The smart move would be to wait, take her to dinner, and do this properly. But looking at her now, confident and beautiful and completely herself, I suddenly can't think of a single reason to wait another minute. Besides, I've never been that smart when it comes to Meredith.
I reach into my pocket, fingers close around the small velvet box. "I have something for you."
She blinks, clearly not expecting that. "Okay?"
I pull out the box but don't open it yet. Her eyes widen as she recognizes what it is, but I need to say this first. "I've been carrying this around for three weeks."
"Three weeks?"
"Waiting for the right moment." I take a deep breath. "But I'm starting to think there's no right moment, just right people."
Her eyes never leave mine as I open the box, revealing the ring inside—a deep blue sapphire surrounded by smaller diamonds, set in platinum. Not traditional, but then, neither are we.
"Meredith, I've watched you become exactly who you were meant to be. Not because I changed you or anyone else did, but because you finally stopped letting the world tell you who you should be." I take her hand in mine. "I loved you before … when you were quiet and uncertain and hiding. But Christ, Meredith, watching you step into your power has been the privilege of my life."
Her eyes shine with unshed tears, but she doesn't look away.
"I want to be by your side while you keep taking over the world. Not as your bodyguard, though I'll always protect you. Not as your employee, though I'll always have your back." I swallow hard. "As your husband. As your partner. In everything."
I go down on one knee and tilt my head back to look at her. "You told me once that you've always been mine. Now I want to be yours, officially, permanently. Marry me, Meredith."
She doesn't answer immediately, and for a terrifying second, I think I've misread everything. Then she cups my face in her hands, and I see the answer in her eyes before she speaks.
"Do you remember the day the will was read?" she asks quietly.
I nod. How could I forget? The day she joked about marrying me instead of that asshole Brian. The day everything changed.
"I asked you to kiss me, and you said that once you claimed me, the next man who touched me would lose his fingers." Meredith chuckles. "You said you don't share. That if I were yours, I'd be yours until the day you died."
"I meant it."
"I know you did." She brushes her thumb across my cheek. "That was the moment I knew I loved you, Cole. Not just wanted you, but loved you. Because you saw me when no one else did." She takes the ring from the box and examines it in the light. "It's beautiful. Perfect."
"Like you," I say, and immediately feel like an idiot. That's the kind of line Dex would give me shit about for years.
But Meredith just smiles wider. "I love you, Cole. Yes, I'll marry you."
I slide the ring onto her finger, and it fits perfectly, which isn't surprising. I memorized her ring size the first time I held her hand. The sapphire catches the light, sending blue reflections dancing across her skin.
"I love you," I say, the words still new enough that they feel raw coming out of my mouth. I've thought them a thousand times, but saying them aloud is different.
She pulls me up for a kiss, her body pressing against mine, her newly ringed hand at the back of my neck. I lose myself in the taste of her, the softness of her lips, the heat that flares between us just as hot as the first time.
When she pulls back, her eyes are bright, and a laugh bubbles up from her throat. "Dex is going to be insufferable about this, isn't he?"
I rest my forehead against hers. "Beyond insufferable."
"Worth it."
"Worth anything."
We stay like that, holding each other in the quiet of her office. Six months ago, I watched her claim her power. Today, I watch her claim me, just as I claim her. Equals. Partners. Forever.
And as she grabs me for another kiss, I know with absolute certainty that this—us—is exactly as it should be.
EPILOGUE
MEREDITH
