Before he could say anything else. Elise dropped to one knee.
Jamie froze. “Elise? What are ye—”
She flung up a hand to silence him. Her heart was suddenly galloping like a runaway horse. She unwrapped the package, revealing a small box. She opened it, revealing two rings nestling on the cloth inside. Not ostentatious. Strong. Beautiful in their quiet certainty.
Her parents’ wedding rings.
“I know it’s tradition here for the man to do the asking,” she said, looking up at him. “But I’ve never been very good at following rules. You might have noticed.”
She took his hand, grounding herself with the warmth of it. “I chose this life,” she said. “I chose these Isles. I choseyou.”
His breath caught. “Elise—”
“Jamie Donald,” she said, steady now. “Will you marry me?”
For a heartbeat, he just stared at her. Then he laughed—a broken, breathless sound—and dropped to his knees in front of her, hands framing her face.
“Yes,” he said, eyes bright. “Gods, yes. I’d have waited forever if I had to—but yes.”
She laughed too, relief and joy spilling over as he pulled her into his arms. They kissed, unrestrained, the sea wind wrapping around them like a blessing. Elise felt the world settle into place around her.
She would always be who she was. Elise MacFinnan: impulsive, headstrong, a little wild. But now she was no longer running, no longer seeking what lay beyond the next horizon. Because everything she needed was here. She was exactly where she was meant to be.
And this time, she was staying.
THE END
