Page 230 of My Treasured Obsession

I lifted the bouquet in his direction to let him know we were next.

He winked at me.

A few months later...

Hunter

“Where are you taking me, pretty boy?”

A smile touched my lips as I drove down the long, empty road, struck with nostalgia. Everything was coming full circle.

“Someplace you’ll like, Gabriela,” I returned and my blindfolded girlfriend—soon-to-be fiancée—grinned, the tiny gem on her canine winking in the nightlight.

My sunroof was open, the summer breeze drifting in and fanning her curled hair. She looked mouth-wateringly gorgeous in a silky red number with a high-slit, nails and toes painted black like her soul, and diamond jewelry.

Seven hundred and thirty days later, she still took my breath away.

She always would.

The last few months were nothing short of a roller coaster, endless memories filled with the most blissful time of my life because she was by my side. And I looked forward to doing life with her until the very end of time.

Over the last few weeks, Gabriela dropped hints that she was ready to take our relationship to the next level: marriage. It wasalways our end goal and though we were young, I didn’t see any sense in delaying the inevitable. I’d found my person, my soulmate, my best friend, my other half. I wanted to be with her forever.

Not to mention, our families meshed so well together. Mom and Heidi loved Gabriela to pieces. Lucia and Nonna had dropped the son-in-law title on me more times than I could count on two hands. And Enzo practically treated me like the son he never had and didn’t realize he wanted until I came along. Sometimes he teased Gabriela that I was his favourite, which always ruffled my girlfriend’s feathers.

Point being, I was ready to take our relationship to the next level as well…and I had an emerald ring sitting in my pocket to prove it.

Tonight, I was proposing to Gabriela.

As far as I could tell, she had no idea and thought we were on our way to a fancy dinner date. I did my best to keep it a secret—a difficult feat, since I never lied to Gabriela—and pretended like I had no idea of the numerous engagement rings she’d tabbed on her laptop.

A month ago, I went to the jewellers and picked out her ring. Last week, I went to Enzo and Lucia’s home to ask for their blessings. They were ecstatic. So were Heidi and Mom. Anna and Layla were also in on the surprise, since I asked for their help with tonight’s setup.

I pulled into a parking spot in my staycation home. The same place where Gabriela and I had our first unofficial date. It seemed like a fitting location for me to propose to her. And on the same day that I first laid eyes on her two years ago.

“Can I at least know where we are now?” Gabriela asked with impatience and excitement.

“Not yet.” I turned off the car and unbuckled our seatbelts. “But in a minute.”

She remained quiet as I rounded the car to come to her side, opened her door, and swung her into my arms. She laughed girlishly and clung to me as I ferried us to our destination.

The backyard was lit up with hundreds of fairy lights hanging around the trees and candles lining a path towards an awaiting picnic blanket, ice bucket with champagne, red roses bouquet, and all of Gabriela’s favourite foods scattered on top.

And behind it all sat an archway made of red roses with marquee letters that spelledMARRY MEon the ground.

I gingerly placed Gabriela on the picnic blanket, facing away from me. “Open your eyes, Gabby.”

Right as she removed the blindfold and turned around, I got down on one knee before her and opened the velvet box housing her ring.

She gasped, awestruck.

I grabbed one of her hands and placed it on top of my thumping heart. “Gabriela Regina Bellafiore, I’ll never forget the first time I saw you. In a room full of people, you were the most beautiful woman I’d ever seen. I couldn’t take my eyes off you. You left me speechless with this yearning to get to know you. And when I finally gathered the courage to seek you? You changed my life for the better. You were like the breath of fresh air I’d been needing for years. You helped me out of my comfort zone, held my hand, and embraced me as I am. You saw the real me when no one ever bothered to see past the surface…and along the way, I fell deeply in love with you.” She was crying silent tears now. My throat closed up at the sight and all the affection I felt for this one goddess of a woman. “You’re my best friend, my other half, my soulmate. I want to spend every waking moment with you and make memories that we’ll cherish until we’re grey and old.” I kissed her knuckles, my vision blurring. “Will you make me the happiest man in the world and marry me, doll?”

She nodded frantically, wiping her tears. “Yes! Yes, I’ll marry you, Hunter!”

I slid the ring on her finger and stood up to kiss her, a row of fireworks going off behind us.

“I love you,” she whispered in between kisses. “I.”Kiss. “Love.”Kiss. “You.”Kiss. “So.”Kiss. “Much.”

“I love you too, Gabriela,” I whispered and laid my forehead to hers, gazing into the eyes of my beloved.

And just like that, our happy ever after had begun.

The End