Page 124

Brad snorts.

“I love how accepting you are, how big your heart is and how you always put other people before yourself, even when you shouldn’t.”

I feel my cheeks heat. No one has ever said such complimentary things. I grew up never feeling enough, and here he is telling me every single thing he loves about me.

“You’re making me blush. Those meds are making you soft.” I wink.

“No, dying on that table and thinking I’d never spend another day with you did that, Gabriella.”

I still as his words settle between us. There could have been a very different outcome, and I’d be sitting here, clutching his t-shirt and using it to wipe away my tears, instead of wearing it while I start my day with him.

“Close your eyes,” he whispers.

I eye him curiously before doing so.

The mattress dips.

“Hold out your hand.”

I open my hand, palm facing upwards and feel something small and hard placed in it.

“Open your eyes.”

I look down to see a small red box.

He reaches for my free hand, and I inhale sharply.

“You deserve all the grand gestures money can buy, and when I am back on my feet, I will do this right, but I’ve waited a lifetime to find someone that quietens the storm inside of me and that someone is you. When my life quite literally flashed before my eyes, all I saw was you.

I don’t want to let another day go by without you by my side, so…” He opens the box to reveal a stunning round solitaire diamond on a gold band, and I think I stop breathing. “Gabriella Diana Monroe, Mia cara, mi vuoi sposare?”Will you marry me?

I don’t need a second to think about my answer. I’ve never been surer of anything in my life.

“Yes, I’ll marry you.” He slides the ring onto my finger and I climb into his lap as gently as I can, wrapping my arms around him. He kisses me the same way he did the first time, with a want and a desire that makes me feel like the only woman in the world.

“And you don’t need to do it again. This was perfect. I don’t need a grand gesture or an elaborate proposal. I just need you.” I brush his dark hair, that’s a little overgrown, away from his forehead.

He brushes his lips against mine and I melt into his touch.

“I love you, and I’m going to spend the rest of my life, every day that I am graced with, showing you just how much.”

Epilogue

Brad

Three years later

“Happy birthday to Mia, happy birthday to you.” Gabriella and I lean I either side of our daughter and help her blow out the candle on her first birthday cake.

Our friends clap and cheer and it all clearly feels too much for my sweet angel. Her bottom lip trembles and her big eyes, just like her mom’s, look up at me. On instinct, I scoop her up out of her highchair and cradle her in my arms as she nuzzles into my chest.

“Aww, I love that she’s a daddy’s girl,” Ali swoons. “Men with babies, instant turn on.”

Gabriella laughs and presses a kiss to my cheek as she rubs a comforting hand on Mia’s back.

“Tell me about it. Why do you think I’m ready for baby number five?” Ria says as Jack wraps an arm around her waist and whispers something in her ear that makes her laugh.

“We could try making baby number three, Ali Cat,” Harry suggests, waggling his eyebrows.