The tears welling in my eyes escape when Hugo kneels down on one knee in front of me and gently grasps my left hand. The glistening of moisture in his eyes gathers my attention, but the admiration beaming out of them secures my utterdevotion.
“The biggest mistake I ever made was letting you walk away the first time. But the past cannot be changed, forgotten, edited or erased, it can only be accepted. I’ve learned from my mistakes, and I’m not going to let them happen again. I never want to be away from you again. Not a second, not a minute, not a single day. This ring is a symbol of my promise to you. A vow that I'll always be there, standing by your side, supporting you, loving you, and cherishing every single inch of you until the end of time. I can’t change the past, but I can shape my future. I want to shape it with you, Ava. My very existence begins and ends with you. Will you do me the honor of becoming my wife?” he asks before cracking open a red heart-shaped box to showcase the beautiful dusty pink diamond ring nestledinside.
I run my hands over my tear-drenched cheeks while eagerly nodding my head. I don’t need time to formulate a response or an objection, or to evaluate his proposal. All I need is him. Hugo places the ring on my finger and stands from his crouched position as Belinda captures the entire precious moment with her phone. Joel squeals excitedly before dumping the roses onto the ground and encircling his arms around mine and Hugo’s thighs. His elated cheers dull into a hum when Hugo seals his plump lips over mine, finalizing the most romantic proposal of all time with an even moreheartfeltkiss.
Chapter Twenty-Four
Ava
“Thankyou so much for watching Joel,” I say, wrapping my arms around Belinda’sshoulders.
After Hugo proposed, he took Belinda, Joel, and me to a fancy restaurant in the middle of New York City. I’m not going to lie, when I saw the price they were charging for a regular glass of wine, I choked on my glass of water. Then panic set in. If a standard glass of wine cost hundreds of dollars, how much was a sparkling glass of water going to set me back? It was only when Hugo assured me we would be paying wholesale prices as he knew the owner did my flipping stomach settle down and excitement took over. As we exited the elegant restaurant, I spotted two limousines at the curb. Hugo explained that one was to take Belinda and Joel home and the other wasforus.
“Our night of celebrating is only just beginning,” Hugo said after bidding farewell to BelindaandJoel.
Memories of our first night we went out dancing at the club flooded my mind when Hugo gathered me under the nook of his arm and dashed to the black stretch limousine. Those memories turned into real-life flashbacks when the limousine pulled onto the curb at the exact club he originally took me to. Even though it was over five years ago, the vibe at the club was just as exciting as it was the first time we visited it. It was a wild mix of sex and seduction. But even more intoxicating than the thumping club was the boyish grin on Hugo’s face. It never once waned, not even with us being bumped and elbowed as we danced for hours. Tonight was the most carefree I’ve been in the past five years. My clipped wings grew back and I was once again free to fly. It wasperfect.
“You’re welcome, Sweetie,” Belinda replies, returning my embrace. “I’m just sorry I didn’t get Joel settled for you so you could enjoy the rest of your night in peace.” Her lips purse as a heavy set of lines indent her forehead. “I think I’ll adhere to your advice about lowering his sugar intake after dinner. That boys goes a little bit crazy when the clock strikeseight.”
I laugh while pacing to my front door to open it for Belinda. Crazy is an understatement for Joel’s antics when he stays up too late. Instead of his tiredness wearing him down, it seems to heighten hisexcitement.
“I’ll see youMonday?”
Belinda nods her head before slipping out the door. “Have fun,” she says with a cheeky snicker and a waggle of herbrows.
After ensuring Belinda has entered her car and exited my driveway safely, I amble down the hall. My brisk strides slow when I hear Hugo’s deep voice quietly whispering. When I reach Joel’s room, I lean against the wall and prickmyears.
“So, if you hear Mommy calling out, don’t worry, I’ve got her covered,” Hugo whispers, his tone self-assured with a dash ofcheekiness.
Interested in what their conversation is about, I sneakily peer into Joel’s room. His brows are furrowed together tightly as he looks at Hugo with confusion in his eyes. After a beat, he cautiously nodshishead.
“Do we have a deal?” Hugo queries, looking into Joel’sanxiouseyes.
“Yep,” Joel replies, his words muffled by alargeyawn.
“Alright, let’s go over it one more time, just to make sure you have the details right,” Hugosuggests.
Joel nods his head. “If I stay in my bedallnight, I get fivedollars.”
My brows arch high at the same time a dash of euphoria pumps into myveins.
“Uh huh,” Hugo mutterssoftly.
I lean deeper into the hallway when Hugo slants his head to the side and glances out Joel’s door, no doubt checking that the coast is clear. Once Hugo’s focus returns to Joel, I peer back aroundthedoor.
“And?”Hugoasks.
Joel rubs his droopy eyes. “And if I ask Mommy to make pancakes in the morning, I get ten dollars,” he confirms, resting his head on hispillow.
“That’s right,” Hugo praises before standing from Joel’s bed to tuck him in. “That’s called a bonus. An incentive for a jobwelldone.”
“I like a boganus,” Joel replies, his lipsquirking.
I laugh quietly over his mispronunciation oftheword.
Once Joel is tucked in tight, Hugo places a kiss on his forehead, switches on his nightlight, and ambles towards the door. I spin on my heels and sprint down the hallway, vainly pretending I wasn’t eavesdropping on their privateconversation.
When Hugo spots my contemptuous face, his long strides down the hall slow. His head angles to the side and his brow curves high. “You heard that,didn’tyou?”
