I exhale heavily, my chest tightening. “I know that. It was too late before I ran onboard to help. They’d already gone. I don’t know what started the fire. I don’t know how it spread so fast to the fuel tanks. I don’t know why neither of them got off in time. There are so many questions that I want answers to. And I need to accept I might never get them.”
I bring us to a stop on the path, the harbor to our left. The Statue of Liberty shines in the distance, lit up by floodlights. I move us so Hallie can stand in front of the railings and look.
I wrap an arm around either side of her and hold her from behind.
“I can’t live in the past anymore. We’ve both lost people we love. But we’re still here. And we’ve found each other. That’s a damn miracle to me, Hallie. You’re my miracle.”
I dip my head and kiss her neck beneath her ear.
“And you’re mine,” she breathes. “I don’t know where I’d be without you.”
“You’d be sprinkling magic, just like you are now.”
“God, I hope so.” Her eyes stay fixed in the distance.
“Your business is going to keep growing. You’ll keep Jenny’s memory alive. I’m never going to stop you from working. I’ll support you. If you have to travel, spend time away, we’ll make it work.”
“I know you will. And that means more to me than you’ll ever know.” She turns inside my arms and smiles at me. “I’m going to apply for an extension to my working visa to start with. I’ve had some inquiries from clients in New York, so I won’t need to travel anywhere for a while.”
“Okay.”
“Which is a shame.” She walks her fingers up my tie, her eyes alight with teasing. “Because it means I won’t be able to use my beautiful new Halliday Burton luggage you got for me.”
“Beaufort.”
“What?” Her brow scrunches up.
I reach up and stroke the backs of my fingers across her cheek.
“I bought you that luggage and asked them to put Halliday Beaufort’s initials on it for me.”
She laughs and then stops and searches my eyes. “You’re serious?”
“I am.”
“I don’t… What?” She looks more confused before she clamps her hand over her mouth.
I look up at her from where I’ve dropped to one knee at her feet.
“I asked your father’s permission when we were in England. And I’ve waited three long, excruciating days since we got back for this to be ready.”
I take out the signature blue velvet box with gold Beaufort Diamonds logo on it from my inner jacket pocket.
“Sterling.” Hallie’s eyes are round as she looks at me in shock.
I take her left hand and kiss the backs of her fingers.
“You came into my life and told me my kissing needed work.”
She breaks out into a smile and her eyes mist.
“I did do that,” she whispers.
“And then you gave me the one thing I’ve never had. You gave me you. All of you. You chose us over everything.”
“I choseyou,” she breathes.
“You chose me,” I say, looking up at her.
