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“Mylo, you’re acting kinda—”
“Kenz.” He cups my cheeks and tilts my face up to his, eyebrows tipping up in the middle. “I love you.”
“I love you too.” I have to fight to stop a grin from breaking my face even through my confusion over what’s got him acting so weird.
“You.” He releases another breath and his gaze flits down to my lips before returning to my eyes. “You make me better. Stronger.Happierthan I ever thought I could be,” he trails off and shakes his head. “Nothing—not one part of my life made sense until you.” His thumbs brush my jaw as the muscle in his ticks, gaze so intense it makes my eyes sting. “I don’t ever want to lose this.”
“Mylo,” I drag out his name, my mind stuttering to catch up with the brisk tangent this night seems to be taking. “What’s happened. Why would you lose—”
“Marry me.”
My eyes widen, my lips part. Did he just? “Did you just?” My stare flicks dumbly over his face, my pulse suddenly ticking in my throat, warmth like nothing I’ve ever experienced rushing my skin, my insides, bubbling up from my belly and into my chest. He just proposed. To me. How did I not see that coming?
He scans my face again, determination sparking in those gunmetal gray eyes. “Marry me, Mackenzie.” He says it again with a sureness that makes my nose buzz and my eyes burn, the gravel, theroughnessto his voice even more pronounced than usual. “I can’t imagine a life without you in it. I don’t want to.”
I’m kissing him before he can say anything else, lips and teeth and chins and cheeks, lifting myself closer to wrap my legs around his waist, sinking my fingers into the hair at the nape of his neck as his drop to my waist, the board shifting wildly with my careless movements, cool water sloshing over our legs, wetting my bikini bottoms and soaking his shorts.
His laugh vibrates from his warm chest, his hands moving to sink into my hair as he slows the kiss, then presses his forehead to mine. “Is that a yes?”
“Yes.” I nod. I don’t trust myself to say more, the swell of happy so thick in my throat I’m pretty sure if I release it I’ll either cry or squeal or just plain keel on over and drown in it.
“Good.” His grin is heartbreaking in its hugeness as it spreads across his face before he kisses me again, a long slow sweeping kiss filled with promise before he pulls back again and glances at his watchagain. “In that case…” He sits back from me and holds his bandaged arm out to me. “Take it off.”
“You want me to…” I reach for the edge of the bandage where it’s tucked under to keep it secure, but glance up before I make contact, narrowing my eyes on his still smiling face. “What have you done?”
“Open it and see.” His lips twitch and he dips his chin for me to get on with it.
And so, I do.
There’s no wound, or cut, there’s no injury whatsoever.
It’s a new tattoo. Slightly bigger than the others, with details so fine, my fingers itch to pick it up. To double check I’m not misreading the date scrolled along the bottom curve of the watch face, or the time it’s set to. It’s today.Now. Still clutching his forearm, I lift my gaze to his now serious face. “What if I’d said no?” I breathe out, in shock.
“Go big or go home, right?” His eyes crinkle as he watches me and he clicks his tongue off his teeth, still grinning. “Okay. Now. Hold still.” He shrugs his backpack off his shoulders and puts it between us to unroll the top of the special rubber water bag to open it, his gaze flicking up to mine when he reaches his hand in, the soft roll of barely-there waves rocking us gently.
Giddiness. It’s the only word for the woosh of happiness that tickles my scalp and threatens to leak out of my eyes when he pulls a small velvet covered box. A ring box.
He flips it open.
And my heart feels like it might actually explode. Rose gold, with the most delicate line of tiny glistening diamonds either side of a stunning pale pink stone. I cover my mouth and glance up from the satin lined ring box to his adorably nervous face.
“You like?” It’s impossible to miss the nervous catch to his voice.
“Mylo.” I shake my head, nod. Shake my head again. “It’s perfect.”
“Then give me your hand.” He drags his bottom lip through his teeth and takes my trembling fingers in his big hand. “No going back now.” He tugs the ring carefully from the box, then looks me dead in the eye and slips it onto my finger. “You’re officially mine.”
“And you are officially mine.” The setting sun warm on my back I lean in, grab the sides of his beard and tug his face to mine so I can press my lips to his and breathe in his clean, beachy, intoxicating scent, knowing that this is it. He’s it. My happy ever after.
THE END
