Page 118 of Fake it With Me

“Do you regret your trimmed-down guest list?” I asked quietly.

“No. You’re my family. You’re the people I want to share this with.” She squeezed my hand. “My parents would have just made it about them anyway. About their new relationships and their drama and everything else. This was better.”

“If you’re sure.”

“I’m sure. This was perfect.”

Daisie tugged on Liza’s gown. “Can we take pictures now?”

“Absolutely. Let’s do it.”

We moved to a less crowded area and spent the next twenty minutes taking pictures. Daisie and Liza together, Liza and me, all three of us. Daisie took her job as photographer very seriously, directing us on where to stand and how to smile.

“Okay, now just Liza and Daddy,” she announced. “I’ll take the picture.”

Liza and I posed together, my arm around her waist, both of us smiling. Daisie held up the camera, squinting through the viewfinder.

This was it. This was the moment. My heart was pounding so hard I was sure Liza could feel it. I was terrified.

What if she said no? What if it was too soon? What if she said she needed more time?

“Wait,” I said to Daisie. “Don’t take the picture yet.”

“Why not?”

“Because I need to do something first.”

I stepped back from Liza, and taking the plunge, I dropped to one knee.

The noise around us faded. People stopped what they were doing, turning to watch. I barely noticed them. All I could see was Liza’s face. Shock, then understanding, then tears starting to form in her eyes.

“Darek.” My name came out on a soft breath.

“Let me say this.” I pulled the ring box from my pocket, opened it to reveal the diamond I’d spent way too long picking out. The band was encrusted with more tiny little diamonds. It was three carats. Not too big but not too small.

“Liza, you walked into my life a little over a year ago, and everything changed. You saved my family. You made Daisie laugh again. You taught me that it’s okay to trust someone. You made it safe to let someone in. You made me believe in love again.”

Tears were streaming down her face now, but she was smiling.

“You’ve been a blessing since you walked into that coffee shop. And I want to spend forever with you. I want to wake up next to you every morning. I want to celebrate your victories and support you through your challenges. I want to watch Daisie grow up with you by my side. I want everything. With you. For the rest of our lives.”

I took a breath.

“Dr. Liza Marie Jefferies, will you marry me?”

For a second, she just stared at me. Then she laughed and dropped to her knees in front of me. Her hand cupped my cheek as she stared into my eyes.

“Yes,” she said. “Yes, of course I’ll marry you. I love you so much.”

I slipped the ring onto her finger. She barely looked at it. Her eyes were on me. And that was why I loved her. She didn’t give a shit about my money. It was me.

She kissed me. People around us were cheering, and Daisie was jumping up and down screaming, “She said yes! She said yes!”

When we finally pulled apart, Daisie threw herself at us, and we pulled her into the hug.

“Does this mean Liza is going to be my real mom now?” Daisie asked.

Liza and I looked at each other, and I saw the same emotion in her eyes that I was feeling.