Page 126 of The Men of Summer Collection

Finally.

A walk on the beach at sunset.

This is what I’ve been trying to engineer, but the timing didn’t line up till now.

The sun is slipping toward the edge of the ocean, and soft rays dance across the water. This stretch of beach is practically a lagoon. It’s quiet, nearly private, and there’s just us.

No kids building sandcastles. No surfers hauling their boards from the water. No engagement photographer. I didn’t order one. I don’t need a pic for my socials of me asking for his hand.

I just want Declan’s yes.

And I’m not waiting any longer. Slowing my pace, I let him take a couple steps ahead of me in the sand.

This is like stepping up to the plate and taking a swing. There’s no room for fear when you’re facing a pitcher.

I refuse to feel any fear now.

Only hope.

Reaching for the band in my shorts pocket, I drop to one knee, and holy fuck. All the nerves in the world swarm me at once.

This just got so real. My knee is in the sand, the ring is in my palm, and I am about to ask Declan to marry me.

Why the hell did I think I wouldn’t be nervous?

My throat is dry. My palms are sweaty. My heart is beating so loudly, I bet Declan can hear its wild, racing rhythm. Bet he’ll be able to hear it in my voice too.

A second later, Declan turns around. He spins so fast I swear he’s Superman.

I blink and then—what just happened?

He’s . . . on . . . his . . . knee . . . too.

My jaw drops. His brow furrows. Declan’s lips part, then he tilts his head and laughs—a light and nervous sound. “Um...”

I open my mouth, but the whole speech I had planned about love and forever, about him and me and marriage, is gone, baby, gone. But that’s okay because my boyfriend is on bended knee, mirroring me.

“Are you . . .?” Declan asks.

“Yes. Are you?” I ask, equally shocked.

Declan tackle-hugs me onto my back, grinning down at me. “So, will you marry me?”

The best laugh ever bursts from my chest. “Will you marry me?”

With his arms wrapped around me, Declan rolls to his back and pulls me on top of him. He gazes up at me with sparks in his brown eyes and happiness etched onto his face, one hand running through my hair.

I stare down at my guy as the sun sets, as the waves lap the shore, and we ask each other the same question.

I go first. “Declan Steele, I would love to be your husband,” I say. All the laughter fades and my breath catches on the enormity of the words I just spoke.

Sure, I know his answer. He knows mine. But saying the words matters. Speaking your heart out loud to the one you love always matters.

It’s a privilege to say these words.

“Marrying you is all I want in the world,” I add as my eyes stay locked with his.

Declan lets out a shuddery breath and runs his hand down my back. “I want to be yours, Grant. I want to be your husband so badly. I want you for all my days. Always.”

“You’ve got me,” I whisper, then I drop my lips to his and kiss the man who is my forever.

His lips are soft and full, and he tastes like my missing piece. His love makes me complete; he’s the home I’ve wanted for myself. I’ve found him, and I’m going to cherish him for all time.

That’s how I kiss him for the first time in this new chapter—an after-proposal kiss that I’m going to remember forever.

It’s tender and beautiful, and it’s ours.

But there are practical matters, like rings.

When we break the kiss, I shift off him, my fist still clenched around the ring I bought him a few days ago, and I return to one knee. “Now, get up, hottie. I’m going to put a ring on it and make this real.”

Declan brushes sand off his shorts then rises, wearing a ridiculous grin. I take his hand, my eyes never straying from his. “Meeting you is the best thing that ever happened to me. Falling in love with you the second time around made me feel like the luckiest guy ever. But it’s not luck at all. It’s love and trust and faith. Loving you is the greatest thing I have ever done, and I’m going to do it for the rest of my life. Will you marry me?”

“Yes,” he says, sounding both solemn and joyful.

I slide the platinum band onto his finger then stand, cup his cheeks and kiss him again.

Then, it’s his turn. He drops to one knee, takes my hand, and shudders. “You’re the love of my life, Grant Blackwood. I want to be your husband, and I want you to be mine. I want to love you, and take care of you, and grow old with you. Always. Will you marry me?”

And it’s a privilege too to say these words. “Yes. I can’t wait to marry you.”

Declan puts a platinum band on my finger, then we close the distance, and we kiss one more time.