bad about teasing her. He shouldn't have. She had come a long way from being the tough girl, who had always been afraid of showing too much emotion, to the woman who didn't care about what anyone else had to say about her exposing her true feelings.
"Ya know, I'm kinda glad you asked me first, 'cause now the chance of your answer being no is highly unlikely," Dom remarked.
That was the one thing he had really been worried about. Since she felt so strongly about marriage he had always wondered, if she would even say yes to him when he finally had the guts to ask her. He knew there was no doubt that she loved him, but there still was little chance that she'd compromise her principles.
Letty looked at him with confusion and the longer she did that the more her anger disappeared, as she slowly became aware of what Dom was planning to do. That idiot had just been messing with her head.
"You son of a bitch," she complained, "You fucking bastard." While she put emphasis on each word she couldn't help but grin. She should've known it was all an act. Revenge was a dish best served cold. She hadn't seen it coming. Now he had gotten to pay her back for that little insult earlier.
"You really think I'd say no to you?" Dom laughed, "Well, call me old-fashioned, but I'm the man here so I should be the one to ask."
Dom ran his hands over his head, massaging his scalp as if he had trouble organizing his thoughts and felt like a little head rub would help him sort out the mess and put those thoughts in order. Letty looked at him closely, feeling like her body had suddenly turned into stone. She couldn't move, needed some time to grasp the fact that he was about to propose to her.
"I had this whole speech all worked out, but right now-," Dom mumbled, taking a deep breath.
When he had pictured the moment in his head and made that impressive speech in front of the bathroom mirror, imagining it was her he talked to, it had been so easy. Dom knew it would be different the second his plan would become a reality, but now that it did, he just couldn't manage to think straight.
"When I look at you, it's all gone. All those words... Gone," Dom admitted, as he looked at Letty with a weak smile on his face, his sweaty palms speaking of great nervousness.
"I– If I come across as a little nervous, it's... Well, I am so I'm just gonna–" Dom hesitated, as he got down on one knee.
"Dom, what are you– You're seriously gonna do this? Oh, my God," Letty exclaimed, covering her mouth with both her hands.
She still found it hard to believe that this was really happening, but if she'd ever had a doubt about his intentions before, it was gone now. Dom was definitely not kidding this time and apparently had meant to ask her all along. She had just given him a reason to do it now.
"Don't you dare laugh, Ortiz," Dom smirked, as he looked up to her.
"I'm not," Letty chuckled, obviously laughing already. "I'm so sorry, but you, Dominic Toretto, down on one knee like– like all those snobs you always hated and made fun of, it's... I don't know. It's something else."
Dom shook his head in amusement. Women, he thought. There he was trying to do something completely out of character, hoping to surprise her, and she just laughed at him.
"You're making it kinda hard for me to focus, Let," he said, still grinning.
Letty took a minute to think. She didn't want to ruin the moment, but this was just too weird. Thankfully, she knew how to make the situation a little less awkward without trampling on Dom's feelings.
She plunked herself down on the ground and, as she settled herself cross-legged in front of him, dissolved into giggles, seeing that her sudden movement had knocked Dom out of his stride. His mouth was open, yet there were no words coming out of it.
"This is not helping," Dom told her after he had tried to recall what he had wanted to say next.
"I know, but it's hilarious to see your reaction," Letty cackled.
For as long as she knew him, she had never seen him suffer from his nerves like that. He had been nervous before but not as much as he was now. It was adorable and she just couldn't wait to give him an answer to the question he hadn't asked yet.
"Besides, if anyone sees you doing that sappy knee thing it's gonna damage your reputation and you don't want people to know that deep down you're just a big softie, do you?" she noted, cocking an eyebrow. When Dom didn't say anything back, a big grin captured all of her face. "See? I'm just looking out for you, man."
Letty knew it was kind of mean to have him promise he wouldn't make fun of her when all she had done so far was making fun of him, but she could see in Dom's eyes that he enjoyed this. He didn't want this moment to be any different, didn't want her to shut up and listen, because he knew that just wasn't her style. But teasing him also helped her to deal with her own nervousness.
"You just reminded me of how bad I wanna do this," Dom revealed, smirking. Taking Letty's hand, he continued, "There's just no one like you, and you know when I say that it's true, because I've met a lot of women in my life."
"And you've been with many of 'em, too," Letty interjected.
It wasn't a nasty comment, though, but rather a witty remark. Everyone knew he had his experience with women, had been with all kinds of girls, but Letty didn't care anymore, because she was the only woman he loved. She was just trying to tease him a bit more, and was glad to realize he hadn't taken it the wrong way.
"Can't argue with that, can I?" Dom laughed, stroking the back of her hand with his thumb.
"So are you done commenting now," Dom asked, "because if you keep butting in like this, we'll still be here tomorrow."
When she responded with a nod, Dom mouthed a thank you. He could see in Letty's eyes how excited she was about all of this and that was everything he had hoped for. It made him feel like words didn't even matter anymore. Whatever he had to say to her now, she already knew the answer to his question.
"We've been together for so long that being apart from you feels like–" Dom paused for a second, thinking about the right way to put it, "like I'm sitting in a car with no engine. Wherever I wanna go, it takes me forever to get there, because I have to push that damn thing. And then, when I finally reach the finish line, after working my ass off to make it that far, no one presents me with a fucking trophy."
Dom studied Letty's face, trying to figure out what was going on in her head, but she just smiled at him. Everything he said made total sense to her, because she felt exactly the same way. She just didn't feel like interrupting him.
"But I wasn't born to be a loser, so I just try to be faster next time to catch up with everyone else, like, race my car downhill, no engine needed," Dom added. "I just think of ways to scrape along on what little I have, ya know."
Since he felt that his example didn't seem to make her understand what he meant after all, he gave it another shot, hoping she would get it then.
"What I'm trying to say is that I may be able to breathe without you, and live without you, but this isn't the life I wanna have, because I'd miss the one thing that gets me going."
Dom reached out to cup her cheek, as he still held Letty's hand in his.
"Letty, you're everything to me," he declared, "The driving force behind my actions, the one that cheers me up when I lose and encourages me to keep going, my trophy... Everything."
Dom caressed her skin with his thumb, old memories flashing before his eyes, reminding him of how lucky he was to have found her.
"If I ride, it's because of you. And if I fight, it's because I know I'm fighting for you and this life we have. And if I die–"
Noticing the look on Letty's face, as soon as he mentioned the possibility of death, Dom hesitated to keep on talking for a moment. The thought alone made her shudder. Her smile had disappeared and the sparkle in her eyes was gone. All there was, as it seemed to him, was shock and fear.
"If I die, I'm gonna die happy knowing you loved me," Dom finally continued anyway. If he sounded cheesy, then so be it. He couldn't care less for all he cared was letting her know how much she meant to him.
"You're making me cry," Letty stated quietly, as his speech had brought tears to her eyes and the fact he had talked about leaving this world made it all the more difficult for her to hold them back. She couldn't.
"I don't want you to die," she whispered, swallowing hard.
"Then marry me," Dom replied, grinning at her. "Marry me or I'm gonna jump down that cliff behind you right now."
"Ugh, this isn't funny, Dom," Letty retorted sharply, slapping him on the wrist, "I'm serious."
"So am I," Dom said sincerely.
He took a deep breath. There was one last thing he had to say to her and then all he had to do was wait for her to say something back; say one word and make him the happiest he had ever been. And the right way to propose to a woman like Letty was asking to be hers instead of asking her to be his, Dom figured.
"Leticia Ortiz, will you give me the joy of becoming your husband?"
As soon as those words had left his mouth, a huge smile grew on his lips. It was completely disarming and made Letty go weak at the knees. She'd known he was going to ask her this eventually, but hearing him do it now melted her heart.
"Of course I'm gonna marry you, you idiot," Letty answered, laughing through tears, as she cupped his face, pulling him closer. Unable to keep his balance when she did that, Dom almost collapsed on top of her.
He laughed, trying to break his fall by putting one hand on the ground. Then he leaned forward, closing the gap between them, to meet her lips. Dom felt his heart beating faster, as he sealed the deal with a deep kiss, knowing that this was just the beginning of a new adventure.
He was in a very happy place right now and there was absolutely no one that could make him feel like this wasn't the life everyone dreamed of having. He had found the perfect woman; the one that always understood him even when he didn't understand himself, respected and loved him. Letty completed him in ways he could've never imagined.
When they finally managed to let go of each other's lips, Dom got up from the ground and grabbed her hand to drag her with him. As soon as she stood on her feet again, he flung his arms around her, hugging her tightly.
Letty, though a bit taken by surprise at first, quickly locked him in her arms and rested her head against Dom's chest. She sighed contentedly, hearing the gentle deep voice as it told her, "There's a church waiting for us tomorrow night and it comes with a priest, so you better go and buy a dres- something appropriate to wear... unless you wanna be naked."
When Letty gently broke the embrace and looked at him confused, Dom leered. "Not that I'd mind," he added.
"Wait. What do you mean a priest?" Letty asked in astonishment. "That sounds like you planned– But your speech, I thought you improvised that. When did you–"
"Right after the day we were reunited. Thought you were the only one thinking about this?" Dom laughed.
"I didn't prepare that speech– Well, I did prepare one, but, I forgot that, so I had to wing it," Dom explained, "but the plan was always gonna be to ask you tonight... which is why I made some arrangements yesterday."
Letty soon came to understand that Dom had thought about this long before she did. The moment she had showed up in the DR, all the way from Mexico, had obviously made a huge impact on him so much so that he'd decided to ask her hand in marriage. Maybe it had made him realize how much he had actually missed her.
'You don't know what you have until it's gone,' that's what people always said, and this could be the reason why Dom had made plans to propose to her immediately after she had come back to him. But whatever reason he'd had, Letty was beyond grateful it had lead to this.
"So, we're gonna get married tomorrow, huh?" she grinned.
"Ride or die," Dom smirked, putting his arms around her waist. When he locked eyes with her, he could tell right away what she was thinking.
This was it. They were going to take the plunge. Whatever the future held for them, they would deal with it as a married couple, husband and wife. And the most important thing was that it wasn't something they were going to do to please other people – God knew his little sister had always nagged Dom about it – but for themselves. They were going to get married out of love, not necessity, because people expected them to.
Dom was well aware of tradition, like to say grace before meals, and it was important for him to have a code to stick to, but this wasn't about any of that. He just wanted Letty to know that 'ride or die' wasn't just an empty phrase for him. He meant it. He was, and would always be, down with her no matter what, through it all, the good and the bad. He was willing to do anything for her even if it meant getting himself killed. He had said it to her so many times, now was the time to finally put his money where his mouth was and live up to these words.
Letty put her arms around Dom's neck and stared at him in silence for a few moments. They had come a long way from where they started no doubt about that. And tomorrow night they would get married. That was huge, even for them, who had been through so much. She couldn't wait to be his wife, to officially become a Toretto. Well, they still had to talk about that. If he wanted her to adopt his last name, he would have to bring forward some really great arguments. Dom knew she wouldn't give in that easily.
"How did you know I was gonna yes?" Letty wondered, knowing damn well, however, that there was no way she could've ever said no.
"I just knew," Dom laughed, "The same way I knew you were gonna find me here. All I needed was some bait."
"Oh, so you used the skanks to lure me into this? Smart move, papi," Letty admitted, laughing. "But I'm still not gonna wear a dress."
She shot him a serious look, though deep down inside her she felt like this was exactly what she had to do. He had never gotten to see her in a dress and he deserved to be swept off his feet on his wedding day. She just needed to find a dress she felt comfortable enough to wear. Thank God she pretty much always knew how to get what she wanted and had already made some acquaintances that could help her out. He wouldn't see it coming.
"I told you, if you wanna marry me without anything on, feel free to do so," Dom said, grinning broadly, as he put a strand of Letty's hair behind her ear.
He knew even before he had popped the question that she would not want to put on a dress and since no one could make her do anything she didn't want to, he would be happy as long as she showed up. That didn't change the fact, though, that deep in his heart Dom felt like seeing her in a wedding gown would be an image that would forever remain burned in his memory. He wanted this.
"What are you gonna wear?" Letty suddenly burst with curiosity, raising an eyebrow. It jolted Dom out of his little daydream and brought him back into reality.
"Letty, I can't tell you. Where's the fun in that?" Dom smiled, bending forward to give her a peck.
He was still a bit caught up in his reverie of Letty in a dress and actually didn't know what he should wear to their wedding. He had considered his options, but hadn't decided on anything yet. He didn't feel like wearing a tux. Then again, he also didn't feel like his outfit could just be something casual he had hanging in his closet. It had to be something special. She deserved to see something incredibly pleasing to the eye, so he needed to look damn fine.
"I also didn't tell anyone about the proposal," Dom mentioned, "so no one will be at our wedding."
He had thought about telling his little sister, but then he had felt like this was something they had to do alone. It was supposed to be their moment. He loved his friends and family and it would've been nice to have Mia around, but he didn't want anyone to be with them, and he hoped Letty was fine with that.
"Sneaking off to get married," Letty smirked, "now that's totally my style."
Thinking about Mia's face when she would find out that her and Dom got married behind her back, Letty kind of knew what to expect. Mia wouldn't like it, probably be furious with them, and maybe a bit sad, too, but it was all worth it. It should be just them. No one needed to know they were about to tie the knot. That didn't mean they didn't love their friends. They just sort of loved each other more.
"Ha-ha, that's what I thought," Dom laughed, kissing her once more.
"You know why I chose this place to propose to you?" she asked whereupon Dom shook his head.
"Because last night you said it reminded you of our first real date," Letty continued, "and so I thought it would be the perfect spot to ask you to marry me, because on that date we truly opened up to each other and we both know we wouldn't be here if we hadn't. That day we really committed to this relationship... and there's simply no greater commitment than marriage. When you know that person will be around forever and you promised to stay and work it through, not just today but any day, that's when you know it's real."
The memories of that day made Letty smile. She remembered how it had always been fun and games with him until that day when they decided to put the joking aside and just be honest with each other. They both had taken some time until they managed to speak their minds without the slightest hesitation. Letty had never seen Dom so vulnerable before whereas she had never been so open about her feelings.
"What we have is real, Dom. It's real... and it started that day."
"So, no more kidding around," Dom smiled, "We're getting married."
It was that date that had changed everything betweem them and it was going to be a wedding that would end their long journey of trying to figure out how genuine their love really was for good. There was no need to play games anymore and pretend they didn't want this, didn't want to be committed to each other by the bond of marriage. They both wanted their relationship to be viewed as what it was – as real as it could get.
"We're getting married," Letty repeated smiling, as she took Dom's face in her hands to pull him closer.
"I can't wait to marry you," he whispered.
"You may now kiss the bride," Letty's hushed voice sounded and she welcomed the warm lips that sought hers.