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“Lan?” I forced a smile, adding lightness to my tone. “What’s all this?”

“A surprise for you,” he said, smiling at me over his shoulder. “Can you believe this little paradise exists in this stupid property? I stumbled upon it on a random Monday afternoon. Reminded me of the tree at the park we used to hang out all the time.”

He was right, it did look like that.

“And the lights?”

“Like I said, a surprise for you.” He tugged me closer, pulling me into his arms. “You’ve been working hard lately—I thought you could use a break.”

I nodded, leaning my head on his shoulder as a gentle breeze washed over our skin.

His lips brushed a soft kiss on my forehead. “Do you like it?”

“Yes.”

He nodded, and his eyes flitted away. “So there’s one more thing,” he said in a shaky tone before a swallow worked down the length of his throat.

A furrow creased between my brows when his arms left mine, and Lan stepped in front of me.

“Katy,” he started, his eyes melting as they met mine. “I love you, fuck. I more than love you. Love everything about you,” he huffed, running a hand through his hair. “Fuck, I’m not really good at things like this. Not that I’ve done this before, but here I go.” He gracefully folded himself down on his one knee and suddenly, my heart hammered inside my rib cage.

He can’t be…he couldn’t possibly be, right?

“I don’t know how to say pretty words, angel,” Lan said softly. “I just know I love you more than anything in this world and want to make you mine. Please, do me the honor of marrying me, Katy Evans, and making me the happiest man on the planet?”

He poked around his pocket and dug out a red box and pulled out a sparkling ring. His gaze bore into me with so much love as he held it up. “I know it’s quite small.” A slight quiver laced his tone, which was brimming with hope. “But I wanted to buy you something with my own money rather than using my family’s. We can of course trade for a bigger one when I make more.”

There he was, the man of my dreams, on his knee for me.

Making a proposal that I would’ve said yes a thousand times.

I watched as he slipped the ring carefully on my cold ring finger.

A ring that fit me perfectly.

The diamond, like a drop of sparkle in a clear midnight lake. The gold band wrapping around it was so thin that you could hardly see it like a dainty strand of lace.

It was so delicate and soft, like the girl I once was.

It was so breathtakingly beautiful that I wanted to wear it for the rest of my life and proudly show it off as his woman.

But now? Right now? I couldn’t possibly marry him right now even though it was what I wanted to do. Because marriage was different.

Marriage meant I couldn’t escape.

Marriage meant Lan would see right through me.

Marriage meant he would know… he would know that I can’t give him what any other girl could.

Children.

I needed time—time to bide.

Time to solidify us.

Time to make him see that I could fill every single one of his other needs.

Time to make him see I was a worthy woman for him despite my weakness.