Chapter 173 - Will You Marry Me?

Halia glanced down as Jackson opened the box in his hands. The little leather box looked vintage but it was kept in really good condition. In fact, the white satin fabric on the inside looked like it was still new. Sitting in the middle of the box was a sparkling diamond ring. Halia had never seen such a big sparkly diamond in her life.

Halia's mother passed away when she was still young and she had no female figures to look up to when she was growing up, so she was never interested in the things that other little girls liked, like clothes and jewelry. As a result, even though she had the money, a ring like the one that Jackson was holding was something she had never seen.

"This ring...it's beautiful..." Halia gasped in amazement as her heart melted.

"This is an heirloom passed down from my mother. She wanted me to give it to my wife," Jackson explained.

Halia's eyes became a little teary. How could this man give something so precious to her?

"An heirloom from your mother?" Halia said in disbelief. She knew how much Jackson's mother meant to him.

Jackson smiled and nodded his head, "My mother would have loved you."

"That's why, Miss Haili Feng...will you marry me?" the handsome man asked.

Halia felt a lump in her throat as she blinked back her tears. After everything they had been through, she couldn't imagine her life with anyone else. How could she say no? So, she stretched out her hand and nodded her head. 

A big smile appeared on Jackson's face as he immediately grabbed the ring and placed it on Halia's finger. It fit her perfectly as though it was meant to be.

As soon as he did this, the front door to the apartment flew open and friends and family quickly rushed in. Even though it was almost 4am in the morning, they couldn't possibly sleep when they knew Jackson was proposing.

Of course, Father Feng was the most excited of all. He immediately ran over to the couple and started hugging them. "I've always wanted a son!" he cheered. Halia glanced at the childish excitement on her father's face and shook her head with a laugh: was he the one getting married, or was she?

At that moment, Little Pumpkin ran over to congratulate the couple. "Why aren't you sleeping?" Halia asked in surprise as the sleepy little boy rubbed his eyes and looked up at her.

"Auntie Haili, Mommy said you were getting married so I got really excited," Pumpkin replied innocently.

Halia looked at the little boy with confusion. Did he even understand the concept of marriage?

"When Mommy gets married, I will have a Daddy. So, when you get married, does that mean the two of you will become Mommy and Daddy? Does that mean I will have a baby to play with? Can you make lots of babies for me to play with?" Pumpkin asked.

Halia blushed and glanced at Jackson. But, the man did not look embarrassed at all as he wrapped his arm around her waist and replied, "Sure, we will make lots of babies for you to play with."

Halia pinched Jackson on the arm and Jackson smiled back at her cheekily. "We should start working on it soon," he whispered seductively beside her ear.

Halia quickly buried her head in the man's chest to hide her embarrassment. What was he saying? There was only one way to make babies. Was he suggesting that they have s.e.x?

Halia's cheeks burned up at the thought. Jackson was only her second boyfriend. Her first boyfriend was back in high school and they had only gone as far as holding hands

S.e.x?

She had never done it before...

Suddenly...she felt a little nervous...

Because of the conversation with Pumpkin, Halia spent the next half an hour holding onto Jackson's hand nervously as the rest of their friends and family congratulated them. 

Amelie and Alexander told Halia about how Jackson spoke of her endlessly while they were in France, while Natalie told Jackson about how Halia couldn't stop talking about him during the time they were separated.

After they were done talking, an awkward Emerson approached and smiled at the couple. When his brother invited him to witness the proposal, he was quite shocked at first. After all, he didn't know that the boyfriend Halia spoke so lovingly about, was his own brother! But, after he arrived, he overheard what the others said about the couple and realized they had actually known each other for a long time and had been through a lot together. So, even though he felt it was a shame that he couldn't win Halia's heart in the end, he was relieved that she was with his brother. He loved his brother dearly, and now that he knew he was actually the head of Interpol, he looked up to him even more and he had no choice but to accept defeat.

"Congratulations," he said as he shook his brother's hand. "You better treat Haili well, or I will steal her away from you," he joked.

Jackson laughed and nodded his head, but he knew there was a slight truth to his brother's joke. 

"Don't worry, you will never get that chance," he replied.

Emerson glanced at Halia and sighed before he turned and left.

After the suite emptied out and everyone returned to get some sleep, Jackson finally pulled his fiancee into his arms and said, "You seemed really nervous tonight. Is something bothering you?"

He noticed that Halia had become a little tense after they spoke to Pumpkin.

Halia blushed a little and complained, "How could you agree to making babies so easily?"

Jackson stared at his woman in confusion. "I was telling the truth. I really want to make lots of babies with you," he replied. He was handsome, righteous and smart, and Halia was beautiful, brave and kind-hearted - they could make perfect babies together!

"I've never done it before..." Halia whispered shyly as she looked down at her feet.

Jackson chuckled and kissed Halia on the forehead. "I've never had babies either, but I'm sure we'll be good parents," he comforted.

"I'm not talking about that..." Halia hesitated.

Jackson hugged his fiancee dotingly. "Then what are you trying to say?" he asked patiently.

"S.e.x. I've never done it before," Halia said as she buried her head into the man's chest.

Jackson felt his body heat up at the mention of s.e.x. Was this what the woman had been worrying about all night? Was she nervous about having s.e.x with him?

He gently grabbed her chin and lifted her head up so he could look into her eyes. "I've never done it before, either," he said.

Halia's eyes opened wide in surprise. Jackson had been undercover as a gangster for many years and he spent a long time in France where people were generally more liberal, so she thought he would have a wealth of experience by now. 

But, in reality, Jackson had been so focused on jumping from one mission to another, he didn't even have time for a proper relationship, let alone s.e.x.

Jackson tucked a strand of hair behind Halia's ear and gently ran his finger across her jawline, sending tingles down her spine. Halia looked at the man lovingly and hooked her arms around his neck. There was something about this man that was so charming that she couldn't get enough.

Jackson moved in closer pressing his body against Halia's and Halia backed up against the wall as she breathed in the man's scent. She looked at the man's lips as they approached and felt butterflies stir in her stomach. Even though they had kissed many times before, she still anticipated the touch of his soft intoxicating lips.

As the man's lips pressed against hers, she ran her fingers through his hair and pulled him closer. The man's tongue intertwined with hers passionately and she couldn't help but sigh with satisfaction as her desire for the man grew. Normally, they would only go as far as kissing, but tonight, she wanted more from him and she could tell that he wanted more as well. Jackson's lips slowly moved across Halia's neck, his tongue teasing her along the way, and finally stopped beside her ear.

"Since we're both inexperienced. Let's practice together," he whispered seductively.

Halia's heart raced when she heard this. 

But, before she could respond, the man kissed back down on her lips, lifted her legs and wrapped them around his waist...