Carina stares at the bun for a beat longer, then looks up at me. Her brows draw together slowly, as though she’s trying to decide if this is a joke she hasn’t caught onto yet.
Behind her, Ivy slaps the table again.
“Mamamama!”
I lean forward, resting my hands on the edge of the table.
“Thought we should do it before she starts school.”
Carina blinks at me. “That’s… your proposal?”
I shrug one shoulder.
“Timing felt right.”
For a moment she just watches me.
The wind shifts through the yard, rustling the leaves around the treehouse, and somewhere behind us Ivy babbles happily to herself, entirely unaware she’s in the middle of a life-altering moment.
Carina bites her lip slowly.
“You’re serious.”
I nod, reaching into the pocket of my shorts. “Never been more serious about anything in my life, Havoc.”
The small velvet box has been hidden for the better part of three weeks, carried around like a secret I couldn’t quite find the right moment to say out loud.
I set it on the table between us and flip it open.
The diamond catches the sunlight, scattering rainbow specks across the wood.
Carina inhales sharply.
“That—”
“Ivy helped,” I say.
Carina’s head snaps toward mine.
“What?”
I nod toward our daughter, who is now enthusiastically feeding pieces of bun to the patio floor.
“She picked the sparkliest one.”
Carina presses a hand to her mouth, laughing helplessly now as tears gather in the corners of her eyes.
“Oh my god, Reid.”
I push back from the table and drop down onto one knee in front of her. Ivy notices immediately.
“Dadadada!”
Carina shakes her head, laughing and crying at the same time.
“You’re proposing to me with a burger.”
I slide my palms over her thighs and look up at her.
