Her hand shifts in mine and my fingers trace gentle circles against her skin. There’s something so grounding in this moment, the way we’re sharing our story together. And, I realize, it’s the perfect segue.

“Actually, Rand,” I start, and he perks up, his eyebrows lifting. “We wanted to share some news with everyone tonight.”

“Oh, I love news,” he says, rubbing his hands together like he’s ready for a juicy secret. “What kind of news are we talking about here?”

Grace takes a deep breath, her eyes shining. I look at her, my heart pounding a little faster. This is it. I turn back to Rand and the audience, unable to hide my grin.

“We’re engaged.”

The crowd erupts, cheers filling the air. Rand’s mouth drops open in exaggerated surprise before he’s up on his feet, clapping wildly.

“Well,thatis some news! Congratulations, you two!”

He exclaims, grabbing my hand for a shake before pulling Grace in for a quick hug.

“I must admit, I didn’t see that one coming.

So... how long has this been in the works?”

I glance at Grace, savoring the way her smile lights up her whole face. “A while,” I say. “But we wanted to wait for the right moment to tell everyone. This felt like the perfect place.”

Rand nods, still grinning. “You’re full of surprises, Theo. Grace, how does it feel?”

She laughs. “It feels amazing. I couldn’t be happier.”

There’s a sweetness in her voice, something soft and true, and I wrap my arm around her, holding her close.

The audience is still cheering, and Rand gestures for them to quiet down, giving us his classic mischievous grin.

“I have to say, I’ve known Theo for a long time... and it’s nice to see the good guy finally win.”

He leans back, crossing his legs with a grin.

“All right, now that we’ve got that out of the way...

I have to ask—who made the first move?”

Grace shoots me a look. “Oh, that was definitely him. But he’ll say it was mutual, won’t you, Theo?”

I smirk, holding up my hands. “It was mutual, but I may have nudged it along.”

“Nudged it?” she teases, narrowing her eyes at me. “More like charged forward full steam.”

The audience laughs, and I lean in closer, dropping my voice low enough that only she can hear. “What can I say? When I want something, I go for it.”

Her eyes meet mine, and there’s that heat, that simmering spark that’s just between us. I hear Rand clearing his throat dramatically, and we both pull back, chuckling.

“Save some of that for later, you two,” he jokes, wagging a finger at us. “I’m not sure my audience can handle that level of steaminess. We may be late night, but we’re not on Skinimax.”

Grace and I exchange a grin, but I feel her hand tightening around mine.

“So,what’s next for you two lovebirds?” Rand asks, settling into a more serious tone. “Big plans?”

“Well,” I say, glancing at Grace, “we’re hoping for a small, intimate wedding. Just close family and friends. And then… well, maybe start a family of our own.”

The audience sighs, applauding, and Rand raises his glass to us in a mock toast.

“Here’s to love, life, and big dreams,” he says. “And to our favorite power couple!”