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“I do,” she admitted.

He stepped forward and handed her the rose.

As she lifted the fragrant flower to her nose, her mother winked with renewed good humor and disappeared off the side of the stage.

Estelle was suddenly very grateful her flyaway tendrils had been tamed.

“I always planned to go back for you,” Aaron said. “To save the day once I’d saved enough money. Ironic, since I never wanted riches. All I wanted was you. I wasted years chasing worthless gold when the greatest treasure of all was in front of me the entire time.”

Her cheeks flooded with warmth.

“Forgive me,” he said. “I thought I was trying to live up to what you needed, but you never asked for any of it. I allowed foolish assumptions to tear me away from the person I want to spend the rest of my life with. So allow me to propose a new arrangement.”

She blinked. “An arrangement?”

“If I’ve learned anything from Mr. Marlowe,” Aaron said, eyes twinkling, “it’s never to allow a good thing to slip away.”

Estelle clutched the rose to her bosom. “What is your offer?”

“I already love you with all of my heart.” He stepped into her space. Close enough to touch. “Nonetheless, I propose to love you ten percent more every year until it’s enough.”

“Enough for what?”

“Enough for you to believe in my soul, in my heart, in my love, the way I believe in you.”

She gazed up at him. “You’ve always been enough, Aaron.”

He cupped her cheek. “Then I’ll keep loving you more and more until you realizeyouhave always been enough. I don’t want to rescue you. I want tomarryyou. I want to be in the front row of your audience every single night. I want to be the first on my feet to give you a standing ovation. I want to be the man lucky enough to have the true star of the show in my life. Not just for a three-hour performance, but every day and every night for all eternity.”

She tilted her face into his warm palm. “That’s... an attractive offer.”

“Marriage needn’t mean stasis, or succumbing to your husband’s wishes.” His eyes beseeched her. “You can and should grow and chase your dreams as far and wide as you wish. I just want to be there with you, loving you every step of the way.”

“I did chase my dreams,” she said softly. “And I caught them. I’m standing behind the curtain of one, and staring into the gorgeous eyes of the other. What else could I want out of life? I love you, Aaron Thompson.”

“I love you, Estelle Blair.” His grin was wide enough to light the entire stage. “Does that mean yes?”

In answer, she wrapped her arms about his neck and kissed him for all of the nights they had spent apart, and the lifetime they would now be able to spend with each other.

Estelle had thought her dream was London, but she didn’t care if she never returned there at all. The dream wasmaking it. She’dachievedit.

And the new dream was enjoying every minute of it with Aaron… Right here in Cressmouth.

Theirs was the first of many Christmas miracles to come true.

* * *