Page 55 of A Secret Escape

“Since then, my entire world has changed. Over the past four months, you have brought me joy, laughter, support, and most importantly, a kind of love I never knew existed.”

He reaches into his jacket.

And pulls out a small black box.

My breath stops.

No.

He opens it.

A stunning diamond ring sparkles under the lights .

A barely audible gasp escapes my throat as my hands jump to cover my mouth. A soft murmur spreads through the crowd.

“I know we’ve only been together for four months, but I feel as though I have known you all my life. You are my happiness, my home, my world,” he says.

“Lila Evans,” he says, as he slowly lowers one knee down to the ground. “Will you give me the greatest honour of my life and say you’ll marry me?”

Tears fill my eyes. I can’t speak – I can barely breathe.

I nod, slowly, then faster.

“Yes!” I manage to cry out. “Yes! A million times yes!”

He leaps up, wrapping me in his arms as he spins me around on the stage.

The room erupts into applause and cheers as Marcus kisses me in front of six hundred people, and the world melts away.

He takes the ring out of the box and slides it onto my finger.

I stare down at it, stunned. It’s a sparkling, princess-cut diamond with two sapphire jewels surrounding it, set in white gold.

It’s perfect. He’s perfect.

I shake my head in disbelief as I look at him, his smile beaming, the sparkle in his eyes brighter than I’ve ever seen it before.

“I love you,” he mouths silently and I lean in and kiss him again, causing another round of applause and cheers from the audience.

He grins and grabs the mic. “Thank you all! Now bring on the cake!”

He slides his arm behind my back as laughter ripples through the room.

We float back to our table amidst a chorus of “congratulations” from everyone we pass.

Just as we get to our seats, Angela and Carter rush over. Angela is literally shaking as she shrieks. “Aaaah Lila! Oh my God, oh my God, oh my God! ” She jumps up and down excitedly as she grabs my hand. “Let me see, let me see!”

Carter reaches out his hand out to Marcus. “Nice speech mate,” he says. “Congratulations.”

Marcus smiles. “Thanks,” he says. “I’m just relieved she said yes.”

Everyone around us bursts into laughter. “And hey, congrats on the new place,” he says. “Harrison hasn’t shut up about it.” A warm blush creeps across Carter’s face as Harrison appears behind him, giving him a kiss on the cheek.

The two of them have just moved in together, and I’ve never seen Carter so happy.

Angela raises an eyebrow. “That was seriously brave , Marcus,” she quips. “You risked public humiliation in front of all these people, not to mention the entire Internet!”

She turns to me. “Did you have any idea?”

I shake my head. “Not a clue,” I laugh. “When he said my name, all I was thinking was, what the fuck are you doing?”

Angela bursts out laughing then squeals again as she throws her arms around me. “I’m so fucking happy for you!” she exclaims.

“Thank you!” My face is actually starting to ache from smiling so hard.

Angela spots the servers bring out the dessert, gives me another quick hug shouting ‘congratulations’ again and runs back to her table, followed by Carter and Harrison.

Marcus and I had both ordered crème brulee, which was quite possibly the best thing I’ve eaten in my entire life.

With every spoonful, I keep looking at the ring, not quite believing it’s real.

The desserts finish and the tables are cleared, and an announcement is made stating that another round of drinks would be available at the bar while the tables are cleared away to make a dance floor.

Within ten minutes, a DJ had set up on the stage and the lights shift, casting a soft glow as music begins to pulse through the space.

The first notes hit the air, and I smile. Training Season. Our song.

The one that played the night everything changed.

Marcus finishes his drink, his eyes never leaving mine. He holds out his hand with a slow, knowing smile.

“Care to join me for a dance, fiancée? ”

“Absolutely, fiancée ,” I say, and we glide onto the dance floor and don’t let go of each other until the music stops at the end of the night.

As the evening comes to an end and people start to leave, many come up to us and congratulate us again with more hugs.

Finally, when about half of the room has emptied out, Marcus leans in to whisper in my ear. “I’ve got one more surprise.”

I blink at him, my eyes wide with bewilderment. “Another surprise?”

He nods, his eyes sparkling. “Come.”

He grabs my hand and starts walking fast.

I follow, heart pounding, heels clicking on the floor behind him as we exit the ballroom into the main lobby.

“This way,” he says, pulling me towards the lift.

The doors open and Marcus presses the button for the top floor.

Amusement twinkles in my eyes as I wonder what in the world he’s up to, but he just smiles at me and winks .

The lift opens and we walk down the corridor until Marcus stops outside a door, reaching inside his pocket from where he had pulled the ring box, except this time he pulls out a hotel key card.

He smiles and opens the door.

“After you.”

A trail of rose petals strewn across the floor leads a path towards the bed, and a bucket of champagne in ice stands waiting for us on the vanity. Floor-to-ceiling windows frame the city skyline below, where the lights of Manchester sparkle and shine.

“Marcus, you didn’t have to do all this,” I say, turning to him with a smile.

“I wanted to,”

He closes the space between us, his arms sliding around my waist as he looks into my eyes.

“I love you so much.”

“I love you, too.”

He smiles, his knuckles brushing softly against my cheek.

“I was so nervous tonight,” he says quietly. “Thinking you might say no.”

My heart pulls tight. I take his face into my hands, letting him see everything I feel. My heart melts from the vulnerability I see, the softness I know is reserved only for me.

“Marcus Andersson,” I whisper. “I knew I wanted to spend the rest of my life with you the very first day I met you.”

He presses his lips to mine, slow and reverent, and when we finally fall back onto the bed – rose petals catching against bare skin and laughter between kisses – it feels as though the world has narrowed to just this. Just us.

Above me, the ceiling blurs through happy tears.

And for the first time in my life, I don’t wonder what comes next.