Engaging LoVe

Logan wakes up at nine to a soft beeping from the phone. He realizes that it is almost time for the breakfast he ordered for them before they go to the spa. Reaching over he pushes a button on the phone and then looks back over at his beautiful, sexy girlfriend. Although they never made it to the deck hot tub, they had spent a good portion of the night enjoying the huge, curtained bed. It has been a while since they spent a night focused on just them with no obligations the next day. He leans over, kisses her neck gently until he feels her waking and he softly cajoles, "Breakfast is here. Put on a housecoat and come and join me on the balcony please."

She makes those soft protesting sounds he loves but he knows her, and the lure of a good breakfast, especially one she doesn't have to dress up for, will pull her out of the warm, soft, comfortable bed. He gets up and heads into the bathroom to put on a robe. He needs to open the door to room service in a few minutes.

Logan sits out on the balcony and relaxes with his coffee. As he expected, once room service set their breakfast up out on the balcony, the smell wafted in to the bedroom and he heard Veronica get out of bed and head into the bathroom. Sure enough, she appears all wrapped up in her hotel robe with her messy bed hair, looking tired but happy. He stands and assists her to sit and then pours her a coffee. As he sits he says, "Good morning my love."

She smiles sleepily at him and answers easily, "Good morning." She looks around as she sips her coffee and then gets up to see what her thoughtful boyfriend ordered for breakfast. She sees he ordered a buffet style breakfast with eggs, bacon, sausage, pancakes, fruit and toast. She is pleased at how thoughtful he is and fills her plate. As she eats the delicious breakfast, she takes the time to look out at the spectacular view. The coastline is more rugged here than where they live but it is undoubtedly beautiful as well.

She looks at the beach and notices a young man using a rake and shovel. Watching him closely for a few minutes she sees that he is doing more than cleaning the beach, he seems to be making a design. When she points the man out to Logan, he looks down at him and comments, "I am not sure what he is doing." After watching for a few minutes, he adds, "It looks like he is drawing something. I didn't read about this in the information for the resort." Sitting back and taking a sip of his delicious coffee, he adds teasingly, "I hope it is a drawing of a mermaid."

Smiling she guesses, "A sea horse or starfish maybe."

When it looks like Veronica has finished eating, he suggests, "Let's shower and then head down to the spa. I booked us both a full spa day in a private room."

Veronica looks a little leery but she gamely gets up with Logan and heads into the bathroom with him. Since this is a spa and resort, she is guessing she is going to get some first class pampering. She took a look at the brochure in their room before she came out for breakfast. They have many options including a four handed body massage, a signature massage that includes a body scrub and scalp massage, a signature pedicure and manicure as well as various steams and soaks. They also have a hair cleansing and protein treatment package with a stylist who will trim and style your hair. There seems to be a lot of options and she wonders what package Logan ordered but decides to just go with it. Logan has assured her that he will be with her the whole day.

A few hours later, Veronica is a convert. She started with the signature massage and Veronica was completely relaxed when it was done. It was a good choice because it put her in a wonderful mood and she was agreeable to whatever they wanted to do afterwards. Logan smiled as he looked over from his four handed massage to see Veronica relaxing with her massage. Next they had manicure and pedicures and then walked back up to their suite for a light late lunch. While sitting on their room deck, they both noticed that the man on the beach with the shovel and rake was making some sort of picture that would take up most of the beach below them. Veronica wondered if each private beach had the same thing and what the picture would be of.

Logan looked at the man working and commented that if he was an artist, the tide would come in and wash away his work later. After lunch they went back down to finish their spa appointments. Logan chose a long steam and then a facial while Veronica had her hair treated and then a facial. She felt relaxed and beautiful by the time they left. She had not realized how wonderful it was to be pampered. For years she has teased Logan about getting facials and manicures but she has to admit, she doesn't always take the time to look after herself and it really felt good to be pampered. She is not sure that she would want to visit a spa every week but under teasing from her boyfriend admitted that she would probably go again. Her favorite treatment of the day was the foot massage and pedicure. Her toes and finger nails are now a deep red color and she likes how they look. Her hair is so full and shiny after the treatment and trim. Her skin glows and she feels and smells wonderful. Surprisingly, she actually enjoyed watching Logan get pampered. He looked very good getting his massage and his wonderful tanned skin glows after his steam bath. He is busy at work and with his foundation so it was actually kind of nice to see him get spoiled as well.

When they got back to the room, Logan ordered a fruit plate and some coffee. They relaxed and munched on the covered deck in their robes. The young man was still working on the beach. Veronica thought he was making a pattern of hearts and Logan thought it looked like a plant.

They were both tired and elected to nap together for a couple of hours before dinner. Cuddled naked in bed surrounded by the warmth of her man, Veronica realizes that she has not thought about work once. She has to admit that this is a great get-away. She feels relaxed and spending time alone with Logan is always something she is going to want to do. She closes her eyes and lets herself drift into much needed sleep. She didn't get a lot of sleep last night but she has no complaints about how she spent the night.

Logan wakes up before Veronica and slides quietly out of the bed. He has to make sure their private table and dinner is ready and have Veronica's dress and shoes delivered up to the room. He goes over to the balcony and checks on the progress of the man on the beach. The bottom of the design of hearts is going to say 'Veronica, Will You Marry Me?' He has timed them to arrive back from dinner on the deck above the beach when the sand proposal is supposed to be done.

Logan smiles as he opens the door and sees his driver holding Veronica's dress and shoes. He thanks him and listens as he is told that the champagne he brought has been given to the hotel for dinner tonight. Logan thanks him and lets him know they will be leaving tomorrow after lunch. Veronica hears the suite door shut and she stretches reveling the in the soft sheets. She idly wonders what Logan ordered and looks at him as he enters the bedroom. Her attention is taken by what he is carrying. It is the most beautiful short red dress she has ever seen. She sits up and then crawls to the end of their bed to look at it. He smiles at the enraptured look on her face and tells her, "I bought this dress for you to wear tonight."

Her breath catches as she reaches out to touch it. It is so incredibly soft and silky. Pleased, Logan says, "Why don't we get ready for dinner?"

Taking the dress from him, she looks at the label and then looks up at Logan. She can't believe he ordered her this dress. Hanging up the dress, she looks closely at the shoes and says, "Oh my god!" She looks at him and exclaims, "Logan!"

He gently touches the dress and says, "You will look so beautiful in this." Deeply affected by his reverent tone and obvious desire to spoil her, she clamps down on her initial negative reaction to his spending so much money on a dress and shoes. She is happy that she did when he points out, "Veronica, I try not to stay within your comfort zone most of the time. This weekend is my weekend to spoil you. Please just let go along with my plans." He meets her gaze and finishes, "It is important to me."

She looks into his dark eyes and sees his sincerity and she looks back at the beautiful dress and shoes. "It is a gorgeous dress," she points out quietly. Logan smiles, touched that his wants are important to her. What she doesn't know is that this dress will become the dress she wears on their future anniversary evenings.

When Veronica is finished combing out her hair and putting on her makeup, she takes the dress off the hanger and puts it on. Logan appears behind her in the floor to ceiling mirrors and easily zips up her dress. He looks impeccably dressed in a formal black suit with a crisp white shirt and a black and red tie. Meeting his gaze she sees his approval of how she looks and her heart skips a beat. He gently rubs up and down her arms and tells her sincerely, "You look amazing Veronica!"

She smiles at him in the mirror and comments, "You look really handsome." She sees that he has put a lot of thought into their outfits tonight as his tie matches her dress and shoes. Logan smiles at her compliment and looks at her in the mirror. After a few seconds he asks as if he is unsure of the answer, "Do you know what would finish off this outfit perfectly?"

Unsure herself what Logan is really talking about, she meets his gaze in the mirror and watches as he pulls a box out of the pocket of his suit jacket. Her eyes widen as she takes in the prominent jewelers name on the box. Logan steps to her side and opens the box showing her the exquisite necklace and earring set inside. It is a gold chain with red rubies and diamonds that hang in a V shape at the front. It is the most beautiful necklace she has ever seen and it takes her breath away. The earrings are small rubies and diamond hangers. She sucks in a breath and Logan can see she is truly overwhelmed at the beauty of the gift. He takes the necklace out of the box and turns her around to face the mirror as he puts the necklace on her delicate neck. He is right in that the expensive jewelry compliments the dress perfectly. He encourages, "Try on the earrings."

Veronica takes off her diamond earrings and puts on the ruby and diamond earring set. She moves her head back and forth noting the free movement of the earrings and how perfect they look with her dress. She looks at Logan in the mirror and then turns to look up at him. She shakes her head and says, "Thank you so much Logan. They are really beautiful."

Before she can make any complaints that he spent too much money or it was unnecessary, he says, "You are very welcome. You look beautiful in anything you wear and..." he leans in and kisses her neck adding suggestively, "when you wear nothing at all."

She is touched and has to blink back tears at how loving and romantic he is. She looks at him and admits, "You make me feel beautiful."

He bends a little so he is looking directly into her eyes when he openly tells her, "I want you to feel beautiful and loved Veronica. You deserve that every day."

"I love you Logan," she tells him emotionally and the tears overflow from her blue eyes.

He immediately reaches up and gently wipes the tears away as he softly chides, "Hey, hey, no crying Ronnie." He teases her, "See, you don't let me spoil you enough if you cry when I do get a chance to show you how much I love you."

His tone works and she gives him a watery smile. She says, "How like you to use every situation to your advantage."

He smirks and tells her, "No darling, that is you. If I am manipulating, and I am not admitting that I am, I learned from the best."

She has to smile because he is right. In the past, she has been the controlling one in their relationship. Now though, she has, for the most part, left the manipulation out of their daily interactions. This time she has let herself just love Logan and just give him the love and security he wants and needs. He has always had a huge capacity for love and she is learning that it is really wonderful to be the woman he loves. She can't believe that she ever let him go before. She won't make that mistake again. She steps closer to him and admits a little sadly, "I resemble that remark."

Logan is impressed that he can be open with how he feels and Veronica is fine with it. He can see she is not offended. He touches her necklace and shares, "When Aaron bought Mom jewelry, it was because he wanted to look the part of a wealthy man spoiling his woman or he wanted to get back into her good graces when he got caught fooling around on her." Meeting her gaze, "I am profoundly grateful that what we have together is more than what my parents had. I can spoil you just because you are you and I love you."

Deeply touched, she puts her hand on his heart and tells him, "You aren't anything like him. You are so much more. I am so lucky that you love me. I hope you know how grateful I am for you every day."

"I do," he assures her as he leans down to kiss her. Before the kiss can get out of hand, he breaks it off and suggests, "Let's finish getting ready and head to dinner. I am starved."

She takes a deep breath and lets it out before she agrees, "I'm hungry too." She puts her diamond earrings away and retouches her lipstick before she pronounces herself ready. She walks out to where Logan is waiting on the deck and sees that he is watching the young man work on the sand drawing. He stands when she arrives and says, "I think you might be right; his drawing might be hearts."

Looking at it, she agrees, "It looks like lots of little hearts coming out of something."

Logan takes another picture on his cell phone and says hopefully, "Maybe he will be finished when we get back from dinner?" As they walk to the door of the room, he says, "It's kind of amazing that he can draw a picture that large from top to bottom."

Now that Veronica thinks about it, it is impressive how he can keep all the components of the picture in the right scale and straight on the canvas of sand. She agrees, "Actually that is pretty impressive."

When they get off the elevator, Logan turns them to the right instead of going straight to the restaurant. When Veronica looks at him in question, he supplies, "Tonight we are dining in one of the private rooms."

"Like our first date?" she asks.

Pleased that she remembers, he says, "Yes, like that." He pulls out a room card and opens one of the doors. He waits for Veronica to walk in ahead of him and he is not disappointed. The room is set up with a table and the view out the window is over their beach. They can see the drawing in the sand but they can't see the man as he is working out of their sight now they are just above ground level. The table is set up for a romantic date with red candles, crystal vases with red roses and a crisp white tablecloth and napkins.

Veronica is touched at how much planning Logan has put into their weekend. He is really pampering her and this weekend is for them as a couple. She sits when he pulls out her chair and thanks him. Logan sits across from her and pours them each a glass of the champagne that is sitting there waiting for them. When Veronica takes a sip she exclaims, "Oh, I don't know anything about fine wines but this is amazing!"

"I actually brought this bottle from home," Logan shares. "I bought a case of it at an auction a few months ago." He explains the importance of the vintage and how it was his mother's favorite. He adds a little bashfully, "I thought that we would use it for special occasions."

Impressed she merely says, "Your mother would be so proud at what a loving, thoughtful man you are." Logan looks surprised and touched at her words. He raises his glass and toasts, "To finding true love." She raises her glass to his and they gently touch the crystal flutes before they each take another sip of the wonderful champagne.

Their waiter unobtrusively brings each course and then leaves the couple together. Logan brings up when they first met and the conversation drifts from the beginning to each of them admitting how important the other was over the years. They don't dwell on the negative instead telling each other the positive times. Veronica learns that Logan used to seek her out when Lilly broke up with him because she was the most caring and she always noticed the efforts he made to keep Lilly happy. Veronica tells him about how he was the most understanding when her mother got drunk. He shares that when he started the Foundation he did it for himself and his mother's memory, but he always imagined she would find out and be proud of his work. She admits a little shyly that he is the only man who has ever made her forget herself when they touch. Logan takes her hand, brings it to his lips and kisses it, "You are the only woman who has ever made me feel loved."

She had been surprised that he wanted to eat so early but now they are sitting at a beautifully decorated table, they are admitting how very much in love they are and the sun is setting on the horizon filling the room with golds, reds and oranges. It is an amazing moment.

While they are waiting for dessert, Logan goes over and presses a button on the speaker. The music that had been playing in the background increases in volume and Veronica realizes that the band from the main hall is being piped through. He turns to her and puts out his hand without speaking.

Responding to him, she immediately stands and goes over to take his hand. He pulls her close and they dance to the romantic music. As they are dancing the DJ introduces the next song as a request from Logan to Veronica. The song he cues up is 'Chasing Cars' by one of her most favorite bands, Snow Patrol. Veronica pulls her head off Logan's chest and looks up at him in surprise. He meets her gaze and his eyes are a soft brown and she feels her heart honestly skip in her chest. He is too much sometimes. He has thought of everything! They dance to the song looking at each other.

After the dance, Logan gets a beep on his phone. He leans back from her and says, "Veronica, I am kind of curious what the finished picture is on the beach. I talked to the conscience and he says that he would beep me when it was finished and before the tide came in and washed it away. If we head back to our room, we can look at the whole beach from there."

She smiles at him and admits, "I am curious too."

He returns her smile and looks over at their table. He suggests, "Let's get dessert sent to our room and we can eat it out on the deck?"

Her smile grows and her she agrees, "That sounds like a great ending to a perfect day."

He catches the waiter and arranges to have dessert sent to their room in an hour. He signs for the meal to be charged to their room and then puts out his arm to escort her to the elevators. When they get in the elevator, Logan takes her hand and plays with her fingers while he waits for the door to open on their floor. She looks at him and smiles when he meets her gaze. Tonight he is happy and his eyes are that wonderful hazel brown they get when he is truly excited. She is so happy that she went along with this weekend. He deserves the chance to take care of her like he would like instead of how she is more comfortable. It is worth any discomfort to her for him to be happy like this. And really being pampered and spoiled is not the worst thing in the world. She is one lucky woman!

When he unlocks the door to their room, he keeps her hand. They walk together to the balcony to look over and he lets go of her hand so they can stand side by side. She looks down at the drawing and sees that it is a lot of hearts streaming from a box. The words below the box say, 'Veronica, Will You Marry Me?'

Logan is watching her look at the beach. He sees her breath sharply intake and he can tell the moment that she understands the words are for her.

She turns to look at Logan to find that he is down on one knee and he is holding a small box. She turns to look at him and he says, "Veronica, in life, love is never planned nor does it happen for a reason, but when the love is real, it becomes your plan for life and your reason for living. The love and life we have now is real and it means everything to me. Will you take the next step in our relationship and marry me?"

He opens the ring box towards her. Veronica is standing there absolutely shocked. She can see now that the signs were all there but she did not suspect that Logan was going to propose. This man loves her so much that he planned this perfect day to propose. Tears flood her eyes and she is overwhelmed by how lucky she is to have his love. Even though she can't promise forever, she can promise she will do her best every day. Choked she tells him, "I will."

The smile that lights up his face transfixes her and she watches as he stands, pulls the ring out of the box and slides it on her left hand. She looks down at the ring and is not surprised to find that it is a stunning solitaire; plain, tasteful and very elegant. Her man knows her and she loves her ring and him.

Overwhelmed she throws herself into his arms and kisses him. Logan easily catches her. He wraps his arms tightly around her and joins in their first kiss as an engaged couple Right now, he is feeling so many emotions: profound happiness that he is engaged to the woman he loves; relief that the day went well and she has a perfect day to remember; excitement that he will be married; and so much love for the small, beautiful, loving woman he is holding. He feels like his life is so full right now and it is what he always hoped for but never believed would happen to him, as a child. He has a career that is challenging and gives him so much pleasure. His foundation is slowly building and it is really helping women and children who desperately need it. He has close friends that he can trust to share his thoughts and feelings. Wonderfully he has a real family with its issues and problems but one that accepts and loves him. Best of all he has a mate who is his soul mate. Veronica loves him, cares for him and she is his rock.

When the kiss is over, they stand together and look out over the sand picture. Veronica questions Logan about the artist and is surprised to find out that Logan flew him out to draw the proposal. She leans into him thinking about how much planning Logan put into today. He carefully picked the resort, spa day, dress, jewelry, dinner, champagne, proposal and finally the ring which she knows he had made for her. She is flattered that this man loves her enough to make this moment so very special for them.

There is a knock on the door and Logan moves to the door to let in the photographer he booked. He wants a formal picture of them with the sand proposal in the background. Veronica, when she sees the photographer, knows she shouldn't be surprised at how much thought Logan has put into today but she has to admit, she is really, really impressed. She goes into their bedroom and retouches her makeup and then comes back out to pose.

When the photographer is leaving, the waiter arrives with dessert. Veronica and Logan sit at their table and enjoy a scrumptious dessert as they look out over the wonderful view. Veronica keeps looking at the new ring on her finger as if to ensure that today is real; that Logan's proposal is real. Part of her can't believe she is engaged and the other part of her knows that she although she doesn't think the actually ceremony is as important as the commitment they made when they moved in together, she understands that getting married is important to Logan. Still she really appreciates the effort he made to make today and this weekend special. If they both continue to make their relationship important, then maybe they can be together without having all the issues, anger, hatred and vitriol that most other couples have... maybe.

She looks up at Logan when he takes her hand and teases as he touches her engagement ring, "It's not going to disappear, you know?"

Amused, she returns, "I was just wondering if you were a mind reader."

Unsure what her point is, he asks, "Mind reader?"

"It's perfect! I really love it. How did you know what I would want?" she questions.

Logan relaxes and lifts her hand to separate the fingers and examine how her ring looks on her tiny hand. He says, "It is like you; one of a kind, not pretentious but perfect in its beauty."

Flattered she tilts her head at him and suggests, "You know this is our last night here." Logan nods and then his smile grows as she looks over at the hot tub and adds, "It would be a shame not to use the," she uses finger quotes, "private hot tub."

"That is a very good idea," he concurs, his eyes gleaming at her eagerness to be with him.

She stands and looks at him seductively, "Would you like to help me get out of this dress?"

He follows her into the bedroom and leans in to kiss the back of her neck as he unzips her dress. "If I help you undress now, we won't get to use the hot tub again." He leans in and kisses the back of her neck again and says, "I'll go and start it."

Smiling at his reminder of how last night they never made it outside, she agrees and heads into the closet area to carefully hang up her beautiful dress. She takes off her expensive jewelry and then heads to the bathroom to remove her makeup. She brushes and pulls her hair up into a pony tail. She knows that Logan loves to see her dressed up but he also loves her in her shorts and t-shirts. He just loves her and that is the best thing ever. She puts on the robe and heads out to the hot tub to enjoy some more one on one time with her fiancé.

When she arrives out on the deck, it is completely dark outside. She sees that Logan has turned on the pool and the muted outside lights. He has also brought out the remains of the bottle of champagne and their flutes. She smiles and takes off her robe putting it on a chair and walks naked over to the hot tub. Logan immediately stands and she admires the water running off his tanned chest. He puts out his hand to ensure that she is safe stepping in the tub and then he sits beside her. They both sink down and let the warm water and jets relax them.

After a few minutes Logan reaches over and hands Veronica her flute of champagne. He tells her, "I want to make a toast."

She takes her glass and looks at Logan expectantly. He says, "To seven thousand, five hundred nights of being with you." She looks a little puzzled at him and he carries on, "It sounds better in hours, ninety thousand." He hold up his glass in expectation so she raises her as well. He finishes, "To five and one half million minutes with you until we retire." He taps her glass and adds when he sees her confused expression, "That is the next thirty years of time we will spend together; taking into consideration your current work schedule and the time we will spend with others."

Half laughing she asks a little incredulously, "You calculated the minutes we would spend together?"

"Did you want me to figure out the seconds?" he asks seriously. "Of course that is just until we retire and then I will have you full time which is approximately fifteen million minutes before we go to the afterlife together."

Going along with what she sees as his craziness, she agrees, "To sixty more years." They tap glasses.

Logan puts his glass down and then takes her glass from her and puts it down on the tray. He edges closer to her and puts his hand up to her cheek and meets her gaze, "I am happiest when I am with you so each minute makes my life better."

Touched she leans up to kiss him. Logan joins in the kiss and reaches down to pull her into his arms. Today he has thought a lot about the past and the future but right now, he is going to enjoy his present. A present where he is having the best weekend with his new fiancé.