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“You’re in love with me?” she asked again.
“I am,” he said with a nod. “You’ve touched me more than I can ever say. Hope, you reached a part of my soul I thought was off limits. You make me want to be a better man. And Ella…she feels like she’s a part of me too. I didn’t help create her, but I want to raise her with you. I want her to be my daughter. And I know you might not want to take this chance on me. I hurt you. I let you down.” Grayson felt hot tears stinging his cheeks. “No matter where I go in this world I’m going to take my love for you and Ella with me.”
Grayson was laying it all on the line, knowing he didn’t want to harbor any regrets down the road. “No matter what you decide, Hope, the love I feel for you won’t ever change.” He shook his head. “This whole journey has been filled with reminders from the past. Miss Hattie and Samuel loved each other so much, but their love was cut short. It serves as a reminder to hold on to love as tightly as we can. Because we never know if it will be ripped away from us.”
Hope let out a sob. Her features crumpled and she began to softly cry. “I thought you weren’t coming back.”
“I’m so sorry. I was always coming back to you, Hope. I just needed some time to vent.” Grayson’s heart constricted. The sight of Hope in tears was too much for him to bear. He reached out and touched her shoulder. “Hope. The last thing I ever want to do is make you cry.”
She looked up at him, stunning him with the expression on her face. Grayson’s throat clogged up. He hoped he wasn’t imagined things. The look shimmering in her eyes looked a lot like love.
“I need you, Grayson. I love you. I don’t think I really knew what loving a man felt like until you came crashing into my life. Everything I felt before seems meaningless.”
“It means the world to me to hear you say that,” he said in a raspy voice. His chest felt tight. He thought his heart might burst with happiness. She loved him!
Grayson knew the time had come for him to show Hope what he wanted for them. He got down on one knee and reached into his pocket for the red velvet box he’d been carrying around for over a week. He popped it open, revealing the stunning emerald-cut diamond with the infinity band of diamonds surrounding it.
Hope gasped and covered her mouth with her hands. Her eyes shone with tears.
“Hope Matthews. Will you be my wife? My best friend? Will you allow me to shelter you from the storms of life and wake up next to you every morning? I promise to stand by your side, come what may. I’ll never forsake the love we share. I’ll never leave you again. And I promise to let you sleep in on Sunday mornings and make you breakfast in bed.”
She couldn’t seem to take her eyes off the diamond ring.
“Is that a yes?” Grayson asked. “Or are you just impressed with the ring?” he teased.
“It’s a yes, Grayson. A big, resounding yes. Of course it is. I’ll marry you. Today. Tomorrow. Whenever.”
Grayson stood up and reached for Hope’s finger. He slid the ring on, admiring the way it looked on her graceful finger. Once the ring was on, Grayson dipped his head down and placed a celebratory kiss on his fiancée’s lips. “Thank you, babe. For
having an open heart and being gracious enough to forgive me. And for agreeing to walk through life with me.”
A sudden commotion broke out on the lawn. They looked over and spotted Callie, Charlotte, Olivia, Morgan and Fancy standing on the lawn wildly waving their hands and yelling.
“Leave her alone!” Morgan shouted.
“I can’t believe you came slithering back here,” Callie yelled.
Hope hid her giggle behind her hand. Grayson looked down at her. “Slithering. Ouch.”
“What’s going on, Hope? Why are you even speaking to him?” Olivia asked.
Hope held up her ring finger. “He just put a ring on it. We’re getting married!”
Pandemonium ensued. The ladies began running toward them shouting well wishes.
As they were surrounded with a massive amount of love and congratulations, Hope and Grayson linked hands and shared a tender kiss. Grayson knew it didn’t get any better than this. Finally, he had found his way. He was home.
Because of Hope, Grayson had learned so much about himself and what it meant to truly love someone. From this point forward, he would be sharing his life with the woman of his dreams and their daughter. Best of all, each day would be filled with Hope.
EPILOGUE
Christmas Eve- Tybee Island
As Hope gazed up at the fully trimmed Christmas tree, a feeling of absolute contentment blossomed inside her. There wasn’t a single thing she would change about her life. Being Mrs. Grayson Holloway was her pot of gold at the end of the rainbow. Anything she had endured in her past meant nothing to her now. Happiness was her true reward.
Grayson stood beside her, holding Ella in his arms so she could get a great look at the tree and ornaments. Ella reached up to try and touch a shimmery ornament. Her eyes were wide with wonder.
“Don’t pull it, Ella,” Grayson said in a gentle voice. “The tree needs its ornaments to make it super pretty.”
