"You're welcome here anytime," Julie says. Mark and Olivia nod their agreement.
Serena beams gratefully, her gaze drifting to Julie's foot. "How's your foot?"
"Better." Julie lifts it, moving her ankle back and forth to demonstrate. "The clinic got me all fixed up."
"Awesome," Serena whispers. "We brought dinner. And dessert. And some other stuff."
"Some other stuff?" Dawson lifts a brow, poking through the bags. "Looks like you brought the whole goddamn store."
Serena shrugs sheepishly, shooting me a mischievous look. "Blame Austin. He let me have his credit card."
"That's not how I recall it happening," I say dryly. "I seem to recall you playing grab ass with one hand while stealing my wallet with the other."
"Yeah, but you didn't steal it back so…" She shrugs, smirking at me.
I just lift her hand to my lips, brushing my lips across the back of her knuckles. When I lift my gaze, everyone is grinning at us.
"Come see what we brought," I murmur. "Julie, there's a new coat in there for you."
Julie's eyes light up.
Serena and I step back as everyone descends on the table, pulling items out of bags, chattering back and forth, teasing and laughing.
"You were right," I murmur, wrapping my arm around Serena's waist to pull her close. "This beats another goddamn party any day."
She grins up at me, resting her head on my shoulder as Dawson carries a new pair of shoes across the campsite to Anthony, gently shaking him awake. He takes the shoes, blinking at Dawson and then at the shoes like he's trying to process what's happening. I don't miss the way his eyes go watery, and he clutches them to his chest.
My throat grows tight.
"You're incredible, you know that?" I ask, tipping Serena's chin up to meet her gaze. "Once you're in charge at the soup kitchen, you're going to change a lot of lives for the better, princess."
"No," she whispers, shaking her head. "We are."
I dip my head, kissing her softly. "Yeah? You going to do it as my wife?"
"I mean…you basically already told the whole world that I'm marrying you, Austin," she says against my lips. "You're unhinged like that."
"No, I'm desperate like that." I slip my hand into my pocket, pulling out her ring box. "But I don't care what the rest of the world thinks, baby. I care what you think. So, are you going to change lives as my wife?"
I open the velvet box between us, the simple princess cut diamond a devastating spark of brightness in the dusk.
I never pictured proposing surrounded by tents, the smell of woodsmoke, and a handful of people I've come to care about deeply, but I can't imagine it any other way. This is perfect for us.
When you strip away the media and all the bullshit, this is who we are. This is what matters. I don't need parties. Neither does she. The only thing I need is her, right here, right now, for the rest of my life.
She freezes, her lips parted, her eyes wide and watery. For once, she's completely speechless.
Lucinda lets out a whoop that echoes off the trees. Julie gasps, her hands flying to her mouth. Even Anthony sits up, blinking at the ring like maybe he's dreaming. I love that they're witnessing this part of our story, when we were right here with them the night that I realized I'd fallen in love with her.
"What do you say, baby?" I ask, my voice rough. "You going to make an honest man out of me now that you've had my cock all over the internet?"
Serena laughs, a wild, beautiful sound that quickly turns into a sob. She nods silently, unable to form words.
"Fuck," I breathe, my heart in a vise. This is everything. Every goddamn thing.
Her hand trembles as I slide the ring onto her finger, and then pull her into my arms, kissing her so hard the rest of the world falls away. The only thing left is her body trembling against mine, the taste of her tears on my lips, and the absolute certainty that this right here is precisely where I belong.
"I can't believe you asked me to marry you," she whispers hours later, her head on my chest as sweat dries on her skin.
