Mia blinks as if malfunctioning.
“But…” I start.
“There’smore?” She stumbles back, but thankfully, my grip on her is firm.
I breathe, steadying us both. “Truth is, I wish there was an equally fast green card for a bride.” Her head inches back. “There isn’t. Not even Liam’s lawyers can pull that trick from a hat. We’d have to marry first, then file. That’s why I set an NIW in motion.” I wince, half-smiling. “I’m embarrassed to tell you exactly when I asked Liam to help.”
The spark is back in her eyes. “Now youhaveto tell me.”
“Ask me again on our one-year anniversary.”
She’s steady enough, so I take her hands again. “But, Mia, that won’t stop me from asking for what I want.”
I drop to one knee.
Concrete bites through my slacks. The street goes soft at the edges—horns silence, footsteps blur—until it’s only her.
“Pres…” she says in a gasp, but I can’t stop now. I pull a black velvet box from my jacket pocket.
“Make me the happiest, luckiest man on this miserable yet miraculous planet, Mia.” Her eyes water before I finish the sentence. “Can you call it rushing when it’s inevitable? Because that’s where we’re headed. That’s whatwe are.” My voice breaks, and I let it. “You are what I want, Mia. Today, and every day after. If this is too fast, we do it your way. But if you’ll have me”—I lift the box between us—“say yes.”
A single tear slips down her cheek, and my knee wobbles. I don’t dare read her.
I’m here to give her choices, I remind myself.
“There’s no wrong answer, Mia,” I say, steadying my voice. “If you don’t have that three-letter word in you today, it doesn’t touch what we have. If you’re not ready, this goes back in my nightstand and waits there, happily, until you are. We move together, always, at your pace. I’ll ask you to marry me a hundred times, baby. I’ll wait.”
Her mouth curves—small at first, then wider—until she huffs a sound I take as a laugh.
“Would you open that box for me?” Her hands tremble; tears spilling faster now. They threaten her makeup, but the soft lines of black mascara down her cheeks make everything feel more real. “I’m afraid I might drop it and ruin the moment.”
“Are you saying ‘yes’?”
“If we’re inevitable, is there another answer?”
I bite my lower lip, the smile too big to hide. “I want to hear you say it anyway, baby.”
“Then ask me. I want the four words too.”
“Mia Thorne, will you marry me? Will you let me put a ring on your finger as a reminder that I choose you every day?” I can’t hold my tears any longer, they free fall, and the words come even easier now. “You’re the future I can’t wait another second to start. Will you give me the gift of calling you my wife? Will you take me and Lily as yours?”
Her breath stutters once. Then she breaks.
Mia drops to her knees and locks her arms around my neck, a full-body chokehold that knocks the air out of me and puts everything else back in place. Oxygen feels optional right now. The box slips from my hand, clacks against the stone, but I find it by touch and hold on to her. She doesn’t let go. Not for a long time. Not until my head starts spinning.
The sound she makes—something between a sob and a laugh—wrecks me in the best way. All I’ve been dreaming of is right here, clinging to my shoulders.
“I wanted four words, Preston. Not for you to sucker-punch me in the feelings.”
My words scrape through her chokehold. “Please, Mia. Put me out of my misery.”
“Yes, Pres. Yes, yes, YES.” She covers my face with kisses, the last one landing on my lips and lingering. My brain tells me it’s ceremonial. “I’m done being scared. Done overthinking. I’m in. Let’s make it official. If it matters toyou, it matters to me.”
“Fuck, baby. Now I’m not sure marrying you once will be enough.”
She laughs her signature laugh—loud, careless, and melodic. “I’m sure Liam’s lawyers can find a way to make that happen too.”
CHAPTER SIXTY-FIVE
