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His grip on my hands tightens like he’s afraid I’ll pull away. “Please just say that you’ll give me another chance.”
I blink back the tears, but one silent tear escapes. He reaches up and swipes it away with his thumb. “I’m so scared,” I whisper.
“Don’t be scared,” he says in a trembling voice.
“You’re really willing to move here? What about your company?”
“I’ll work it out. I’ll work remotely if needed. It doesn’t matter. The only thing I care about is being with you. I’ll never leave you again.”
It’s no use. The tears are falling freely now. I can’t pretend anymore. I love Ethan with my whole heart. What does any of that mean if I’m not willing to believe he feels the same?
“Do you really mean it? Do you really love me?”
Ethan’s eyes shine with hope and longing, and his voice quivers when he answers. “More than you’ll ever know.”
I wrap my arms around his neck, and he folds me into his body with his strong arms. I feel the tension leaving him as he relaxes against me. “Ethan, I love you, too. So much that it hurts,” I confess.
I lean back from the hug to look at him. He cups my face in his hands and kisses me tenderly on the lips. “I feel the same. My life is empty without you and Matthew.”
“Oh my gosh, Matthew! I never even took him out of his stroller.”
Ethan peeks around my shoulder. “He’s content. He’s so excited we’re getting back together that he’s fallen asleep.”
“I really do love you,” I tell him. I want to shout the words, so happy that I can finally say them out loud.
He kisses me again. “You don’t know how happy that makes me. I have to tell you something; I know the timing is terrible. I know you need more time, and I’ll give you whatever you need. But I think you deserve to know my intentions. You need to understand that I’m serious about us.”
He reaches into his jacket pocket and pulls out a tiny box.
A gasp escapes my open lips. “Ethan?”
“Liz, I love you with all my heart. I will live my life to make you happy. I’ll never give you a reason to doubt how I feel again. This is my promise to you.” I see the love shining in his eyes. He swallows hard before continuing. “Don’t answer me now. I just want you to hold onto the ring, and I’ll wait until you’re ready to wear it, even if I have to wait forever.”
He opens the small box to reveal a flawless, emerald-cut white diamond ring with smaller brilliant diamonds flanking each side.
His humble plea has me drowning in my tears. I’m overflowing with love for this man. It took him a while to come around, but he was worth the wait.
“The ring is beautiful,” I whisper in awe. “Perfect.”
“I hope you like it. I had it made especially for you.”
I take my eyes off the ring to look into Ethan’s eyes. “Do you really mean it? You want to get married? What about your bachelorhood?”
“I’ll leave bachelorhood to Dax. Everything I want is right here. And I’ll prove myself to you, no matter how long it takes.”
I throw my arms around him. “You don’t have to wait for my answer. I will marry you a million times over.”
He hugs me tightly. “Just once will be perfect,” he whispers. “But do you really mean it? You really want to marry me? You’re sure?”
“I’m more positive about this than I’ve ever been about anything. I love you, and you love me. We can figure out anything else that comes our way as long as we have that.”
Ethan nuzzles my ear and whispers, “You’re making me a very happy man. I played out this scenario multiple times on my way here. I never envisioned this ending.”
“This isn’t the ending for us, Ethan. It’s just the beginning. Can we go home now?”
“Home? You are home.”
I lean my head back and kiss him. “No, I want to go back to our home. In Manhattan. This is not where I belong.”
