He opened the box, and for a heartbeat, she forgot to breathe.
Inside, a vivid yellow diamond sat nestled in a bed of velvet, its deep golden hue catching the amber light of the tent. Surrounding it, smaller white stones were set in a delicate, radiating pattern of petals. Her breath hitched as the shape came into focus. A sunflower. It was a sudden, sharp ache of recognition—the one flower that had always meant home.
“I love you,” he said, his voice a low vibration that grounded her. “Will you marry me? For real this time?”
Tears spilled down her cheeks.
“Yes.” Barely audible. Then louder, voice breaking, “Yes!”
He slid the ring onto her finger as cheers erupted around them. He rose, and she threw herself into his arms.
“I can’t believe you did this.”
She pulled back, looking at him. “Is this why the Beauchamps insisted on bringing me tonight?”
He nodded. “They knew. And Lucy. Everyone else thought this was just a Beauchamp deal celebration.”
“You orchestrated all of this? A fake property viewing, a surprise party, witnesses?—”
“I wanted it to be perfect. You deserve perfect.”
Lucy crashed into them both. “Oh my God, Dev! Look at that ring!”
She lifted her hand, and the yellow diamond caught the firelight.
“You always remembered.” She met his eyes over Lucy’s shoulder. “The sunflowers.”
“I remember everything about you.”
For a moment, they just looked at each other, the noise of the celebration fading into the background. Then Lucy tugged on her arm, demanding to see the ring again, and the moment broke.
The rest of the evening passed in champagne toasts and congratulations. Eleanor and Andrew appeared with warm smiles. Knox regaled anyone who would listen with increasingly embellished tales about their courtship. Gabriel stood slightly apart, observing. Through it all, Ronan stayed at her side, his hand finding hers repeatedly.
Later, they escaped to the dock under the pretense of getting air.
He wrapped his arms around her from behind as they stared out at the dark water.
“You really thought I might say no?”
“I hoped you wouldn’t.” He pressed his chin against her hair. “But hope and certainty are different things.”
She leaned back against him. “I’m certain. About you. About us. About all of it.”
“Good.” He pressed a kiss to her temple. “Because I’m not letting you change your mind now. I have witnesses.”
She laughed and turned in his arms. Fire pits flickered behind them. She reached up and traced the line of his jaw.
“For the record, this was much better than the first proposal.”
“The bar was fairly low. The last time you bought your own ring.”
“You’ve improved your technique. But you know what the best part was?”
“What?”
“You were scared.” She touched his chest, right over his heart. “You let everyone see it. The real you, not the CEO mask. That’s what made it perfect.”
His hand covered hers. “You’ve made me brave. Or maybe foolish. I’m not sure there’s a difference anymore.”
