Page 146 of Forty, Flirty & Framed

"It's two years since we first met," I say quietly."At Richard's Halloween party."

She turns to face me."You’ve been thinking about that?”

"Of course."I take her hand."I remember everything about that night.You were Persephone.I was Hades.We talked about Greek mythology and data security, and you laughed when I said firewalls were modern Cerberus."

"I can't believe you remember that conversation," she says softly.

"I remember thinking you were the most fascinating woman I'd ever me…And then Richard appeared, and I discovered you were dating my brother, and I spent the next year trying to forget about you."

"Until I became your viral nightmare," she adds wryly.

"My viral awakening," I correct."The best catastrophe that ever happened to me."

Her eyes soften."That's quite the reframing."

"I've learned from the best."I take a deep breath, reaching into my sporran for the velvet box that's been burning a hole there all evening."Karina Peters, you've transformed how I see everything—business, relationships, authenticity, even viral humiliation."

Her eyes widen as she notices the box."Callum?—"

"Let me finish.Two years ago, I met a woman in a Persephone costume who made me laugh.Three months ago, I fell in love with the real Karina—garden dirt, Armenian curses, fabricated credentials and all.Today, I'm asking that woman to consider a permanent merger."

I open the box, revealing a ring of rose gold set with a cushion-cut emerald surrounded by tiny diamonds."Not because either of us needs completing, but because I'm better at everything when I'm with you.Even viral fame."

Tears shine in her eyes, but she's smiling—that full, unguarded smile I've come to treasure."Are you proposing with corporate terminology?"

"Is it working?"I ask, suddenly uncertain.

She laughs, the sound mingling with barely contained emotion."Yes, of course it is.It's working perfectly."

"So that's a yes?"

"To a permanent merger?"She pretends to consider."I'll need to review the terms and conditions.What does your grandmother think?"

"She helped design the ring," I admit."Though I drew the line at her suggestion of incorporating actual Scottish heather."

"And my mother?"

"Has been lighting candles for our union at three different Armenian churches for weeks, according to Dr.Finnegan."

She laughs again, joy spilling over."Then yes.Absolutely yes."

As I slide the ring onto her finger, the distant sound of cheering reaches us from below.

We look over the railing to see our friends and family gathered on the lower deck, watching our private moment with undisguised delight.

"Were they all in on this?"Karina asks, incredulous.

"Not the proposal timing," I admit."But they've been dropping increasingly unsubtle hints all evening."

"No wonder Connor kept directing me toward the stairs," she says, shaking her head."Subtlety is not his strong suit."

We wave to our audience below, acknowledging their celebration, but neither of us moves to rejoin them just yet.Instead, I pull Karina into my arms, savoring this rare moment of semi-privacy.

"So," she murmurs against my lips, "now that you've successfully acquired a fiancée, what's your integration strategy, Mr.Abernathy?"

"Comprehensive and thorough," I promise, kissing her properly.

What begins as celebration quickly deepens into something more urgent.