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EPILOGUE II
Theo
Eight months after that...
The crowd goes wild as we enter the arena on the horses for the award ceremony.
We’re at the 2023 Olympics in Los Angeles, and we’ve just won gold in the showjumping team event. My heart beats wildly in my chest as I look to my left. My piccola smiles back at me, her eyes watery with tears. What makes this gold medal even more significant is that we were both selected to compete for team USA. And it’s on our home turf in Los Angeles.
There’s only one thing that puts a dampener on this whole thing. I scowl when his face comes into view. He smirks smugly.
Dean Carruthers.
Yes, that fucker made the team along with Laney Murdoch who completed our team of four. I look away. I’m not going to let him ruin this moment for my piccola or for me. Not when I have something special set up for us.
We’ll do our pictures and prize giving with the horses first, then we will dismount. Our grooms will tend to the animals, so we can move onto the podium for the medal giving and pictures.
It’s no surprise that the press is even more interested in the showjumping event when we have Thalia Maxwell on the team. Her name alone has brought more exposure than we could have ever imagined and the fact we have now won the gold medal... well, let’s just say, it’s beyond words.
We move to where we are directed and come to a stop. The horses are dressed in their ribbons, sashes, and blankets. And then the pictures are taken. Whilst everyone else sits in the saddle, smiling for the cameras, I hop off Beau, handing him to Tessa and move towards the grinning lady with a microphone.
This moment has been a long time coming and I’m anxious to do it now. A month ago, I spoke to Christian Maxwell and asked for his permission to marry his daughter. I didn’t need it, but I wanted to do right by my piccola, and I knew it would mean a lot to her to have her father’s blessing.
Fortunately, he said yes, and then we started the process of a unique ring design. It turned out even better than I could have imagined, and I can’t wait to get it on her finger where it belongs. Both of our families are here, in a private box, to witness this. Even Thalia’s brother. Our relationship isn’t the best, but we’re civil which makes my girl happy.
I was in two minds about whether to do the proposal in such a high-profile setting, but then I thought what better way to do it then here, like this. My baby is in her element, doing what she loves. I also have the added bonus of publicly claiming her so there will be no doubt in anyone’s mind who she belongs to after this.
“Good luck.” The judge hands me the microphone and smiles at me.
I grin back, then spin and walk towards where my piccola is sitting on top of Roman. She frowns, no doubt wondering what the hell I’m doing. I glance at my other teammates to find the same looks on their faces, I just grin wider. In a couple of minutes, they’ll see exactly what I’m doing.
Stepping in front of Thalia, I flash her a smile. My palms feel sweaty and my heart pounds in my chest. I’m not nervous about asking her to be my wife, that was always going to happen. I’m just suddenly second-guessing the setting of the proposal—in front of millions of people
Pushing aside my nerves, I drop down to my knee as I dig into my jacket pocket and grab out the velvet box. Applause, whistles, and gasps, sound out around the stadium before it goes quiet. I hear a “What the fuck”coming from Dean but I ignore him. I ignore everyone.
My gaze locks onto my piccola’s and then it’s just us. Tears stream down her beautiful face. It’s now or never. I bring the mic to my mouth.
“Piccola. I love you more than anything in the whole universe. I know our story hasn’t been easy, but I would do it over and over again if it means having you. You are the other half of me. My soulmate. My heart. The air I need to breath. What we have is more than love. Love is too small of a word to describe us. Sometimes I think there are no words that exist that can depict the depth of what we have, the depth of my feelings for you.” Her tears come harder, and she slides off Roman. I’m vaguely aware of Jess taking ahold of him. Thalia drops down in front of me and I carry on. “Our love is transcendental. Otherworldly. And I know that no matter where our souls go, we will always find each other because we are meant to be. In this life, the next, and so on. I want, no, Ineed, to be tied to you in every way possible. Irrevocably yours as you are irrevocably mine. So, Thalia Maxwell, the love of my life, my piccola. Will you do me the honor of being my wife.” I flick the top of the embossed Maxwell box open to reveal an oval-shaped, 4ct, rare cut diamond ring with a platinum band.
My piccola chokes on a sob before squeaking out a yes. Dropping the mic, I pull her to me and pepper kisses all over her face before sliding the ring on her finger. We both stare down at it, then she throws herself at me, wrapping her arms around me. The stadium goes wild, and music breaks out around us.
“I love you, piccolo,” she cries.
“I love you too, piccola. Forever.”
