Page 110 of Crossroads of Love

“Nuh-uh. You’re not touching those.”

“Gavin…”

“Nope.” He’s already clearing the plates and moving to the sink. “I’ll handle everything. You just relax.”

I stare at him, half in awe and half in disbelief. “You really don’t have to…”

“Lena.” He says my name softly, looking at me over his shoulder. His voice is firm but gentle. “Just let me do this. Please.”

Something in the way he says it makes me sit back down without another word. He’s serious about this, and even though it’s the last thing I’m used to, I realize I kind of… like it. More than I expected.

Jayla is already eyeing the pie on the counter, but Gavin shoos her away with a laugh, telling her we need to do something else first.

“Come on,” he says, flashing us both a grin. “I have one more surprise.”

Jayla practically bounces out of her seat, and I follow her a little more slowly, trying to figure out what Gavin’s up to. He leads us out the back door, and I gasp when I see what he’s done.

A bonfire crackles in the firepit, surrounded by logs and a few cozy blankets draped over the backs of chairs. Nearby, a tray with all the fixings for s’mores—marshmallows, chocolate bars, graham crackers—sits waiting for us.

“Gavin,” I breathe, turning to him. “This is… this is perfect.”

His smile softens, and he reaches out, taking my hand in his. “I wanted to do something special for you. For both of you.”

Jayla wastes no time grabbing a marshmallow and sticking it on a skewer, darting to the fire with a delighted giggle. “S’mores! You’re the best!”

I laugh, sitting on one of the blankets, and Gavin joins me, settling in close. The firelight dances on his face, casting shadows that make his expression hard to read for a moment. But when he looks at me, I see it again—that soft, lingering look that makes my heart skip a beat.

We spend the next few minutes laughing and making s’mores. Jayla’s marshmallow catches on fire more than once, and Gavin teases her as he shows her how to get it perfectlygolden. I watch them, my chest tightening with warmth, and I realize how much this feels like… home. Like something I’ve been missing for so long but didn’t know how to find again.

Just as I’m biting into my second s’more, the chocolate melting over my fingers, Gavin suddenly turns toward me. His face is serious, his eyes searching mine, and my breath catches in my throat.

“Lena,” he says, his voice quiet but steady. “There’s something I’ve been wanting to say for a while.”

“What is it?”

He shifts, and before I can process what’s happening, he’s down on one knee in front of me, holding out a small velvet box. My heart stops.

“Gavin…”

He opens the box, and inside, there’s a diamond ring, simple but breathtakingly beautiful. It sparkles in the firelight, and my breath catches again, but this time for a whole different reason.

“Lena,” he says, his voice soft but filled with emotion. “I’ve loved you from the moment you walked into my life. I bought this eighteen years ago to propose to you back then, before everything blew up for us. You’ve made every day brighter and every moment better. And Jayla… you both mean the world to me. I don’t want another day to go by without making this official.”

Tears prick at the corners of my eyes as he takes my hand, his thumb brushing over my knuckles.

“Will you marry me?”

Time seems to stop. The world narrows to just this moment, just this man kneeling in front of me with that hopeful, vulnerable look in his eyes and the love radiating between us. I glance over at Jayla, who’s watching with wide eyes, a marshmallow half hanging off her skewer. She’s grinning from ear to ear.

I look back at Gavin, my heart so full I can barely breathe.

“Yes,” I whisper, barely able to get the word out. Then, louder, with more certainty, I say, “Yes, Gavin. I’ll marry you.”

The joy that lights up his face is indescribable. He slips the ring onto my finger, then pulls me into his arms, kissing me softly as Jayla cheers in the background. It’s perfect. Everything I didn’t know I needed.

As we pull apart, still wrapped in each other, Gavin grins at Jayla. “Looks like you're stuck with me now, kid.”

Jayla runs over and throws her arms around both of us. “I'm good with that.” She laughs.

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