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“The man that you’ve helped me become,” I said, meaning it.
I leaned in and kissed Joanne, then took her hand and went down on one knee. She let out what could only be called asqueak—her eyes going as wide as saucers—and I felt all the love bubbling up inside me until I couldn’t contain it. It was just the reaction I’d been dreaming of, and I knew—knew—she was going to say yes.
But not before I had a chance to tell her how much she meant to me.
I fished a small velvet box out of my pocket, squeezing Joanne’s hand when the tears came again, and—for the first time in my life, gazing into the beautiful blue eyes of the woman I loved with my entire heart—I wasn’t at a loss for words at all.
“Joanne, you’ve made me better in so many ways, and I don’t want it to ever stop. I want to keep becoming a better version of myself with you by my side. You’ve made me realize that love is powerful. Love is strong and steady and true. It can even start to heal wounds that I thought might never close.You’veshown me all of that, Joanne, and I don’t ever want to give you up. I never will, if you’ll have me.” I took a deep breath, then added the most important part. “I love you, Joanne Massey, more than I’d realized was possible. Will you do me the honor of being my wife? Of loving me and letting me love you, for the rest of our lives together?”
Nothing had ever felt as right.
But other than the tears still rolling down Joanne’s face, she hadn’t moved.
With a nervous laugh, I added, “Please?”
She let out a gusty breath, as if she’d been holding it the whole time, and then she laughed through her tears and pulled me up against her, her smile bursting forth again in all its sunny glory.
“Yes,yes, oh my God, of course. I want all of those same things, Brady. I wantyou. Forever. You’re my everything.”
I covered her mouth with my own, lifting her off her feet and spinning around in the parking lot of Chance to Bloom, hoping everyone who was passing by could see how happy we were together.
The public display was a far cry from how I had lived my earlier life in Castle Falls, and I couldn’t have been happier with how much things had changed.
Finally—reluctantly—I set Joanne back down, taking a step back just long enough to put the simple diamond solitaire on Joanne’s hand, then bringing it to my lips to kiss.
“It looks good on you,” I said, my voice thick with emotion. “Do you have any idea how happy you make me?”
She managed to laugh and cry both at the same time, and even before she nodded, I knew that shedidknow. I saw the exact same happiness in her eyes.
I made a silent vow to remind Joanne just how perfect she was—and how perfect we were for each other—every single day.
I’d gone through most of my life not knowing love and afraid to say it, but those days were over forever. I loved Joanne.Lovedher, and I was never going to hold that love back.
“I love you, Brady,” Joanne said, as if reading my mind. “And I can’t wait to marry you.”
“Any time you want,” I said, knowing that day would always be my favorite now. Then I added a teasing, “I know what you really wanted was flowers…”
Joanne laughed but shook her head. “No, Brady. All I wanted was you.” And then, with an impish smile, she said, “Well, maybe youand…”
“And?” I prompted, the look in her eyes making her pretty sure I knew where my fiancé was going with that.
“Come upstairs and I’ll show you,” she said, arching an eyebrow and confirming my guess. “After all, youdidpromise me we’d only be down here a few minutes.”
“I’ll always keep my promises to you, Joanne,” I said, meaning it. “Every single one.”
“I know.” She took my hands. “I’m going to love you forever, Brady.”
I squeezed Joanne’s hands, running my thumb over the band on her finger as I smiled down at her. “Loving you forever is the only thing I want to do.”
Epilogue - Joanne
“Theonlything you want to do?” I teased, my heart so full it felt like it might burst.
The entire morning had been the most perfect moment of my life, and I didn’t want it to end.
Itwasn’tgoing to end. I was going to be Brady’swife.
But now? As a small crowd of people started to come out of Castle Coffee to see what was going on, I wanted the rest of our not-ending to happen in private.
