Eva scratched her nose. ‘Nope.’
‘I wanted to get married there, and then Adam talked me out of it.’
And that, really, had been the story of her old life in general. A long series of surrendered preferences. Restaurants she didn’t choose. Décor she went along with. Trips that were not quite her cup of tea.
Funny how exhausting that turned out to be.
Eva watched her quietly. ‘Do you want to see it again?’
Maddy looked at her for a moment. ‘Can we?’
So they rushed through their toast, paid the bill and walked there together.
And when they turned the corner, Maddy stopped dead. The greenhouse was the same.
The glass still caught the light in that ridiculously romantic way. Plants spilt green through the windows. It looked less like a venue and more like the sort of place where people realise important things about themselves in a movie.
Actually, somethingwasdifferent. But the difference wasn’t the greenhouse. It was her. Last time she’d stood here, the place had felt like something she wanted but probably couldn’t have.
Now, nothing really felt impossible.
Maddy stepped closer, fingertips brushing the frame of the doorway. ‘I did know,’ she said quietly.
‘Know what?’
‘What I wanted. I was just too scared to take it.’
Eva nodded. ‘You trust yourself more now.’
Maddy turned back towards her. ‘I do.’
There was a small silence after that. Then Eva reached into her pocket. Maddy’s breath caught immediately.
‘Eva—’
But Eva was already lowering herself onto one knee. No theatrical flourish. No audience-aware performance. Just Eva, doing something with absolute certainty.
She looked up at Maddy. ‘Hi,’ she said.
Maddy laughed helplessly. ‘Hello.’
For a moment, neither of them spoke. The sunlight shifted slightly across the glass behind them.
Then Eva cleared her throat. ‘I’ve been thinking about this for a while and thought of a lot of ways to do this. But then I realised something.’ She glanced at the greenhouse. ‘You already found the place.’
Maddy was now trying very hard not to cry. Not because it hurt anymore. Because it didn’t.
Eva held her gaze. ‘You deserve to have the things you want. And I hope that includes me.’
Maddy gave up on fighting back her tears of joy.
‘Maddy,’ Eva said softly, ‘will you marry me? In this greenhouse?’
‘Yes,’ Eva said immediately.
It wasn’t a tough question this time. It was the least complicated thing she’d ever been asked.
Eva smiled, the rare, unguarded version that always made Maddy feel as though she’d won something important.
