My heart feels too full, like it cannot hold everything he is giving me.
“And one day…” he exhales slowly, “…I want to sit on that porch with you, watching our grandkids out there, knowing we built all of it together.”
Everything inside me opens wider.
“I want a life with you, Tinker,” he says, and this time there is nothing soft about it. Only certainty. “Not just the easy parts. All of it. The good, the messy, the days we get it wrong… I want every second, as long as it’s with you.”
My throat tightens as his eyes hold mine.
Unshakable.
“I always thought no one could catch Peter Pan, make him want to settle down.”
A breathless smile pulls at my lips.
“Not until I met you.”
His hand rises, brushing my cheek gently.
“Alexis Vale…”
Everything stills.
His hand slips into his pocket and comes back with a small velvet box.
My breath catches as he opens it.
The ring is beautiful.
A slender gold band, simple and timeless, and at the center, a soft pink diamond.
Delicate.
Unmistakable.
“I saw it,” he says quietly, his voice rougher now, “and it reminded me of you.”
My throat closes.
His eyes lift to mine. “Strong in simplicity. Beautifully unique. One of a kind.”
A tear slips free.
“And no matter what it has been through…” his voice softens, “…it still holds its light.”
Something inside me breaks open completely.
“Will you marry me and create our own version of Neverland with me?”
“Yes,” I breathe, the word breaking out of me before I can stop it. “Yes, Dex.”
Relief flashes across his face before he is on his feet again.
He takes my hand, his fingers warm and steady as he slides the ring onto my finger.
It fits perfectly.
For a second, I just stare at it, the soft pink catching the light, the weight of it settling against my skin like something real, something permanent.
