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And each other.

24

HAPPY TEARS

RICHARD

On our finalday in Paris—the city of romance—we savored every moment. After a week of sightseeing, wandering hand in hand down quaint streets, and discovering hidden corners with our daughter in tow, it felt like something out of a dream. After a leisurely boat ride down the Seine in the morning, we’d promised Paris one last glimpse of the Eiffel Tower.

While the nanny and tutor whisked our little darling to the very top again, Vivian and I strolled slowly through the park below, our arms entwined as we paused often for tender, lingering kisses.

“This has been the most enchanting, romantic time of my life,” Vivian confessed, her eyes sparkling with emotion.

“Mine too,” I whispered, my heart swelling with love.

“I’m looking forward to getting back to Holly Creek, though. The past several months have been unbelievable. We’ve been through so much.” She sighed softly.

“We have. But we still have much to look forward to. A lifetime together—if you want.” I tested the delicate waters of hope.

Her radiant, deeply touching smile warmed me. “I’d like nothing more.”

“Knowing that...” I paused, then knelt beneath a blossom-laden tree, withdrawing a velvet box from my pocket. She gasped as I opened it, and inside sat a magnificent six-carat diamond ring. Its facets caught the sunlight and shimmered with the promise of forever. I chose six because that’s how old Paris was right now.

“I don’t have a grand speech worked out. Just marry me. Marry me, Vivian. Because in every dream of mine, in every lifetime, I’d choose you, us, our daughter, and our future. Fucking marry me with all your heart—be my wife. Bemine.”

Tears glistened in her eyes as she covered her mouth. “Oh, Richard… Are you sure?”

Her hesitance was not quite the enthusiastic yes I had hoped for. “I’ve never been more certain of anything in my life,” I continued earnestly. “I can’t imagine a future without you and our little one. But if you need a moment to think, I understand—just know that I long for our family to be complete. You’re my future and I?—”

“Shh, Richard, I don’t need time. My answer is yes. I would love to marry you. We should have been together with our beautiful daughter long ago. We’ve wasted enough time apart, haven’t we? I don’t want to spend another day without you. I want us to be a family, too. So my answer is yes, Richard. I’ll marry you.”

Amid kisses, heartfelt embraces, and tears of joy, she slid the ring onto her finger. I shared with her my decision about the six carats of the ring, and I cradled her close against the backdrop of the Eiffel Tower—a living testament to our love. Soon, we found a bench where I seated her on my lap and interlaced our fingers.

“You’ve filled my world with happiness. You and Paris,” I whispered. “When would you like our wedding to be?”

“Whenever. I don’t really have any plans beyond spending this summer in Holly Creek,” she said.

“You know, Miriam will go crazy over our wedding. That could take another year with her meddling, not to mention all the drama and aggravation wedding planning entails.”

“Oh. I almost forgot about that.” Her shoulders shook with laughter.

“How about this? I’ll give you a choice. We could return to New York City, let Miriam dive into planning our lavish wedding, or we could embrace spontaneity and tie the knot as soon as tomorrow.”

Her eyes widened in wonder. “What do you mean? Like elope to Vegas?”

“I was thinking more along the lines of flying to Denmark—where a couple can be united in marriage within twenty-four hours. Imagine being married by tomorrow night?”

“Really?” she giggled, a light excitement dancing in her voice as she considered the possibility. “Tomorrow sounds like the perfect moment to become Mrs. Buchanan.”

“I love hearing you say that.”

“Mommy, Daddy, look! I got a balloon and ice cream,” Paris cried out as she and the nanny and the tutor neared.

“I think I better ask Paris and make sure she says yes, too, don’t you?” I suggested.

“I have a feeling she won’t turn you down. She’s already in love with you as her father. I know she wants us to be a family.”

When she was close enough, Vivian shifted off my lap, and I picked up Paris. “I have something very serious to discuss with you, my little explorer.”