“Emma, hurryuppppppp!” Odette crooned. They were all half-drunk off of beers from concession, and giggling.
“You still have your birthday party to get to,” Ethan said, and he tweaked my nose.
My friends had insisted on throwing Arthur and I a huge celebration. I insisted it was too much, but these dipshits would take any excuse to party.
I blinked. “Aren’t you coming?”
“I have stuff to take care of first. Go ahead with Arthur,” Ethan said. “I’ll be along in a bit.”
I figured he had hockey things to wrap up now that he was done with the team, so I said goodbye and took the stairs up to the rink’s second level, where my friends had rented out a room for the party.
Our friends sang Arthur and IHappy Birthdaybefore they cut into our duel cake— half carrot and half banana. My brother and I had weird tastes in food. People gave us gifts and tried to get Arthur drunk, though no one offered me anything. My brother was stumbling around singing Malovian drinking songs with Jasper and Ozzie, though the scene seemed fairly vacant without Finlay here.
He was Arthur’s best friend. Where the fuck was he?
He wasn’t the only one missing. A couple of hours had already passed at the party, and Ethan still wasn’t around. I was starting to get worried, until I heard Ethan finally speak telepathically into my mind.Come down to the North Rink. Your surprise is ready.
Everyone had been giving me very curious looks all night. I didn’t know what was going on. “Hey, guys, I’ll be back,” I said. “Ethan wants to see me.”
“Oooh!” Odette squealed. “I’m so excited!”
“Ssh,” Kiara said, and Odette giggled.
This surprise must really be something. I traveled back down the stairs. By this time, the entire rink was dark. Everyone had gone home, save for us. The moment I opened the door to the North Rink, I couldn’t believe my eyes.
The entire rink was dark, and dim. White Christmas lights had been strung all around the edge of the glass, and the boards surrounding the rink. White roses in marble vessels had been placed here and there around the ice. Soft music played over the loudspeakers. In the corner of the rink, a blanket had been laid out on the ice, surrounded by pillows, and there was a bucket of champagne. It looked like some scene out of a fairy tale. My throat got tight.
Ethan was at the door to the ice, holding out my skates. “Happy Birthday,onawilke.”
I took them. I hadn’t been on the ice since my last competition. I didn’t know if my knee would bother me. I wasn’t sure I could do it.
But Ethan had set all this up for me, and I didn’t want to let him down. I sat down on the bench and tied my skates on. Ethan grabbed my hand like a prince would as I shakily took the ice. We skated around for a few laps, and for the first time in months, my heart lifted. My knee didn’t hurt. All the exercising and practicing we’d done with our swords over the last two months had made it stronger. I’d never be able to do those incredible jumps again, but at the moment, just being able to glide around again felt like a sanctuary.
“Ethan, this is beautiful,” I whispered as we came to center ice. “Thank you.”
He stopped and faced me, holding my hands. “Onawilke, you are the love of my life, the mate of my soul and the joy of my heart. I knew from the moment I first laid eyes on you that I was yours, and you were mine. I have not stopped breathing for you since.”
There he was, getting all fancy again. I smiled and stroked back a few locks of his hair. “We’ve been through a lot, haven’t we?”
“Agreed. We have conquered so much together, and my love for you has only grown and blossomed. There is nothing more that I want out of my life, save for to remain by your side. And so, you’ll forgive me if I want to make this permanent.”
My lungs felt tight as Ethan knelt to one knee. “I understand I didn’t do this correctly the first time,” Ethan said. “It was rushed, and not well-planned. The King’s Contest put urgency into my words, but what hasn’t changed is how I felt then to how I feel now. So tonight, I’m making amends and doing things properly, as they should’ve been. I am asking you,onawilke, to agree to be my lifelong mate, and to take my hand in holy matrimony. Will you take me as your own, and become my wife?”
Ethan procured a small box from his pocket. When he opened the box, I nearly passed out at the sight of a large sapphire, surrounded by diamonds. By the gods, that was a fuckingring, I tell you what! I wasn’t one for jewelry, but damn, Iknewthat thing would look good on my finger.
I was aware my mouth was hanging open stupidly, but still, I couldn’t close it. Long moments passed, and Ethan grew very pale— like he believed he’d went too far. “By the gods, Emma, say something.”
I was speechless. I didn’t knowwhatto say. I hadn’t been expecting a proposal— not anytime soon. I’d told Ethan months ago when we’d gotten back together I didn’t want anything serious. I just wanted to mess around… have fun. I’d asked for a carefree relationship. I didn’t figure this is what he wanted.
Then I realized that this is whatIwanted. I’d been given time, and Ethan had proved I could trust him again. We’d had our fun, but now, I wanted more. I wanted a life with him. And I didn’t want to wait a moment longer to start that life. I wanted Ethan to be mine, now and forever.
“Yes,” I agreed breathlessly. “Yes, I’ll marry you!”
“Gods,onawilke.” Ethan slipped the ring onto my hand, and rose up to kiss me. A steady warmth bloomed between us as he ran his lips over mine, and I kissed him back with a ferocity I had never known. I was going to be Ethan’swife. We were to be married! It was something I’d always known would happen, something I was expecting, but it felt different now. This was deeper than our former engagement. All our secrets were gone, and all that was left between us was love. We weren’t ready for our happy ending before, but gods, we were ready now.
Ethan pulled away and ran a finger over my lips. “Kept me in suspense long enough.”
“I was in shock. I couldn’t find the words,” I said. “Didn’t help you offered me a ring the size of Malovia itself.”
