AllFreeNovel
Share Us
I swear I nearly melt right there in front of him at the declaration.
“They’re beautiful,” I gush, smelling the sweet, floral fragrance even though he hasn’t handed me the bouquet yet.
“They don’t hold a candle to you,” Jared says with a smirk that makes me giggle and blush. “Before I say what I need to say, I have something to tell you both.”
I glance over my shoulder to find Laura sitting in the front row, watching us with that same giddy smile on her face.
“My transfer to the closer office has been finalized,” Jared announces.
“You mean…” I say, excitement bubbling up wildly inside me.
Jared grins and nods. “I’m staying. I’m not leaving you ever. And…” He turns to smile at Laura. “I want to be closer to my daughter, too. I want to be close by for both of you.”
Laura and I cheer, and I fling my arms around Jared, the poor flowers getting a little crushed between our bodies. Jared pulls away before I’m ready, and I pout at him, even as he presses the flowers into my grasp.
The expression is wiped off my face by shock when Jared drops to one knee. The stage lights illuminate us like a golden halo, and in that moment, I feel as ethereal as Jared tells me I am.
Now that I’ve taken the flowers, I can see the ring box in his hand. He opens it, holds my gaze, and reveals a sparkling silver band holding three square-cut diamonds, the middle bigger than the ones nestled on either side of it. It’s stunning, and my eyes blur with the sting of tears.
“Juliet, from the second I saw you dance across this stage like you had stepped out of a fairy tale book, I knew you were it for me,” Jared says, staring up at me with utter adoration in his gaze. My knees are so weak I think I might join him on the floor. “I love you, little fairy. Will you marry me?”
“Oh my God, yes!” I shriek, doing just as my knees threatened and falling to them in front of him. The bouquet hits the stage beside me as Jared takes my hand and slips the beautiful ring on. A perfect fit.
The second it’s on my finger, Jared pulls me to him, kissing the breath out of me. I cling to him, happy tears making our kiss taste of salt, so in love I don’t even have the words to describe it. I hope he can sense it in the way I clutch him and kiss him like he’s all I need to survive.
Laura cheers and whoops from the audience, but when Jared and I don’t pull apart, she calls out, “Alright, that’s about as much PDA as I can take, Dad!”
With a laugh, Jared and I break apart, and I turn to find my best friend grinning wildly at us. I hop off the stage and rush to hug her, realizing she must’ve had something to do with setting this up.
“You can get married as long as you don’t ever call yourself my stepmother,” Laura warns teasingly, making me laugh and smack her playfully on the arm.
“Shut up!” I laugh, grinning as she pulls me into a hug.
“I’m so happy for you both.” She embraces me, and I hug her tighter until she complains that I’m crushing her.
“You know you’re the maid of honor, right?” I say to her immediately, and she cheers again.
I turn back to Jared, happier than I’ve ever been, and so damn excited about the life we’re going to have together.
EPILOGUE
JARED
Two Years Later
Iwill never get tired of watching my wife dance.
Juliet takes to the stage with the enthralling grace she always has, wrapping up the entire audience in her movements as she begins to perform.
This is her last performance on this stage, the stage I first saw her on, the stage we got engaged on. She and Laura graduated from their course a week ago, and I know how much this final showcase means to both of them. It’s a goodbye to their college and a hello to their future now that they’ve got their qualifications.
Proud is a goddamn understatement for how I feel.
Every time I see Juliet dance, I’m entranced, but tonight, she shines even more than usual. Her talent has only bloomed and grown in the last two years, and I have to pinch myself every damn day to make sure I’m not dreaming her up. I’m the luckiest fucker in the world to have her as my wife.
Juliet slows with the music and then dips gracefully into a bow. I launch to my feet, cheering wildly as Ryan, Laura’s boyfriend, does the same beside me. I make sure I’m the loudest in the audience for both Laura and my wife, needing them and everyone else to know how incredible they are.
Juliet’s eyes find mine, and she straightens, grinning at me before she skips off the stage.
