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The steady click of heels on concrete centered him.
When he opened his eyes, the trail of a flowing dress was coming down the walkway, his June coming toward him. Her hair was pulled up, soft tendrils kissing her neck and shoulders. Her smile lit him from within, and she took her time as she admire the walkway. When she reached the steps, she stopped.
Dragan met her below, gazing into her bright eyes, her glowing face.
"Hey, you," she whispered.
"Hey, you,"
She looked around, a nervous laugh escaping. “So… what is this? Did you buy a house?”
He smiled and kicked the ground. “Not quite. I’ll never buy something for us without talking to you first.”
She was wide-eyed, and took a step back to see the house more clearly. “Do you mean that?”
“Cross my heart.”
“So if I say yes, you’d just buy a house?”
“For us, yes. Always for us.” He lowered to one knew, and June’s hands flew to her mouth.
“I could tell you until my lips turn blue how much I love you. How you inspire me. How I love seeing the world through your eyes. But really, the thing I love most is your strength. The most kind people are not often seen as strong, but I think there is great strength in kindness. And you, June Beaumont, abound with both. You see people, believe in them, when no one else will. You stand by them, but without sacrificing your own needs. You fill the world with this quiet strength, this quiet beauty, and I know I would not be who or where I am if you hadn’t filled my life with your light. I don’t have ring yet, but I’ve known since I was five years old that you were the one I wanted to spend the rest of my life with. I can’t promise thing will be easy, but I do promise they will be interesting. And I promise that I will never stop working to grow, to support you, and to nurture our relationship. That innocent and naive dream from so long ago turned into desperate hope, and now I kneel here before you to ask if you will marry me.”
58
June wasn’t quite sure what was happening, only that she showed up a this random house and a walkway she could only dream of was laid before her, and at the end of it was Dragan Carter.
But it wasn’t the Dragan she’d known, not really. This Dragan had on an expensive new suit, his hair effortlessly styled. His shoes were slick, and he walked with pride. Like he owned whatever he had his sights set on.
And with the way he looked at her, with that salacious gleam in his eye and the boyish grin she’d loved since they were kids, he could have her.
June had lived her life in fear, and it had cost her him. Her best friend, her lifeline.
She wasn’t going to take that chance ever again.
So when he dropped to one knee, it almost didn’t matter what he said, though it was sweet and made her cry.
She would’ve yes no matter what.
And she did, and Dragan rose to pull her into a kiss laced with their tears and laughter. The cheering from behind her was enough to let her know everyone important to them had waited in the dark, quietly, for this moment.
When they turned to face everyone, their family and friends doled out hugs and congratulations. Everyone there had stuck by them, had pushed them, had loved and accepted them. Looking around, June saw how living a life of fear had kept her from the most important moments. And now she could move forward, with her best friend by her side and their friends and family at her back.
She looked up at the sky, shooting star darting past. Her body warmed, and she knew her mom and dad were out there somewhere, knowing she was exactly where she was meant to be,
EPILOGUE
Archer Thompson looked around at his newly engaged friends, guilt tugging at his stomach.
His phone buzzed in his pocket, Molly’s name flashing on his screen. He left the party, answering it as he wound around the side of the dark house.
“Hey, you okay?”
“Yeah, I just… I just got home.” Her voice was shaky, and Archer tensed.
After the incident at the store, Molly had driven them both to her apartment, where he set her up with some food and some ground rules, in case the guy came back. She didn’t impart any information and took issue with wanted to know when she got home from work safely, but eventually she agreed. He tried not to read into the worried look in her eyes she tried to hide with friendly barb or a too-big smile. But by the time she fell asleep on the couch, watching a movie on TCM, Archer was amped up on how to move forward.
Because this problem wasn’t going to go away, and he’d be damned if he let someone else handle it.
