“Gabe,” I whisper. “It’s beautiful.”
He holds the journal in both hands, staring down at it, and when he finally looks back at me, the whole world fades away.
I move toward him and press my face into his hair, holding him to me. “I have something to show you,” I tell him, heart taking off at a gallop.
He tilts his head back to look at me in question. I smile as I take his hand.
The garden is silent as we slip out the back door.
The space glows—vintage looking bulb lights loop along the side and back fencing, lanterns flicker in the corners, and willow branches make up an arch in the center, their leaves catching the light.
Gabe stops, his hand grips mine harder as he gasps.
“Noah…” His voice is thick. “You did this?”
“Yeah.” My chest is tight as I watch him take it in. “You always said you wanted to do something with this garden. I wanted to give you that. A place that feels like you—quiet, soft, a little wild but beautiful.”
“Blue.” He sniffles.
I step closer. “I didn’t do it alone. Ciarán made sure I didn’t kill anything when planting, and Theo brought tools to help with fencing. Aiden and Abbie mostly just bossed us around. This part…” I gesture around us. “This was easy. The hard part was not telling you. You make me want to tell you everything.”
His lips part, but no sound comes out. The breeze moves a lock of hair across his forehead, and I gently push it back
“I went down to the lake this morning,” I tell him, my voice wavering, “and cut these from the willow.” I nod toward the willow arch. “You remind me of that tree. You’ve been through storms, bent until you thought you’d break—but you didn’t. You keep standing. You keep growing. And you’re softer for it, not harder. That’s the part that gets me every time. You’re the strongest man I know, and somehow the gentlest, too.”
His eyes shine, and my stomach jolts like I just stepped off a ledge—terrified, weightless, and so damn sure I want to fall for him forever.
I drop to one knee and pull the small box from my pocket, flipping it open. His sharp inhale is loud in the quiet.
The platinum ring glints in the golden light, carved all the way around with tiny willow leaves.
“I know it’s not the usual choice,” I say with a nervous laugh. “But I had it made for you. Strong, but beautiful. Gentle, but it’ll last forever.” My voice thickens as I meet his gaze. “Like us. I know it’s only been a year, but, baby… I’m ready for my forever with you.” I take a deep breath and gaze at the love of my life. “Gabe, will you marry me?”
Gabe just stares at me for a heartbeat. Then he drops to his knees in the grass, cupping my face in both hands, and kisses me. It isn’t rushed, it’s deep and drugging. I taste his tears on my lips and feel my own fall.
When he pulls back, his breath hitches, and I see the tears still clinging to his lashes.
“Yes,” he whispers first, then firmer, surer, “yes, Noah.”
He swallows, his hands still on my face, and his voice shakes.
“You changed everything,” he tells me. “When you moved in, I didn’t know how to let someone in, how to trust myself with people. I was struggling, and you never asked me to be anything except who I am. You made me want things I wasn’t sure I could ever have. You taught me that love can be safe.”
His thumbs brush my jaw, tears catching in the light.
“I want this life with you—all of it. The good days and the hard ones, Noah. I want forever.”
My throat feels raw as I slide the ring onto his finger with shaking hands, he looks down at it like it’s the most important thing he’s ever held.
He lets out a soft laugh, still gazing at the band on his finger with wonder. “Gabe Richards has a nice ring to it.”
Butterflies take flight in my stomach. “Actually… I was hoping you’d make me a Shaw?”
He leans forward and presses his forehead to mine—nodding slowly—his nose brushing mine with the movement, and I feel the curve of his broad smile against my mouth before he kisses me again.
“I think you were always meant to be a Shaw.”
55
