Molly turns to me, her eyes wide. “Luke, what is this?”
I take her hand, gently pulling her inside. The doors close behind us, and I hit the emergency stop button.
We’re not going anywhere. Not yet.
“Luke?” Her voice is shaky now. “What’s happening?”
I turn to face her fully, and suddenly, all the nervousness melts away. Because it’s just us. Just Molly, looking at me with those blue eyes that saw past all my walls, all my bullshit, and decided I was worth it anyway.
“A year ago,” I start, my voice rough. “I was standing in a lobby downstairs, looking at decorations and thinking about how much I hated this entire day. I was bitter and closed-off and convinced I was better off alone.”
Her eyes shimmer with tears.
“Then I came upstairs and found you crouched in front of my door, trying to slip an invitation underneath it.” I grin at the memory. “I was such an asshole to you.”
“You were,” she agrees, laughing through the tears that start to fall.
“But then we got stuck, right here in this elevator.” I gesture around us. “And that night, after I kissed you then tried to push you away, I went to a bar with my brother. And he asked me what I was so afraid of, and you know what I realized?”
She shakes her head.
“I wasn’t afraid of getting hurt again. I was afraid of missing out on you because I was too much of a coward to take the risk.” I reach into my pocket, pulling out the small velvet box. “But you were worth the risk. You’re worth every risk. You’re everything.”
Her hand flies to her mouth as I drop to one knee in the same elevator where we had our first kiss, where I started believing in love again.
“Molly Brennan,” I say, opening the box to reveal the ring. A simple diamond on a rose gold band, delicate and perfect, like her. “You make me smile. You make me laugh. You make me want to be better, to try harder, and to believe that true love can last.”
Emotion clogs my throat as I say, “I love you. And I want to spend the rest of my life loving you. Will you marry me?”
For a moment, she stares at me, tears streaming down her face, her hand still covering her mouth. Then she’s nodding frantically, dropping to her knees in front of me. “Yes,” she chokes out. “Yes, yes,yes!”
I kiss her, deep and sure. Full of every emotion I spent the last year feeling for this woman. She kisses me back just as fiercely, her arms around my neck. I nearly drop the ring box before remembering I’m supposed to put the ring on her finger.
We break apart, laughing and crying as I take her left hand. My fingers are shaking as I slide the ring on. It fits perfectly.
She holds her hand up, admiring it through her tears. “It’s beautiful.”
“Not as beautiful as you.” The words come easy now. A year ago, I couldn’t have said them. Now? I say them every day and it’s still not enough.
She kisses me again, softer this time, and I pull her close, holding her there on the floor of the elevator surrounded by tacky decorations and twinkle lights.
“I love you,” she whispers against my lips. “So much. Even when you’re grumpy.”
“Especially when I’m grumpy,” I correct, and she laughs.
We stay like that for another minute before I finally help her to her feet. I hit the button to restart the elevator, and it lurches into motion, descending toward the lobby.
“Danny knows, doesn’t he?” she asks, wiping her eyes and grinning. “He decorated the elevator.”
“He’s been planning this with me for weeks.”
The elevator dings, and the doors open to the lobby.
And every building resident.
Danny’s there front and center, openly sobbing into a handkerchief. Sophie’s beside him smiling. Molly’s brother, Mitch, and Brent are holding a banner that saysSHE SAID YES!even though they couldn’t have known yet, but apparently, they had faith.
“We’re engaged,” I announce, and the lobby erupts in cheers.
