Page 10 of Let it Burn (Playing with Fire #1)

Zeke

A few months later

It’s been months since that night behind the clinic, but I remember every second of it.

Every scream. Every breath she took after I knew she was safe.

Every time she looked at me like I was her entire world.

And now, she’s up there, standing in front of a packed hall at the firehouse, her palms shaking slightly as she clutches the mic.

God, she’s so damn beautiful. And brave. And mine.

The town’s hosting a women’s safety event as part of our new community outreach program, and Lena’s tonight’s closing speaker.

I had no idea if she’d say yes when they asked, but she did.

She said yes for every woman who’s ever looked over her shoulder while walking to her car, for every girl who’s silenced her instincts just to be polite, for every person who’s ever felt powerless and alone.

Jack, the bastard, is locked up for good, thanks to her testimony, and her friends and her mom are back in her life.

But she’s decided to stay in Silvertown Hollow, stay and use her story to help others.

She clears her throat, eyes scanning the crowd. They land on me. I give her a nod. Not big or flashy, like I need to prove to everyone that she belongs to me. Just a steady, quiet I’m here baby.

And she starts.

"I used to think survival meant running.

That strength meant keeping everything locked up and never letting anyone in.

" Her voice is soft, but it carries. No one moves.

No one breathes. "But I learned something. I learned that strength can look like asking for help. That bravery sometimes wears turnout gear. And that love... real love... doesn’t ask you to be less of yourself.

It helps you remember who you were before fear took over. "

I grip the armrests of my seat. Because she’s not just telling her story. She’s telling mine, too. Ours.

"I was stalked. Harassed. Hurt. I filed restraining orders that never got enforced.

I moved towns, changed my number, erased my life twice just to breathe.

" She pauses. Her hand trembles a little.

My fingers twitch with the urge to run up there and take it.

"And still, he found me. Again. And again. Until one night, he didn’t just find me.

He grabbed me. Dragged me against a wall.

Put a knife to my throat. And I thought… this is it. This is how my story ends."

The room is stone-silent. Every head is tilted forward. Every heart, braced.

"But it didn’t end. Because someone came for me. Someone who didn’t ask questions. Who didn’t make me explain myself. He just came. And he fought like hell to keep me safe. And taught me I mattered. That this stalker didn’t define who I was."

Her eyes are on me again. And I’m damn near wrecked.

"He made me feel safe in my own skin again. He reminded me that I wasn’t broken. That I wasn’t weak. That I was allowed to feel joy and love and peace. He helped me rebuild my life—one late-night talk, one safe morning, one hand on my shoulder at a time."

I stand. I can’t sit here anymore.

She laughs softly into the mic. "And now he’s probably pacing back there because I didn’t stick to the speech we wrote together."

That breaks the tension. The room chuckles gently.

"But I needed to say it like this. Because this town has given me more than I ever imagined. And because the man who stood between me and that blade, who held my hand through the worst of it, who showed me what love really looks like... is right here."

I walk forward. The crowd parts like they knew this moment was coming. I was going to do this after the event, but I can’t wait anymore, not after everything she has said.

She blinks at me. Her lips part. And I drop to one knee.

Gasps ripple through the room. Lena freezes. Her hands fly to her mouth.

"You want to know what strength looks like?" My voice is rough. Because I’m holding back the emotions lodged in my throat right now. "It looks like you. Standing up here, telling the hardest parts of your life out loud so someone else might feel a little less alone."

She shakes her head, already crying.

"I’m not proposing because you need saving. I’m proposing because you saved me, too. Because I love you, Lena. Because I want to spend the rest of my life making you feel safe, and wanted, and so damn loved you forget you ever knew anything else."

I pull the small velvet box from my pocket and open it.

"Marry me?"

Tears run freely down her cheeks now, but she nods so hard I think her neck might give out. "Yes. Yes, Zeke."

The room erupts. Applause, cheers, even some sniffles.

I slip the ring on her finger and rise just in time to catch her as she throws herself into my arms. Her mouth finds mine, warm and salty and full of promises. And as everyone around us celebrates, I know one thing for sure:

Lena is mine. And our forever starts right now.