Page 94 of Thea's Hero

I exhale hard. “Oh, thank God. I thought you’d say yes… but… it’s really scary asking.”

Thea leans over and kisses me; it’s damp and salty and perfect. “I bet. Now. Can I put the ring on?”

“Yes.” My voice throbs with emotion. “I can’t wait for you to wear it. To be my fiancée.”

As I slide the ring on her finger, a giant smile spreads across her face. “I can’t wait to be your fiancée. And to be Mrs. Lewis.”

Oh. OH. I’m exploding with happiness.

Thea snuggles into my arms, pressing little kisses all over my face. She’s beaming and so beautiful and I can’t believe she’s mine. That after all of this, I found this perfect person, and she loves me.

The kisses pause, and a tiny line appears between Thea’s eyes. “What about Laila? Is she going to be okay with this? I know it’s a big adjustment…”

“Ah, sweetheart.” I kiss her forehead. “I already talked to Laila about it. She knows I’m asking you tonight.”

A hopeful expression brightens her face. “She does?”

“Yes. And she can’t wait for us to get married. Laila loves you, Thea. She’s absolutely thrilled about it.”

“Ben—” Her chin wobbles. “I’m so… It’s so…”

Thea is going to be such a good mother. To Laila. To any future children we have, if it works out that way. And she’s the best person I’ve ever met.

How did I get so lucky?

“We could call her,” I suggest. “Just a quick call before we do all the other things I planned. I know Laila will be so excited.”

“Oh.” Thea kisses me, tears brimming again. But I know they’re not unhappy ones. “That’s a great idea, Ben. I love it.”

“Just a warning. She already has some ideas about the wedding. Something about Daisy being in the ceremony…”

“Well.” She grins at me. “I suppose we could come up with something.”

A cat at our wedding?

“Thea. I love you. As long as you’re marrying me, we can have an entire zoo at the ceremony.”

She giggles again, and I gather her to me.

And as I hold my heart in my arms, everything settles.

This. This is everything I ever wanted.

EPILOGUE

3 Months Later

THEA

There’s a kaleidoscope of butterflies in my stomach.

We won trivia last week on that question. What is a group of butterflies called? My entire team—Ben, Grant, Ian, Willow, and now Ryan—looked at me.

Butterflies are a popular topic in the children’s section, so I knew it immediately.

The rest of the teams grumbled good-naturedly as we collected our winnings. It’s never anything extravagant—just tokens for free beers and the occasional tickets for local events, like the Oktoberfest celebration or haunted hayrides.

But I don’t really care about the prizes or winning. I just love going every week with Ben. Seeing our friends, chatting with all the other regulars we’ve gotten to know, just doing things normal couples do. And every time he squeezes my hand under the table, or loops his arm around me and pulls me in for a kiss, my heart swells with so much love and contentment I’m overflowing with it.

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