I jump to my feet and my cheering matches his ringtone as I rush over.
In a flurry, he tells me I now have the option to sell cupcakes at games or wherever. My hand is over my mouth. Eyes wide.
“Do you like it?”
I’m stunned speechless.
“Maggie Cakes, is it okay?” Sweat pierces his brow.
I reach through the window and clobber him with a hug and a billionty kisses. “I love it. I love you. This is...I don’t have words, other than this goes on the swoon list. Er, the love list. Thank you, Declan. Thank you.”
“Glad you approve.”
I hop in the passenger side and admire the custom cupcake bakery on wheels. The radio dials are little cupcakes. The seats are pink pleather. It is a dream.
“I have another surprise. Buckle up,” Declan says, wearing a mischievous grin.
About five minutes later, Declan pulls into the back lot of a big nondescript building.
“Where are we? I feel like I’ve been here before.”
“It’s a busy day, so I opted to take us through the rear entrance. Word has spread that I’m in town training.” Declan is all muscle, but in the last weeks, he appears as if carved of stone, pure power.
“Yeah, let’s avoid the cameras.”
It’s like he’s forcing himself not to smile. Wherever we are must have really good cupcakes.
We follow a lightly wooded path toward the back of a building. A man dressed in a dark suit and wearing a coms unit in his ear nods at Declan and lets us through a nondescript door.
As it closes behind us, I could’ve sworn he said, “Cinderella and Prince Charming have arrived.”
I blink a few times, and it only takes a second for me to realize we’re at Disneyland. Still holding Declan’s hand, I spin in a circle before landing in his arms.
“What are we doing here?”
“I wanted to get you some cake. To celebrate.”
“Celebrate what?” I ask.
He draws me into the center square by the castle and holds my hands in his. His thumb runs smoothly over the heart charm around my wrist.
I repeat what he said all those years ago. “No matter where we go, no matter what we do, I promise that I’ll always be there for you and you have been. I wasn’t expecting my heart to lead me here. To me. To us.”
He beams. “If I could, I’d give you the keys to the kingdom. All I have is the key to my heart, and it is yours.”
My heart stutters, leaps, and grows in my chest.
“I want to be the Prince Charming to your Cinderella. You are my princess. If I had a glass slipper, I’d give it to you. Instead, I have this.” He drops to one knee and holds up the shiniest diamond ring I’ve ever seen and it’s cut in the shape of a heart. “And you’re my star. I vow to keep my focus on you as my light, day and night, always. We were in the friend zone, but I love you to the endzone and beyond. Will you marry me, Maggie?” he asks.
I smile and toss my head back, laughing. “Yes, yes, I will.”
“I couldn’t wait a minute longer to hear you say that.” He gets back to his feet.
Declan slides the ring on my finger. Cupping my jaw in his hands, he kisses me.
When we part, people all around cheer and clap. Unlike the last time I was at a theme park, I don’t mind the excitement or the flashing of cameras and video.
I lean toward Declan and say, “Now, about that cake.”
