Page 128 of Once Upon A Second Chance

He nods, like he’s lived every second of that with me.

“And then you came back,” I whisper. “And I didn’t fall apart. I didn’t collapse. I didn’t disappear.”

I touch the corner of my eye, blinking hard. “Instead, I… softened. In ways I didn’t expect. In places I thought were hardened for good.”

Richard still doesn’t move. His hand is steady, holding everything out in the open.

“I said I wanted rules,” I continue, “but I think what I really wanted wassafety.A promise that if I let myself hope again, I wouldn’t be punished for it.”

I look at him fully now—this man who’s been broken and humbled, who brings me yogurt when I’m nauseous and cooks meals in the kitchens of elderly women and kisses me like I’m not a risk but a vow.

“You’ve already given me that promise. In every word, every apology, every minute you’ve shown up. You kept showing up, even when I wasn’t ready. Even when I was scared.”

A breath catches in my throat. My heart swells until it aches.

“So yes,” I say. “Yes, I will marry you. Not because of the baby. Not because it’s what comes next. But because I wantyou. For always.”

He exhales sharply—like he’s been holding his breath for weeks—and then he smiles, wide and open and heartbreakingly tender. He slides the ring gently onto my finger, and it fits like it’s always been there.

Then he stands, and I rise with him, and the moment our mouths meet, the rest of the world vanishes.

It’s not a desperate kiss. It’s slow, reverent, full of everything we haven’t said and everything we have.

His hands cradle my face. Mine find the edges of his jacket. We breathe the same air, hearts pressed close enough to blur the space between us.

By the time we pull apart, the sun has fully slipped behind the horizon, leaving a dusky lavender glow in its wake.

And overhead, the moon shines bright and whole, like it’s been watching us all along.

We gather the blanket and the basket in silence, not rushing, not needing to speak.

When he takes my hand, I don’t even think. I just squeeze it once, sure and steady, and we walk home together beneath the stars to begin our new life together.

THE END