Total pages in book: 100
Estimated words: 96037 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 480(@200wpm)___ 384(@250wpm)___ 320(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 96037 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 480(@200wpm)___ 384(@250wpm)___ 320(@300wpm)
Words, not objects.
Marry Me. Please.
She read the words once, twice. She covered her mouth with her hand, then turned to me, her eyes flying open wide when she saw me holding a ring.
“Ronan,” she breathed.
“I love living with you. Having you with me every day. I want it—I want you forever. Marry me.”
Tears formed in her eyes.
“Evan gave me permission to ask you. He gave me his blessing. Now I just need you to say yes.”
“Are you sure?” she asked.
I lifted her from the chair and took her hands. “Beth. You make my life wonderful. Because of you, I found myself. I’m Ronan. Your Ronan. I found my heart the day I lost it to you. You hold it and keep it beating. Say yes, Beth. Give me your heart, and I’ll keep it safe for you.”
“Yes,” she whispered.
I picked her up, holding her against my chest where my heart beat frantically. I kissed her cheeks, nose, and everywhere else I could find, before sealing my mouth over hers and kissing her with everything I had.
Then I slipped my ring onto her finger, marking her as taken.
Marking her as mine.
Evan’s exaggerated whisper floated down the stairs. “What did she say?”
“She said yes!” I yelled.
Upstairs, my family exploded in celebration, the laughing and clapping loud.
“They all knew?” she asked.
“Yes. They had to keep you up there while we finished this,” I explained. “I think the champagne is chilling.”
“And Evan was okay with it?”
I grinned. “Once I bribed him with a retired Lego kit, he was all for it.”
She laughed.
“Look at your ring, Beth,” I said, loving the fact that she hadn’t even glanced at it before saying yes.
She looked down at the three-diamond ring, gasping. “It’s beautiful.”
“It stands for past, present, and future, but I think of it as us. You, me, and Evan.” I bent and kissed her again. “I’ll get you a band and expand it when we start having kids. I think six would look nice.”
“Six?” she squeaked.
I burst out laughing. “We’ll discuss that later. Our family is waiting to celebrate.”
She smiled. “Our family.”
I followed her up the steps, where they waited to congratulate us. Evan was the first to throw himself into our arms. I held them both tight.
My Beth. My Evan.
My heart.
Epilogue
Beth
The Following Spring
I looked in the mirror, lifting my eyes to my about-to-be mother-in-law. “Cami,” I breathed out. “It’s so beautiful!”
She smiled as she smoothed her hand over the skirt of my dress. “You are beautiful,” she corrected. “You make the dress that way.” She beamed at me. “Ronan will love it.”
It was unusual and perfect. The white lace top with long sleeves led to a graceful billow of tulle in shades of white and grays. I was a walking cloud. The dress was gorgeous, designed by Cami, who understood exactly what I was looking for and sketched out my dream dress right before my eyes. The first time I tried it on, I was speechless.
Today, I was enraptured. My hair had tiny pearls and glistening beads woven into the curls. My feet were encased in the lowest heels I could find.
Behind me, Paige smiled, her dress of muted blue suiting her coloring. Lucy wore a lacy dress in bright blue, which she loved, although her shoes with glittering bows were more fascinating to her than anything. Gracie and Ava wore pretty dresses in different shades of blue to complement them. I called my wedding party the colors of the sky. Weather was the whole theme.
Ronan chose a classic black tux to wear. Liam, Paul, Jeremy, and Evan were in gray. The flowers we chose were all my favorites, adding bright pops of color everywhere.
I met Cami’s warm green gaze—so much like Ronan’s, it made me smile. “Is he here yet?” I asked.
She touched my cheek in a maternal gesture. “Liam says he was ready to go at dawn. They kept him busy, but they arrived over an hour ago. He’s as impatient as you are.”
I felt tears threaten, as they had all day. I was happy—ecstatic—to be marrying Ronan. But the shadow of missing my parents on this day hung over me, and I couldn’t shake it.
Cami took my hands. “I know you’re missing your mother and father.” She smiled in understanding. “I’m not sure you realize how many mothers and fathers adopted you when you fell in love with my son. We are all here for you. Aiden and I are proud to have you join our family. We know your parents would be so proud of you. Of how you have raised Evan. We think the world of you.”
“Thank you,” I whispered.
She pressed a small box into my hand. “We would like you to wear these today. Consider them a welcome to the family gift.”
I gasped at the pretty earrings inside the box. The swirl of tiny emeralds and diamonds glittered in the light.