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I swallowed, my throat suddenly full of emotion. “There is, I think.”
“What is it?”
I popped open the box and placed it between us.
“Open your eyes, Ava.”
She moaned a complaint but cracked her eyes open anyway. When she saw me, a smile spread across her lips.
My heart constricted. “Ava.”
“Yes, Liam?”
“It’s been a crazy year.”
“I know. I've been here, too.”
I laughed weakly. “Yes, and when I came to Hannibal, my plan was to escape my crazy schedule and settle into a quiet life.”
“Wesley had other plans for you.”
Laughter bubbled out of me. My gaze dropped to the ring she’d still not seen and back up to her face. “And that’s okay. It’s better than okay. It’s the best thing I could have hoped for.”
“Oh, Liam.” She cupped my face.
I shut my eyes, pressing my cheek to her hand and absorbing her warm touch. “What I’m saying is, it seemed like I never really lived before you. Before this.”
I opened my eyes to meet hers, now filled with tears. I whisked the moisture away with my thumbs.
“And I just wanted to say thank you.”
She giggled. “You woke me up to say thank you? You’re a sentimental man, Dr. Cooper.”
I sucked in a breath. “And, I also want to say, or um, ask…if it’s no trouble, I’d love it if you would keep making my life what it is now until…forever. And if I make you happy, too, I'd love to keep doing that.”
Her smile faded and she frowned.
“Well, um, sorry. That's a very convoluted way to ask if you'll marry me.”
“What?” Her brows lifted.
“Marry me, Ava.” I lifted the box.
Her eyes fell on the ring and her chin trembled. She ignored the jewelry and dove straight for me. Her legs straddled me and she buried her face in my chest.
“Yes! Oh yes, Liam. I'll marry you.”
Warmth exploded inside me. I hugged her close and kissed her forehead, unable to speak past the tightness in my throat.
Ava sat up and placed her left hand in my right. With my heart full, I slipped the ring on her finger.
She held it up, a big smile on her face, then she rested on my chest once more.
This time, her lips found mine.
I wrapped an arm around her lower back and the other behind her neck and kissed her until we were both breathless.
Her body grew restless and she ground her center against me.
