“We’ll be home in three days.”
She nods, studying the shell in her palm. “I know. It’s just ... it’s strange how quickly he became part of my life. How quickly both of you did.”
My pulse quickens. “Strange good or strange bad?”
“Good. Definitely good.” She looks up at me. “Sometimes I worry I’ll wake up and all this will be gone.”
I catch her hand, enveloping it in mine. “I’m not going anywhere.”
“Promise?”
I stop walking, turning to face her fully. We’ve reached the spot I had prepared earlier—a semi-circle of lanterns casting golden light across the sand, rose petals scattered near a small bonfire that flickers and dances in the evening breeze. A blanket waits nearby, champagne chilling.
Her eyes widen. “What’s all this?”
“Sit with me,” I say, leading her toward the fire.
She follows, confusion evident in the slight furrow between her brows. “Ronan, what are you?—”
“What if this wasn”t just a trip?”
“What do you mean?”
I take both her hands in mine. “What if this—us—was forever?”
Her mouth opens, but no sound emerges.
“I’ve never been nervous about anything in my life,” I tell her, the confession raw even to my own ears. “Not closing billion-dollar deals. Not facing down competitors. Nothing … until you.”
“Ronan…” Her voice is barely audible above the surf.
I release her hands and reach into my pocket. The velvet box feels simultaneously too small and too heavy. I drop to one knee, sand warm beneath me, and watch her eyes fill with tears.
“The first time I saw you, I knew.” The admission costs me something—pride, maybe, or the last remnants of the walls I’ve built. “I knew you’d change everything.”
A tear slips down her cheek. She doesn’t wipe it away.
“You walked into a room full of people who thought they could buy a weekend of your time, and all I could think was: they don’t see her. Not really.” I open the box, revealing the ring that took three jewelers and seven designs to get right. “I wanted forever from the beginning.”
Her hand covers her mouth, eyes fixed on the diamond catching firelight. “Oh my God.”
“You brought life back into my home. You made Ryan laugh, and you loved him as your own. You made Christmas—” My voice almost breaks. I clear my throat. “You made Christmas mean something again. You made everything mean something again.”
The wind picks up, sending embers from the fire spiraling upward into the darkening sky. Her hair lifts in the breeze, and I’m struck again by how beautiful she is—not just physically, but in every way that matters.
“I've built empires, but nothing scared me until you.” I take the ring from its velvet nest. “Because save for Ryan and my parents, nothing else mattered enough to lose.”
She’s crying openly now, silent tears tracking down her face.
“Marry me, Rayne.” I’ve never begged for anything in my life, but I’d beg for this. For her. “Be mine. Not just for tonight. Not just for a weekend. Forever.”
She laughs through her tears, the sound breaking and mending me all at once. “You’re ridiculous, you know that? You could’ve just asked over breakfast.”
My heart stops. “Is that a yes?”
She drops to her knees in front of me, sand coating the hem of her dress. “Yes. Of course it’s a yes.”
Relief crashes through me with the force of the waves behind us. I take her left hand, which trembles slightly in mine, and slide the ring onto her finger. Perfect fit, just as I knew it would be.
