CHAPTER 3
My heart falls out of my chest and through my stomach as I gape at the kneeling man before me.
He’s staring back at me, green eyes lightly glazed over with a layer of unshed tears. His neck is tensed, causing the angle of his bearded jaw to be even more pronounced. He’s adorned in a black suit, as dressed up as Charlie and I are.
And he’s holding a sparkling ring. The gold-set white opal sparkles pink and blue and yellow in the lantern light, casting specks of light across Nolan’s face and all over the hall.
“Nolan,” I breathe, hardly able to take in what’s happening before me.
“Be my wife?” he asks, his voice cracking, like the sound of stepping on gravel.
My jaw falls open, and after a few moments of silence, Charlie sidles up to me and whispers in my ear, “It’s sort of a yes or no question.”
I blink, and Nolan, misunderstanding, says, “I understand if this is too soon. If you think it more prudent to wait.”
And then the words find me. “I think I’ve waited on you quite long enough, thank you very much.”
Relief breaks out on Nolan’s face in the shape of the most beautiful smile I’ve ever seen. He slips the ring onto my finger, explaining in the process, “I thought an opal would be best. You deserve light in your life, Darling.”
I’d stare at the beautiful stone, marvel at its beauty, if I weren’t too busy taking in the sight of the man in front of me, memorizing every line of his face, every place his hand grazes as he slides the ring onto my finger, then lets his touch linger there.
“When?” I ask.
Nolan’s ears twitch, and his neck reddens. “I bought the ring as soon as I was recovered enough to walk again after my…” He glances at his hooked hand with a marked hesitation.
I swallow, then clarify. “No, I mean, when can I marry you?”
Charlie claps in delight behind me. “I think she’s going to be pleased, Captain.”
I turn to face my friend, who’s looking at me with a grin of mischief, then back to my fiancé—myfiancé—who’s looking like he’s up to even more trouble.
“Well, Darling, how do you feel about marrying me now?”
“Yes,” I say, this time without hesitation.
Nolan laughs as he stands and offers me his arm. “Well, that’s good to know. Because you slept so long, you and I are late for our wedding.”
When Nolanand I emerge on deck, Charlie right behind us, the applause that greets us is more akin to a roar. The crew breaks out into cheers, but that’s not what has me stunned.
The entire deck is decorated for a wedding. Near us, long tables line the deck, trimmed with oil lanterns and lavender centerpieces, cream satin table runners cascading off the ends. On the other side of the tables, the crew has set out rows ofchairs, the aisle marked with a layer of daisy petals. At the end of the aisle is an arch carved of wood, draped in more tiny lanterns.
The whole deck is bursting with light, like they’ve taken the stars above and harnessed them for the evening.
“You said yes, didn’t you?” says Maddox, running up to us, looking mildly disheveled and holding an assortment of daisy petals, leaves, and lantern parts as he chases behind Michael, who seems to think this is a scavenger hunt. “Because we’ve been working all day on this in the hot sun, and it’s going to be quite disappointing to take it all down.”
“I said yes,” I say with a beam, squeezing Nolan’s arm as Michael races up to me and grabs my other hand.
Maddox beams right back at me, then claps his captain and friend on the shoulder.
“Don’t take all the credit,” says Charlie. “It’s not like you designed it.”
“Yes,” says Maddox. “Charlotte over here designed the whole thing, then sat on her buttocks and told us what to do and where everything went all day.”
“As she should have,” I say with a wink.
Maddox rolls his eyes. “Meet you on the other side of the aisle then?”
All of a sudden, the bright tones of stringed instruments accompanied by deeper notes start playing from the other side of the ship.
