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Finally, she inhaled, exhaled, and walked slowly out the door, making a turn toward the stage.
Once she was out there, she saw him.
He stood at the top of the balcony, red roses in his hands. He faced her, smiling, the button-up shirt and jacket the same ones he wore the first day they met.
She walked toward him until she stood below the balcony. She smiled up at him, shaking her head.
“Do you really think this is a good idea?” she asked, grinning.
He carefully made his way down the steps, one at a time, pretending to fall once or twice on his way down, making her roll her eyes. When he got to the bottom, though, his face got serious.
He stood a breath away from her, roses in his hands.
“Rachel, before I met you I didn’t believe in love at first sight or love at all. I’d been bruised by love, and I’d sworn I would never let it get its claws into me again. I was done with love. I didn’t need it. And then you came whirling through that door in that room over there, and my whole life changed. I didn’t understand it at the time, but I just think you were my person. You were it for me. And I was done for. But in case I missed it, you threw yourself from the balcony to make sure I had your attention.” He winked, and Rachel shook her head.
“That’s hardly how it happened,” she corrected.
“I know. I know. It was an accident. But when you fell from this balcony, it set us on a course of events that led us on a whirlwind journey I never expected. I didn’t expect to fall for you, Rachel. I didn’t expect to fall for you so hard and so fast. But these past couple of weeks, I’ve come to realize what I couldn’t when I was here with you. It took time and distance to understand just how much you mean to me and that this isn’t some temporary thing. You’ve got my heart, completely and fully. And the thing is, I wouldn’t want to entrust it to anyone else. I love you.”
She studied him, his eyes calming her. “I love you, too, Zander.”
She took a step forward, ready to kiss him. He stopped her in her tracks, taking a breath. “Gosh, I want to kiss you right now. I do. But let me finish, okay?”
“There’s more flattery? Go on. Do tell.” She grinned.
“Look, these past couple of weeks have been really difficult. I’ve learned a lot about myself, about life, and about what matters. It’s not because of the ordeals I’ve been through these past couple of weeks that I’m doing this. It’s because I love you. It’s because I know when you find someone who completes you, who makes you want to be better, who makes life as vibrant as you’ve made mine, you have to hang on with all you’ve got. I know this thing between us is scary, Rachel. I know that. It’s got so intense so quickly, and neither of us really was looking for it. But I also know it’s real. I know it’s the real deal, and I know we can make it work. I promise you, Rachel, that I won’t hurt you like others did in the past. I won’t make you decide between me and your passion. I won’t hold you back. I promise to be your cheerleader, your supporter, your partner in everything, and most of all, the protector of your heart. I love you with all that I am. I love you with all I hope to be someday. I just plain love you, and I want that love to be official.”
He handed her the roses now, and she realized her hands were shaking. It was all happening so fast, yet she didn’t find herself panicking like she thought she would. She was, instead, calm and collected, at peace with what was happening as if she’d known all along this was where it would end.
So even when Zander got down on one knee, pulling a box from his back pocket, she stayed steadfast and calm. She stared into the eyes of the man who had reopened her heart and life to the thought of love, to the truth in promises, and to the feelings of forever. She smiled at the man who had become so much to her as he uttered words she’d never thought she wanted to hear.
“Rachel Winters, I know this might be fast, and I know you might be afraid. But I love you. You are the one I’ve been looking for, even when I didn’t think I was looking. I promise to be everything I can for you and everything you need. Will you marry me?”
Tears fell now, and she couldn’t stop them. She took a deep breath, staring into the blue eyes she’d come to know in this short amount of time.
A few months ago, if you had told her she’d be promising her heart to someone, she’d have laughed. She’d have said no way, no how. She’d have sworn up and down that love and especially marriage weren’t things that Rachel Winters needed.
But staring at Zander, the man who wasn’t afraid to be vulnerable, she knew there was a safety in him. She knew even if there wasn’t, her heart wasn’t hers to give away anymore.
It had become his the moment he locked gazes with her.
And now, she couldn’t stop smiling at the prospect she didn’t have to fight it or deny it any longer.
“I love you. It took me a while to acknowledge that out loud. But it didn’t take me long to realize it. I knew you were going to wreak havoc in my life from the second I saw you. I felt that connection, and it quite literally knocked me down. But I was terrified of what it could mean. For so long, I’d boxed myself into this vision of what my perfect life looked like. I didn’t stop to think about what might be missing or who might be missing. These past couple months have been the best months of my life, followed by the worst when we said goodbye. I know people are going to think we’re crazy for making promises so quickly, especially after I’ve vowed up and down I don’t have time for love. There will be people who don’t understand this thing between us. How could they? We didn’t understand it ourselves. But sometimes, I think you just have to follow your heart. You have to stop trying to make choices that sound right or sound smart or sound risk free. You have to go where your passions lead you, and right now, they’ve led me here to this moment. I don’t know if promising you forever is smart or even right. But I do know this. I love you, Zander Riley. I’ve loved you from the moment I saw you. And for the rest of our lives, I think that will be a mystery we’ll uncover and understand together. For now, though, all I can say is something I don’t say lightly—yes. Yes, yes, yes. I want nothing more than to venture into the unchartered territory of marriage and promises and forever with you. I can’t imagine doing it with anyone else. Let’s do this.”
Zander leapt to his feet, sliding the ring onto her finger as she leaned into claim his lips with hers. They kissed underneath the balcony for a long while, the sound of clapping eventually interrupting them.
Rachel turned to see Michael, sitting in the front row, clapping. Beatrice and Gigi were beside him.
“You,” she said, pointing to him. “You set me up.”
Michael shrugged. “I knew you couldn’t say no.”
“And you two. Were you in on this?” Rachel asked Gigi and Beatrice. Frank Sinatra barked from Gigi’s bag.
They shrugged. “Would you expect any less, darling? We knew you just needed a little shove. From the first second I heard you talk about this guy, I knew. I knew he was it for you. And a theater lover to boot with sexy eyes? Come on, sweetheart. You know it doesn’t get better than that.”
Rachel grinned, staring down at the three who had helped pull this off.
