Page 191 of The Elusive Billionaire

The backyard lights cut off, and I sit forward on my chair. “That’s strange. I don’t even know where the light switches are back here.”

“Just sit tight,” Madi says. “I’m sure Grey’s on it.” A moment later, the telltale ring of FaceTime comes from her phone. “Oh, it’s Clover.” She presses a button, and Clover’s face comes into view. “Hey, Clove.”

“Did I miss it?” she asks.

“Miss what?” I look out over the pool and see a light flicker to life in the yard. Then one by one, tiny orbs begin to glow all across the property.

“Here,” Madi hands me a stick that has a wire attached to it. At the very end, a two-inch firefly blinks as if it’s telling me a secret.

“What the hell is happening?” I ask as more lights flicker to life.

All around me and the property, these little fireflies glow, but mine appears to be the only one blinking.

My throat closes up, and the weariness of the last two months is replaced with pure adrenaline.

“No,” I gasp as “Fireflies” by Owl City plays through hidden speakers.

Madi’s eyes sparkle next to me as she holds up her own firefly. Even Clover is holding one up through Madi’s phone screen.

“Guys, what’s going on?”

Clover mimes locking her lips while Madi points to the yard that’s now full of hundreds of little plastic light-up bugs.

Through teary eyes, one in particular catches my attention. It’s the only one moving, weaving through all our guests and fireflies that appear to stand on their own or are hanging from trees.

And it’s blinking the same pattern as my own.

Oh, Greyson. What did you do?

Blink, blink, double blink. It’s the pattern of our love and my heart syncs to the cadence as Greyson slowly makes his way toward me.

“This is where we leave you,” Madi whispers. Braxton appears and helps her to stand, and then I’m left all alone on the deck, peering out over the darkness pierced by fireflies.

And then Grey is standing at the edge of the patio, his firefly light speeding up the closer it gets to mine.

“In a field of static light, I was always meant to beat to the rhythm of your heart.” He smiles, and my pulse takes flight.

“What are you doing?”

“Someone told me once that fireflies flash in a pattern to attract their mate, but I’ve been following your light since the moment you crashed into my life, and now I want to bask in your glow for the rest of our days.”

He drops to one knee, and Braxton slides out of the darkness to take his firefly from him.

“Grey, what are you doing?” I whisper. “We’re already married. Get up.”

He chuckles, and so do the people who are closest to us, but it’s too dark to make out their faces.

“We are, but as is our custom, we did things all out of order. I never got down on one knee, and you never got this moment. I’m correcting my mistakes.”

He reaches into his pocket and pulls out a ring box. My thumb covers the ring I’m currently wearing, and then I twist the diamond on my finger.

“I already have a ring, Grey.”

He takes my hand in his. “You do. And when I gave it to you, I also told you that it was the one I could get on short notice.”

Did he? I honestly don’t remember much about that conversation.

“Even then, I knew you were it for me, Sav,” he whispers so quietly that only I can hear him. “I didn’t want to admit it, maybe, but I knew. That’s why I had a trusted jeweler in London working on this.” He opens the box, and candles begin blazing to life around us as Madi, Elle, and Braxton hurry to light them.