Epilogue
Three months later...
Flynn’s hand wrapped warmly around Daisy’s as they strolled leisurely through the garden at Darlington House. The sun dipped low in the west, striping the horizon with streaks of pink and purple, which limned the lovely white blooms of Flynn’s most recent project with bursts of color.
“What do you think?” he asked with a smile, pausing beside the bed of roses.
She bent and inhaled deeply of the heavy fragrance, then gave him a smile in return. “Absolutely breathtaking.”
His gaze met hers, and the depth of emotion she saw there thrilled her. For the last few months, they’d spent nearly all their time together. Talking to him through letters had been nice but having the chance to have those conversations in person, looking into his beautiful eyes as they spoke, had been utterly wonderful.
They’d spent a little bit of time talking about what had happened between them but had focused mainly on the future. And now that they’d put the past and all its misunderstandings behind them, the future looked bright indeed. Heath had agreed to pay for Flynn to study under one of the best landscape architects in England and soon he’d be leaving for London to do so.
Though she dreaded the thought of him leaving, she knew how much he wanted this, and nothing about his behavior had led her to believe that his departure would mean an end for them. He’d come home to visit, and she intended to write to him every day.
As the silence between them stretched out, something changed in his eyes, and she suddenly saw a wariness there she couldn’t understand. Before she could ask him what was wrong, he suddenly dropped to one knee.
Heart pounding in her chest, she pressed her hands to her mouth, staring down at him in growing excitement as he pulled a ring out of his pocket and held it up to her, the sparkling facets catching the last rays of light.
“Daisy,” he began, the low timbre of his voice making her shiver. “I love you. These last few months have been the best of my life. You are my best friend, the person I trust more than anyone else in the world. Would you make me the happiest man alive and be my wife?”
“Oh, Flynn,” she murmured, tears of joy filling her eyes. “I love you, too! Of course, I want to marry you. I’ve wanted it for so long.”
He surged to his feet and pulled her into his arms, spinning her around and around, until she was dizzy with it. When he finally stopped, they stared at each other for a long moment, happy smiles dancing across their lips.
“I’ve never been happier,” she breathed. “I can’t wait to be your wife.”
“Good,” he said, his smile stretching as he pulled an important-looking document from his breast pocket. “Because I’ve procured a special license. If it’s acceptable to you, I’d like to get married right away. I want you to come to London with me. I can’t stand the thought of leaving you behind.”
She gasped in stunned surprise. “I would love to come to London with you. I’ve been dreading being apart from you so much.”
“We were apart for too long,” he assured her. “I don’t ever want to be without you again.”
He bent and pressed his forehead to hers and for long moments they just existed in the same space, breathing each other in. It seemed as if she’d loved this man her entire life. After everything they’d been through, it was everything to finally hear that he loved her just as much, that he wanted to spend the rest of his life with her.
She would marry the man of her dreams and they would create beautiful gardens together. And as the sun set on the beautiful flower-filled panorama around them, she’d never been filled with so much peace and hope.
THE END
