Page 73 of To Heist and to Hold

“Here?”She cast a glance about the room.“Just where ishere?I thought I was meeting someone who required my help.And yet here you are.”She frowned slightly, her confusion palpable.“In a house that is far more familiar than it should be.”

“I’m the one who requires your help,” he managed.

Her gaze returned to him, wide-eyed now.“You?”

He nodded.“And you’re the only one who can save me.”He drew her closer, wrapping his arms about her, his eyes scouring her face.“I have a proposition for you, you see, a particular case that will be a lifelong commitment should you be willing to take it on.”

Understanding began to soften her eyes then, along with the tears that began to well in their pale blue depths.A small, tremulous smile lifted her lips at the corners.“Let me hear this proposition, then, so I may determine if I should accept.”

His heart pounded in his chest, carrying him ever closer to that happiness he had never thought to reach.There was just one final step to take, one last leap of faith…

Pulling back from her, he reached into his jacket pocket for the small item within, still warm from his body.And then he dropped to one knee and held that physical manifestation of his promise out to her.

Her mouth opened in a soft gasp, her hands going to her chest, the soft tears that had been pooling in her eyes spilling over.

He smiled, even as he felt the answering tears in his own eyes tracking down his cheeks.

“You have given me a happiness I never thought to claim, never thought I deserved,” he rasped.“And if you let me, I will spend the rest of my life dedicating myself to you.Here, in this house I’ve purchased for our future together.To love each other, grow old together…”

His throat closed at that, and it took some seconds before he was able to speak again.When he did, the words poured from him, that question he had been aching to ask her since the moment he’d realized he loved her.

“Will you marry me, Heloise?”

The smile that lit her face was as bright as the sun.In the next moment she dropped to her knees in front of him,her strong arms going about him, her tear-streaked face pressing into his neck.Her voice sounded in his ear then, more beautiful than any music.

“Yes, Ethan,” she choked out.“Yes, I’ll marry you.”

He crushed her to him, achingly aware of their hearts pounding as one against each other.“I love you, Heloise.”

“And I love you, Ethan.”

He pulled back then, taking her hand in his, his heart fuller than he’d ever imagined it could be as she gave him a watery smile.And as he slid the ring on her finger and pulled her close to claim her lips with his, he felt he’d finally come home.