His hands find my hips, and he twists me towards the sea, our backs to the fire. “I want to get the perfect shot,” he whispers in my ear.
I laugh as he steps away. “Okay…” I trail off. “What should I do?”
JJ is silent for a second. “Whatever you want. I want the silhouette of you. It’ll look perfect against the sky.”
“Okay.” I bite back a smile.
My hair flaps in the wind, and I raise my hands in the air, letting it flow through my fingers. After a few moments, I hear nothing from JJ. “Now what?”
Silence.
I twist my head to find JJ on his knees before me, a box open between his hands. My eyes snag on the ring to find an aquamarine stone on a silver band with five circular diamonds on each side in different sizes. I stumble back, a trembling breath leaving my throat. My hand slaps over my mouth and releases a sob.
JJ’s eyes sweep over me patiently, but I can’t breathe.
“Ivy.” His voice is rough, as if he’s trying his hardest to keep it together. “You are everything to me.”
I don’t blink, but tears still manage to flow down my cheeks, my shaky hands lay on my face as I shift my gaze between JJ’s eyes and the ring.
“The second I laid my eyes on you outside that bar when your heel broke, I knew you were it for me.” He smiles, his eyes glistening with the reflection of the fire. “I didn’t know how I wasgoing to do it, I just knew I was. I couldn’t let you slip through my fingers. I wanted you, and I wanted nothing more than to love you. And I’m so honoured you let me do just that.”
My nose tingles at his words, eyes flowing endlessly.
“I’ve wanted to ask you this question for ages, but I wanted to find the perfect time. I also didn’t want to scare you.” He releases a chuckle, which I copy, but it sounds like I’m drowning in my own tears. “You make me so damn happy. I couldn’t imagine my life without you. So, please would you do me the honour of marrying me? I want to make you happy and make you feel loved for the rest of our lives.”
I nod because words fail me, and I break down. My body turns numb from the surprise and the adrenaline that is pumping around my veins.
All I’ve wanted is to be happy.
JJ is my happiness, my sunshine, my soulmate.
“Yes,” I whimper after a few moments when I manage to take a breath. “Yes. I’ll marry you.”
I lunge forward and wrap my arms around his neck. His arm closes around my back, and he stands up, lifting me off the floor completely. I’m still crying into his shoulder, sensing his nerves because he’s shaking.
After he puts me down, he takes my face between his hands and plants a delicious sambuca-flavoured kiss on my lips.
JJ takes my left hand and slides the ring onto my ring finger. I watch in awe as it fits perfectly, sparkling back at me like all the stars in the sky. “I love it.” I grin, admiring it for a moment longer. “It’s so beautiful.”
He tilts my chin and claims my lips again. “Yeah, you like it?”
“I adore it.”
“I adore you.”
I sniffle as I glance up and take his face between my hands. “I love you so much, JJ. I can’t wait to marry you. I’ve only imagined it a thousand times.”
He releases a raspy laugh and looks to the sand for a second. “Me too,” he admits. “This ring looks so good on you.”
I drop my gaze as he runs his finger over it delicately.
My arms clasp around his neck again, and he picks me up, my legs wrap around his waist, and I cling to him. I kiss him like it’s our last kiss on earth. I pour every inch of my love into him.
“Thank you for loving me,” I whisper against his mouth. “When I wasn’t able to. Thank you for helping me to learn to love myself.”
“Mmm.” He kisses me again. “My favourite part was seeing you fall in love with yourself. To see yourself how I see you.”
I grin, and he grins right back. “The number of times you made me tell myself that I’m beautiful.”
