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I followed her inside, a laugh rumbling from my chest as she visited every room like they were long-lost friends.
I loved seeing her like this, wild and carefree, her guard down and her face lit with a smile. A real one.
“I love this place.” She slid open the glass door to the terrace and sighed when she saw the pool. “Perfection.”
“Why do you think I bought it?”
A teasing sparkle brightened her eyes. “Rhys, are you a secret romantic?”
“I don’t know.” I reached into my pocket and pulled out a small velvet box, the knot of nerves in my stomach doubling. Bridget sucked in an audible breath, but otherwise everything hushed—the wind, the birds, the roar of the Pacific in the distance. It was like the entire world held its breath, waiting to see what happened next. “You tell me.”
I opened the box, revealing the glittering diamond ring that had burned a hole in the back of my dresser drawer for two months. I’d wanted to wait until the perfect moment. Now it was here, and I felt like an eighteen-year-old walking into Navy training for the first time again, determined but scared as hell about how the next chapter of my life would unfold.
A proposal was inevitable. I knew it, Bridget knew it, the world knew it. But just because something was inevitable didn’t mean it wasn’t important, and this was the most important moment of my life.
“I’m not the best at flowery language, so I’ll keep it simple.” Fuck, was my voice shaking? I hoped not. “I never believed in love. Never wanted it. I didn’t see the practical value and, to be honest, I was doing just fine without it. But then I met you. Your smile, your strength, your intelligence and compassion. Even your stubbornness and hardheadedness. You filled a part of my soul I always thought would be empty, and you healed scars I never knew existed. And I realized…it’s not that I didn’t believe in love before. It’s that I was saving it all for you.”
A half sob bled through the hand pressed to Bridget’s mouth.
I took a deep breath. “Bridget, will you marry me?”
The question hadn’t fully left my mouth before Bridget threw her arms around me and kissed me. “Yes. Yes, yes, a thousand times yes!”
Yes. One word, three letters, and it filled me up so completely I was sure I’d never hunger again.
I slipped the ring on her finger. It fit perfectly.
“There’s no taking it back,” I said gruffly, hoping she couldn’t hear the hitch in my voice. “You’re really stuck with me now.”
Bridget let out another half sob, half laugh. “I wouldn’t have it any other way, Mr. Larsen.” She curled her fingers around mine. “You and me.”
A deep, pleasurable ache spread in my chest, warming me more than the late afternoon sun ever could.
I didn’t know what I’d done to deserve her, but she was here, she was mine, and I was never letting her go.
“You and me.” I cupped her face and brushed my lips over hers. “Always.”