Brynn pushed me forward. I stumbled onto the makeshift stage, which was our patio marked off with string lights.
Cole pulled me close, whispered, “Trust me.”
He started playing.
The song was beautiful. Raw. About second chances, choosing love, and building a life with someone who made you braver than you’d ever thought possible.
“I found courage in your eyes
Found home in your arms
Found a life worth living
In the space between your heartbeats.”
My chest tightened.
“So let me love you
Every morning, every night
Let me build a life with you
That’s worth the fight.”
And then, in the middle of the second verse, he got down on one knee.
The crowd gasped.
I couldn’t breathe.
“Autumn Marie Winters,” he said, pulling a ring from his pocket. “You saved me from a life half-lived. From forgetting that the best songs are about love, and the best love is the kind you fight for. Will you marry me?”
Tears streamed down my face. “Yes. God, yes.”
He slipped the ring on my finger—simple, elegant, perfect—and kissed me while our friends erupted in cheers.
Garbage barked, confused by the noise.
Brynn sobbed into Decker’s shoulder.
Eli yelled, “FINALLY!”
And Cole whispered against my mouth, “I love you. Always.”
“Always,” I promised.
Because that’s what we’d built. Not a fairy tale. Not a perfect story.
Just two people who chose each other. Every day.
Despite the complications, the fear, and the very real challenges of building a life together, we chose each other.
And that made everything worth it.
Chapter 11
ONE YEAR LATER
