AllFreeNovel
Share Us
He steps away, slowly lowering himself to one knee. In the setting sun, his smile is like a new morning. He reaches into his pocket and pulls out a ring box, his fist closing around it. Behind him, a couple of the pups have wandered to the fence, watching us with their tongues hanging out, an audience to this moment.
“Maddie, you’re the best person I know. The most beautiful woman. You’ve got the kindest soul, but you’re fierce, too, never backing down. Every moment we spend together proves what an incredible mother you’re going to be. I can see our future so clearly, and at the same time, I want time to slow down. I want to savor every single second with you.”
Tears slide down my cheeks, driven by his words.
“Madison Lewis,” he says, opening the box.
The ring is like nothing I ever could’ve envisioned in my whole life. It’s a chunky diamond, the band elegant, the setting sunlight shimmering across the diamond’s surface.
“Will you marry me?”
“Yes! I love you so much.”
He slides the ring onto my finger, then leaps to his feet, pulling me into his arms.
EPILOGUE
THREE WEEKS LATER
Jacob
“I’m so happy for you, bro,” Brad says, clapping me on the shoulder.
I grin, which feels far more natural than it once did. We’re standing in my office at the window, looking down over the city, having just finished a meeting with the watchdog investigating Metis.
I was right. Trent’s going to step down. The new CEO has a reputation for morality and the truth. I might have hadsomethingto do with getting him the position, but what did Trent expect? No retaliation? With all of that behind us, the future is beckoning so brightly that I can hardly believe this ismylife sometimes.
“You seem happier,” Brad goes on. “People in the office have mentioned it.”
“Is that because I don’t bite their heads off every two seconds now?”
Brad chuckles. “Lay off it. You were never that bad. Just withdrawn. That’s not a crime.”
I smile, nodding. “I’m happier than I’ve ever been. It’s true. Every day with her is like a gift. No, notlike. It is a gift. I’m just sorry she blew up the Metis deal. I know how badly you wanted that.”
I lay on the sarcasm, and Brad chuckles. “She saved our company by putting you on his trail. That stunt Trent pulled… I’d never work with somebody so dishonest and sosloppy,too.”
“He thought releasing those photos would hurt me, but I don’t care what people say.”
“Have you looked recently?”
I shake my head. “If I’m not at work, I’m with Maddie. To call it an addiction would be an understatement.”
“Since you announced your engagement, there’s been the usual crap. It’s the internet. Everybody has an opinion, but most people are happy for you. They can tell how in love you are. There are memes, side-by-side shots of you before you met Maddie, and you after…”
“At least nothing is standing in our way now. That’s all I care about.”
Leaving Brad, I drive home. It used to be a slightly disheartening affair, returning to the empty apartment, wishing I was back at work instead, but now it’s a struggle not to speed.
In the apartment, Maddie left a note for me on the board. The noticeboard is just one of her additions. She’s added rugs, a lamp, and a bookcase—warm touches that make it feel like a home instead of a big, empty space.
Could you read the draft article when you get home? It’s on my laptop in the living room. Love you x
Curious, I walk across the open floor plan and find her laptop resting on the desk. I wonder where she is. Sitting, I lean over to the laptop.
My cheeks instantly start aching from smiling so widely. My heart thunders with the joy of the news. My world, piece by piece, is fitting into place.
The headline reads,Breaking News! Maddie is P-R-E-G-N-A-N-T!I scan the short “article.”
