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To cover his uncharacteristic nerves, Rafe shoved his hand into the pocket of his linen pants, fished around for the diamond, then pressed his pinkie into the band. The metal, warm from being next to his body, reassured him, allowing him to take a breath. “If you have energy later, you can read in the bathtub.” But for now, he intended to put his ring on her finger.
“If?” she repeated.
“I have plans for you, Hope.” After they returned to the house, his plans included a prayer bench that he was sure had never been inside a church.
She gave an exaggerated shiver. “We could skip the walk,” she suggested.
“We could, but we won’t.” While they’d been at home, they hadn’t had much time to scene. They’d flown to Florida to accompany his broken father back to Houston for Lillibet’s funeral. Rafe had wondered if Theodore would go back to his wife, but the thought hadn’t seemed to cross his mind.
He’d returned to the office in a show of stability in the aftermath of the scandal, and he’d agreed to Noah’s request to transfer to Asia, where he could keep his children away from paparazzi harassment. Before Rafe had left the mainland, Theodore had said he still intended to go on his world cruise at the end of May, and he planned to visit Casablanca. After Lillibet’s death, he’d watched the movie. The unhappy ending reflected his own life. Just like the Bogart character in the movie’s final scene, Theodore would always have his memories.
Hope snatched up a wrap and pulled it over her swimsuit, then slipped her hand into Rafe’s. More than ever, he was grateful to have the beautiful Hope in his life. She’d been strong for him and for his father, kind to his mother, a shoulder for his sister.
She’d managed to hire a new assistant, which was a good thing. Celeste had referred so much business to Prestige that Skyler and Tony were having a difficult time keeping up.
In companionable silence, he and Hope walked down the beach. As the sun made its trek toward the horizon, they stopped. She stood in front of him, and he wrapped his arms around her.
“I can’t get over how it drops into the ocean.”
Texas had amazing sunsets that went on forever, but this was startling in its beauty and abruptness.
When the first stars appeared in the sky, he turned her to face him. “There’s nothing more beautiful than this time together.”
“Thank you for this trip. It’s… It’s been unforgettable.”
He lowered himself to one knee. When he’d asked her twice before to be his wife, he’d meant it. But this time, with the ring created from his imagination, it was different.
She gasped. Her hair surrounded her face, tossed there by the sea breeze. “Rafe?”
His heart hammered. He’d kept shoving away the fear that she’d refuse, but now that the time was here, anxiety swallowed him. “My sweet, sweet Hope.” He pulled out the ring. “Will you do me the honor of becoming my wife?”
She pressed a hand to her heart. “You know you don’t have to do this.”
With Noah no longer challenging the succession, there was no longer an urgency, except for the one inside him. He wanted the world to know how much he loved her. “That wasn’t the answer I wanted.” There was nothing in her tone other than empathy for him. “I’m asking you because I want you to be my wife. I love you, sweet Hope, with all my heart.”
“I don’t know what to say.” Her tears spilled, and her shoulders shook.
“Say yes,” he prompted, extending the ring toward her. “Say you will be my bride forever.”
“Oh my God. Oh my God. Oh my God!”
“Is that a yes?”
“Yes!” She squealed. “A thousand times a thousand, yes. I love you.”
He slipped the ring onto her finger. The fit was perfect. Rafe stood, and Hope launched herself into his arms.
On the cooling, hard-packed sand, he spun her around and around. The sounds of her laughter echoed in his ears.
When he put her back on her feet, she studied the ring. “It’s… Stunning.” She lifted it to the sky.
“You’ll be able to see it better inside. It’s a yellow diamond. The gold color reminded me of your eyes.” The stone was a rectangular cut and had clear diamonds on either side, representing their past and their future.
