Page 124 of Final Proposal

The three people in the world who matter the most to me know the truth. Know the meaning behind Just Ford. My mom was right. Those are the only people whose opinions about me matter.

Just Ford.

It has a nice ring to it and one I’ll gladly take.

Ellery

“You know you could have picked anywhere in the world to do this.”

“I know,” I murmur against his lips. He pulls me into him and just holds on to me in the one place I’ve never felt safer. “But this is where I wanted to be. The place that started it all for us.”

The late-afternoon sun makes the sand look whiter and the color of the flowers more vibrant. The beach beyond the Azure has been transformed into a paradise that even I couldn’t believe when I saw it earlier today.

Fairy lights strewn about. In the trees. On the tables. A dance floor in the sand. A small gathering of those who we love the most . . . and my brothers. We’re still a work in progress, but at least the word progress is in there. At least there’s that.

“I couldn’t agree more.” Ford looks at me, love reflecting in every facet of his expression. “I still can’t believe it.” He brushes his lips against mine.

“Me either.”

“You ready, Mrs. Sharpe?”

That name.

It’s mine now.

Or rather, it’s been mine now for a total of four hours and three minutes, and if it feels this good already, I can’t wait to see what a lifetime of being Mrs. Sharpe feels like.

I’m married.

Married to Fordham Sharpe no less.

The woman who feared love, who pushed it away, can’t imagine not having this love for this man.

And now he’s my forever, and we’re about to start our journey together.

I peek out the curtains to take in our guests lining each side of the walkway that leads to our awaiting limousine. Fordham takes my hand and smiles as he opens the door.

The rush of noise hits us. Laughter and cheers and whoops as we step outside.

How did we get here?

“Let’s do this,” Ford says with a squeeze of my hand, and we take the first steps toward our forever.

The rain and wind virtually knock me off my feet as I push into the inn. Chandler rambles in my ear about a project he’s working on as if I’m not braving a tropical storm and trying to avoid being a lightning rod.

“Hello? Did you hear me?” I repeat for what feels like the tenth time. He’s not listening to me, so wrapped up in his own self. “Closed. We’re stuck.”

“Brilliant observation. There’s a reason we’re all sitting in here, and it’s not because of the ambiance,” the man mutters to the left of me, as I drop my bag into a heap on the floor beside the only open barstool in this godforsaken place.

“I don’t believe I was speaking to you,” I snap. Mind your own business, buddy.

“Good. Great. Wait. They closed the roads?”

It’s then that I look over and meet the eyes of the moody asshole giving me his two cents when I didn’t ask for it. Chandler blathers on in my ear, but I don’t hear a word he says because I’m too busy being knocked on my ass by the pair of stunning amber eyes.

By the man sitting before me who makes my pulse jump.

We pass Callahan and Sutton. Their two girls, Maxine and Carly, are dressed in frilly white dresses with flower crowns in their curly hair. Sutton reaches out and squeezes my hand, her smile reassuring and welcoming, while Callahan high-fives his brother and says something that makes them both laugh.