Page 148 of When the Stars Rise

“That’s your idea of a proposal? I can’t believe this.” She throws up her hands. “I gave you so much credit for being romantic… and this is how you ask me to marry you? Marry me,” she says gruffly, mimicking my voice.

I open my mouth to speak but she beats me to it.

“I’ve loved you all my life, Noah McCallister. I would go anywhere with you. Do anything for you. There’s nothing I don’t love about you. I love your smile and your laugh, your highs andyour lows. I love how you give your all to every single thing you do. Whether it’s training a dog or surfing or cooking dinner, you are all in. I love the way you walk through the door with a smile on your face like you’re so happy to see me that you can’t contain your joy. I love the way you say my name and the way you sing off-key. I love the way you love me. Loud and proud. I love you, Noah. Will you—”

“Oh no, you don’t.” I hold up my hand to stop her. “You’re not stealing my line.”

“Oh.” She plants her hands on her hips and lifts her chin. “You think you can do better, do you?”

I love it when she gets feisty with me. “That was pretty good, I’ll give you that. But I’m pretty sure I can do better.”

“Prove it,” she challenges. There’s a gleam in her eye that tells me she’s enjoying this.

So I drop to one knee right in front of Hayley and all our friends and a few tourists. From the corner of my eye, I see one of them taking a video on their phone, but nothing is going to stop me from doing this. I don’t care if the whole world sees it.

I take her hand in mine and lift my eyes to hers. “I have loved you since I was four years old. I fell in love with you when I was fifteen and I ran three and a half miles in the pitch dark and dove into your bedroom window with a rose clenched between my teeth to steal your first kiss. I told you then and it still holds true now. I would run a thousand miles for just one kiss. And if I couldn’t run on my own two legs, I would fucking crawl. I would swim across the ocean to reach you. Climb every mountain. Raise the stars if you asked. There is nothing I wouldn’t do for you, Hayley.”

Her eyes glisten with tears but I’m pretty sure they’re tears of joy. At least I hope so.

“I have been loving you all my life and I have no intention of ever stopping. I love you with every breath inside my body. AndI promise on my life that I will do the work to be the man you deserve. Because all I want, all I’veeverwanted, was to spend the rest of my life with the girl who stole my heart all those years ago.”

I dig into my pocket and it’s not the smoothest move because I duct taped the ring to the lining so I wouldn’t lose it. Kind of reminds me of the time Jude proposed to my mom and duct taped the ring to my pocket.

Figured this would keep it safe when I jumped but I might have gone a bit overboard on the tape.

Jesus Christ. I’m sweating now.

Finally, I produce the ring and slide it onto her finger. “Will you marry me, Hayley?”

“Oh my god.” She starts laughing so hard she doubles over and holds her stomach. Tears stream down her face from laughter. When she finally pulls herself together, she wipes her eyes.

“This is so perfect.” She holds out the blue ring pop lollipop and admires it like it’s a ten-carat diamond. “This is the only ring I ever want. Don’t you dare replace it with a different ring.”

Too late. I already bought the ring (about a million years ago). I left it back at the house. Figured I’d give it to her tonight.

“Do you want a lick?” She laughs holding out her hand.

“I love it when you talk dirty.” I gesture with my hand to remind her that I’m still down on one knee waiting. “But you still haven’t answered the question.”

My back hits the ground and she lands on top of me, laughing and kissing me. “Yes. Yes, I’ll marry you. I will marry the shit out of you, Noah McCallister.”

A cheer goes up and I hear all our friends clapping and whistling while I kiss the girl who tastes just like heaven.

CHAPTER FIFTY-FOUR

Hayley

“What did you dream about?What did I miss while I was asleep?”

“Mmm.” This bed feels like heaven. Soft and downy with a fluffy white comforter. But best off all, Noah’s arm is wrapped around me, my back against his hard chest, my body fitting perfectly into the curve of his like two pieces of a jigsaw puzzle.

I roll over to face the love of my life as a ray of Norwegian sun filters through the trees and casts a glow on his skin. Noah is golden in the morning sun. Messy dirty-blond hair. Forest eyes. That perfect mouth that I could stare at for days.

How could I have ever thought I could live without that smile?

“I had a dream that the love of my life gave me a ring he bought for me in Paris and asked me to marry him.”

“Interesting.”