Page 109 of Deliah

“And just so you know—when he flew home last week, he sat in our kitchen and asked for your hand.”

I froze. “He what?”

Dad nodded, eyes soft. “Said he wouldn’t do it unless I gave him my blessing. Said he wanted to do it right.”

I blinked back fresh tears, then turned over my shoulder, locking eyes with Damion across the room.

“You sneaky little sausage,” I mouthed at him.

He just grinned, smug as hell, and raised his glass like he’d just pulled off the heist of the century. And I cried all over again.

Then came Cherry—tears in her lashes, already crying before I even got to her.

“You absolute psycho.” She laughed, hugging me so hard we nearly fell over. “You’re getting engaged and didn’t even warn me! I’d have worn glitter!”

“I didn’t know!” I cried, laughing and sobbing at the same time.

Aneeka was next, shaking her head and wiping away tears.

“I’m so happy for you, babe. He’s so good for you. You look so happy. Finally.”

I hugged her tighter than I ever had.

Even Tommy stepped forward, awkward but smiling. “For what it’s worth,” he said, rubbing the back of his neck, “you and Damion… yeah. That’s the real deal.”

I nodded, too emotional to speak, just hugging him and hoping that said enough.

Then I looked around at them all—laughing, smiling, crying—and something in me just cracked open. I’d never felt love like this. Not just from one person—but from all of them. My family. My friends. Damion’s parents, standing back with proud eyes and soft smiles, like they already thought of me as theirs.

I turned to Damion, shaking, overwhelmed, tears streaming down my face. “How?” I whispered. “How did you do this?”

He just smiled, eyes glinting, chest rising with the same emotion that had swallowed me whole. “Had to be perfect,” he said softly. “For my new fiancée.”

I burst into fresh sobs, covering my face for a second before walking back to him and crashing into his chest. He held me likeI was the most precious thing in the whole world. Something he’d waited his whole life to find.

“You’re insane,” I mumbled into his shirt.

“And you love me for it,” he said, pressing a kiss into my hair.

“I do,” I whispered. “I really fucking do.”

The room erupted into cheers, glasses clinking, Cherry yelling something inappropriate about strippers at the hen party, and my mum threatening her with a slipper.

We partied the entire night, music echoing off the water, champagne flowing like it was on tap, laughter spilling from every corner of the yacht. There were no strangers here. Just people I loved, people who had watched me fall apart and now stood cheering as I finally, finally had everything I didn’t dare to dream of.

At one point, I glanced across the deck and nearly choked on my drink. Cherry was straddling Tommy on one of the cushioned loungers, her tongue down his throat like they were the last two people on Earth. His hands were gripping her thighs like he’d never let go again.

I laughed, nudging Damion with my elbow. “Look who’s back in love.”

He followed my gaze and smirked. “Knew those two wouldn’t last long apart.”

“Disaster soulmates.” I grinned.

He pulled me closer, pressing a kiss behind my ear. “Fitting, don’t you think?”

The night was perfect. Warm air. Golden lights. The gentle sway of the yacht beneath our feet and the sound of the sea whispering promises all around us.

And I just stood there, in the middle of it all, wrapped in Damion’s arms.

My fiancé.

My family.

My friends.

My whole world.

Everything I’d ever wanted, finally standing in the same room.