“Elliott, are you ill? Do you have a fever?” She put her hand to his cheek and felt the wet heat there. Not so much that he seemed feverish, but it was hard to tell. Especially as he grabbed her hand and pressed a kiss to her palm.
“Amber, my darling, I can not—I will not—live without you.” And then he began to sink. His legs must have given out because he dropped down to the floor before her. She cried out in alarm, but he kept sinking, and he was too large for her to hold.
It took her a long moment to realize that he hadn’t collapsed. He was, in fact, on one knee before her. Behind her, she heard men and women gasp in surprise, but she didn’t understand what was happening. What was he doing—
He pulled a ring out of his pocket. It was old, made of heavy gold, and bore the Byrn family crest on it. “I know this is ugly,” he said. “Nothing like the things you make, but it is traditional. It is what every Byrn countess has worn on her wedding day.”
She blinked at it, her thoughts frozen as she stared. She saw the age of the ring and the craftsmanship, which was a ridiculous thing to look at. Not when he was on one knee and holding it out to her. But he had said from the very beginning, over and over, that he could not marry her. So what was he doing now?
“Please, Amber Gohar. Please do me the greatest honor and become my wife.”
Behind her, everyone exclaimed. But Amber just stared at Elliott on his knee before her, ring outstretched. “You cannot mean that,” she whispered. “I have already given you my heart. You don’t need to ruin yourself for me.”
He grabbed her hand. “I am not ruining myself. Amber, you are the making of me. Look.” He pulled back his coat and showed her his waistcoat. It was black, and she stared at it in confusion.
“I don’t understand,” she whispered.
“Oh, blast,” he grumbled. “It’s got colors in it. You can’t see it now, but there’s red in there. I swear!”
Someone obligingly brought a lamp forward, and sure enough, there were threads of dark red in it. “It’s…beautiful?” she said. It wasn’t really. It was wet and wrinkled.
“I’ll get another one. You pick the colors, even if it’s yellow. I’m not partial to yellow, you see, but I will for you. If you say it’s beautiful, I will wear it.” He grabbed her hand again and looked in her eyes. “I love you, Amber. Please say you will be my countess. Please.”
Her breath chocked off, and her eyes widened. It was happening. Everything was coming true. Not only did she have a prince, but he was proposing to her on the ugliest night of the year. Soaking wet, shivering with cold, and all because he had to get her the family ring.
“You have swept me off my feet,” she murmured.
“Not yet, I haven’t. But I will if you don’t mind getting wet.”
“I don’t mind,” she said. “I seem to have fallen desperately in love with you.”
He pressed the ring forward. “Then say yes, Amber. Yes, you will marry me.”
“Yes! Of course, yes!” she said as she fumbled to put on the ring. He helped her. And then, just like he’d promised, he swept her up in his arms. And while everyone cheered, he kissed her. Hard and hot, then sweet and happy. They clung to each other, and she pressed herself against him and wrapped her arms around his broad shoulders.
“Do you know what?” she whispered into his ear.
“What, my heart?”
“We are going to live happily ever after, and it’s going to be wonderful!”
“Yes, my love. Yes, it will.”
“And I’m going to wear my bracelet, Elliott. On my wedding day, I’m going to wear the one with a firebird surrounded in flames.”
“A bird in flight. So long as you always fly back to me.”
She pressed her face to his neck. She hung on to him and kissed his throat, his jaw, and then his mouth. And when they were finished, she whispered her answer. “I’ll always fly back to you. Because I love you.”
“And you’re my happily ever after. The one I didn’t even know I was missing.”
