Elijah returned my passion tenfold but then broke away, grasping my hand. “One more thing.”
What else could he possibly have up his sleeve? He led me back down the stairs and into the crowd, our friends making space.
“Can I have everyone’s attention, please,” he asked.
The room quieted, and all faces turned to us.
“Bonnie.” Elijah squeezed my hand, then dropped to one knee.
Jessie squealed. Genie slapped a hand over her mouth. Ethan muttered something that sounded likeabout damn time.
My brain stopped functioning entirely.
The man I loved produced a small box from his pocket and held it up. His gaze never left mine. “The past month has been the best of my life.”
More tears filled my eyes.
“You let me catch you,” he continued. “Argued with me about coffee, planes, and breakfast orders. Won a public confrontation with one of the most unpleasant men I’ve ever met.”
A ripple of laughter moved through the room.
His voice softened. “And somehow made every single day better than the last.”
My heart hurt.
“I knew the first time I saw you that I was all in,” Elijah said. “I don’t want there to be any doubt about how deep in love with you I’ve fallen.”
He opened the box.
The ring caught the light from the fireplace. A red stone, sparkling diamonds surrounding. Tasteful but fiery. So very me. Also entirely terrifying.
“Bonnie Braveheart. Will you marry me?”
My pulse hammered so loudly I could barely hear him.
Jessie whispered, “Say yes.”
Genie elbowed her. Everyone laughed.
“You’re crazy,” I managed.
“About you.”
“You chased me across a city.”
“Worth it.”
“You caught me in a game.”
He tilted his head, so handsome in his tux. “Is that a yes?”
I gazed around the room at our friends and family. This warm cottage perched above the river. A future that had somehow appeared out of nowhere. Then I looked back at the man still kneeling in front of me.
“Of course it is. Yes. A million times over.”
The room exploded. Jessie screamed. Genie cheered. Ethan clapped Elijah on the shoulder when he stood. Elijah slid the ring onto my finger, then pulled me into a kiss that made the entire room disappear.
“I love you so much,” I whispered.
