Page 88 of Stuck with the Hero Next Door

David was Janet's husband, a military construction foreman who'd been working overseas contracts for the past two years. Levi had told me numerous stories about him—how he and Janet met, how they'd managed a long-distance marriage with grace and humor, how excited she'd been about his upcoming leave.

"I know. She's been counting down the days."

"She has. And she's nervous, which is adorable. Like they haven't been married for fifteen years."

"Love does that," Levi observed. "Makes you excited and nervous all at the same time."

Something in his tone made me tilt my head to look up at him. "Yeah, like what?"

The question was simple, but Levi’s face complicated it. I watched him tense, his jaw clenching and relaxing as fifty emotions flickered across his features and a hundred thoughts seemed to gather in his eyes.

He set down his hot chocolate and turned to face me more fully. I sat up, a bit scared of what was to come. Levi and I had our bumps and bruises over the last few months since I’d arrived. There were times I thought we weren’t going to make it as a couple, and now, as I looked into his eyes and saw the same fear I’d seen when I told him about the Miller’s Pass job, my heart skipped and almost paused entirely.

He took my hands in his. They were warm and calloused and perfect. His hands could haul and huck hay all day, then hold me with tender love and affection all in one day.. He was my perfect.

“Levi, you’re starting to scare me,” I said, holding my breath.

"No, sorry, I’m totally ruining this."

“You haven’t ruined anything. You haven’t said anything yet.” I laughed, nervous but aching to know.

“I’m just… a little nervous. Be patient with me.” He swallowed, his voice soft. “There’s something I’ve been wanting to ask you. Been thinking about it for weeks.”

My heart kicked into gear. My eyes widened, processing the shift—this wasn’t casual anymore. This was different. His demeanor had changed.

“What kind of something?”

He took a deep breath. Exhaled. Then, wordlessly, he reached into his pocket. His fingers curled around something small. He opened his hand—and there it was.

A ring box.

The world tilted.

My breath caught sharply in my chest, followed instantly by a smile that bloomed bigger than I knew was possible. It stretched across my soul.

"Levi," I whispered, half awe, half disbelief.

He met my gaze with something more than love—something ancient. “Cassie Grant,” he said gently, reverently. Then he opened the box, revealing a ring that shimmered as if it had waited its entire life to land here. A simple solitaire, elegant, timeless… exactly what I would've chosen if I’d dared to imagine this moment.

“Will you marry me?”

The words didn’t just land in the air. They sank into my skin, curled around my spine, and filled every corner of me with warmth. I blinked at him, eyes stinging with surprise and joy.

“Say it again?” I asked, needing to hear it twice to be sure this wasn’t some enchanted moment conjured up by hot chocolate and twinkle lights.

“Will you marry me?” he repeated softly, leaning forward just enough that his forehead touched mine.

And this time, my answer didn’t tremble.

“Yes,” I breathed. “Absolutely, completely, eternally—with my whole heart, yes.”

He slid the ring onto my finger, and I felt it—really felt it—like a seal pressed over a love letter we’d been writing since the moment I stepped out of Tim’s tow truck. The ring sparkled, catching the glow of our still-up Christmas tree, casting tiny firework reflections across both our cheeks.

“I’ve never seen you look at me like that,” Levi said, voice hushed and full of wonder.

“Like you just handed me the stars?” I teased, my voice breaking into happy laughter.

“Something like that.”