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Of me.

I freeze.

And then I see another.

And another.

Each piece captures me in a different light—laughing, thinking, arranging flowers in the shop, sitting on my porch, standing in the sunlight with my hair blowing in the wind.

My breath catches. It’s like someone’s been seeing me this whole time.

Really seeing me.

I walk faster now, heart hammering in my chest.

And then—at the end of the aisle—I see him.

Jack.

Standing tall, nervous, hopeful. A giant bouquet of calla lilies in his hands.

My breath leaves my lungs in a gasp.

The crowd around us quiets, parting just enough to let the moment bloom between us.

That’s when I realize the truth.

The town knew.

They all knew.

And they helped him do this.

I cover my mouth with my hand.

Jack smiles—just a little—and my world shifts again.

JACK

There she is.

Mia.

For a second, I forget how to breathe. She looks… stunned, confused, beautiful. The wind tugs gently at her hair, and I swear my heart aches just looking at her.

She walks slowly, her eyes darting from the paintings to the flowers to the crowd. Then her gaze lands on me.

My grip tightens around the bouquet. I can’t read her expression. That makes me nervous.

She finally steps closer, her voice small but sharp, cutting through the silence.

“What’s going on?”

I swallow hard. God, I’ve rehearsed this in my head a thousand times. And now it’s all just… feeling. Raw and real.

“I didn’t know how else to do this,” I say, my voice low. “How to prove it. How to make you believe me when I say I’m not playing games with you.”

She blinks, still confused, still guarded.