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Sam has no idea why I brought her back to Universal Studios. She’ll never see the plot twist coming. With Eden at her side, Sam points at various places in the village. We can see Hogwarts from a distance, the castle lit up in the darkness. The closer we get to it, the more nervous I become.
Trent is on my left pushing Teddy and Thea in their stroller with Jemma at his side. My niece and nephew are twins, so tiny and fragile and only a few months old, sleeping peacefully.
Today, everyone is dressed down for the occasion. We fit in with the other weirdos who are pretending to be students at Hogwarts.
All of my family are here—Trent, Tye, Ava, and my parents. My half-brother, Blake, and his family even joined us. I was hoping my friends could make it, but with our hockey schedules not lining up, it was hard enough to steal Trent away for the weekend.
My dad touches my shoulder to get my attention. “Don’t worry,” he says under his breath. “She’ll say yes.”
I look for Sam making sure she’s still a few feet in front of me taking pictures with her phone. “What if everything goes wrong?”
“You can’t think like that, Tuck.” He taps my back with his hand with some force. “Sam will remember this day for the rest of her life.”
“Mom told you no the first few times you asked her to marry you.”
He laughs at the memory. “Our circumstances were different. She wanted me to ask her when she wasn’t pregnant with your sister. And then she got pregnant with Tye. We didn’t have the best timing, but she still said yes. Eventually.”
“I hope the timing is right.”
I don’t mean with Sam. The show I’m about to put on for her requires perfect timing. I planned it out for weeks and paid an exorbitant amount of money to make this happen.
“It will be. I already talked to the park staff. Everything is in place.”
I let out a sigh of relief. “Thanks, Dad.”
He squeezes my shoulder, smiling.
To the rest of the world he’s the Tyler Kane, but to me, he’s the best man I have ever known. I learned everything I know from him. And if he’s confident this will go well, then I have to stop overthinking and believe it will. I’ve never been this nervous. Not even when I was sitting there waiting to be drafted into the NHL.
When we approach the castle, security guards are waiting for us. The park closed an hour ago. They allow us to pass, waving us on. My throat closes up as we approach the dark castle, illuminated by a bright display of colored lights.
I reach into my pockets searching for the ring box in one and pull a wand out of the other.
Sam stops when we reach a roped-off area and turns to face me. She bites her bottom lip, confused. “I thought we were allowed inside.”
“We are.” I take her hand, the wand in the other. “But I want to show you something first.”
She raises an eyebrow. “Okay… what are you up to, Tucker?”
With my family standing a few feet back from us, I look at my dad who nods to keep going. My hands are shaking, and Sam can feel it too. She glances down and sees the wand in my hand.
“Tucker…” her voice trails off, and her eyes grow as wide as her mouth.
“I love you, Samantha. I love you like Harry loves his parents. I love you like Hermione loves books. I love you like Ron loves food…”
Tears spill down her cheeks, but she manages a laugh. “I love that you now know this. I love you, too, Tucker.”
Just like I had planned, I hold the wand up to the sky in the direction of the castle. Sam watches in disbelief as I point the wand at each word as they appear in the sky.
Will. You. Marry. Me.
Sam covers her mouth with her hand, staring at the words for what feels like an eternity before she drops her hand to her side and looks at me.
I get down on one knee, still holding her hand with the ring box in the other. “What do you say, Sam? Will you marry me?”
She drops to her knees in front of me, throwing her arms around my neck and kisses me. My family claps. I hear my mom crying. I think my dad is too, or at least, trying to hide it.
When our lips separate, I whisper against her lips. “I guess that’s a yes.”
Her tears wet my face. “I’m yours, Tucker. Always.”
“Always,” I echo.
And with one word, Sam just made me the luckiest man in the world.
