Page 176 of Claiming Pretty

My heart thudded against my ribs as I searched her face for an answer, any clue as to what this meant.

“W-what does this mean?” I asked, my voice hoarse, barely above a whisper, not daring to hope.

Her lips quirked into the faintest of smiles, and she stepped closer, holding the ring between us.

“It means,” she began, her voice soft but steady, “that I have a story to tell you.”

I didn’t move, didn’t breathe, terrified of breaking whatever spell had brought us here, to this impossible moment.

My entire body felt locked in place, every muscle coiled with tension, as if the wrong movement could shatter everything.

Ava’s fingers traced the edge of the ring, and the way her eyes lingered on it made me ache.

“Many years ago,” she said, her lips curving into a faint, almost wistful smile, “I fell in love with a boy. A boy who came to rescue me when I needed him most.”

My breath hitched, and I wanted to speak, but the words lodged in my throat.

“I told him about my dream house,” she continued, her voice thick with emotion. “About the big library with a view of the sea, driftwood shelves, sea-glass couches. A strawberry patch out back. I told himeverything. And that night, I fell in love with him.”

I closed my eyes, remembering that night like it had just happened. Her thighs on either side of my waist as I stood before her, legs dangling from the kitchen island, her voice filling the air as she painted a picture of a life so vivid I could almost taste it, her lips brushing my fingers as she bit the strawberries I offered her.

Ava’s voice broke through my memory. “And for years, I thought that boy was his brother.”

I opened my eyes to find her staring up at me, tears glistening on her lashes. “But all this time, it was you.”

My breath left me in a rush, and I fought to keep myself steady.

She reached out, taking my hand and pressing the ring into my palm. “I chooseyou.”

I couldn’t stop it.

My knees gave out, and I sank to the ground in front of her, clutching the ring like a lifeline. I tipped my head back, looking up at her like she was the sun itself, blinding and impossible and everything I’d ever wanted.

“I vowed my life to protecting you,” I said, my voice shaking. “But, my little hummingbird, it turns out you don’t need protecting. You never did. So, please…”

I swallowed hard as I clutched at her hands and offered her this ring. “Let me vow my life instead to holding you close when you can’t sleep and chasing away your nightmares before they find you. To challenging you when you’re too stubborn to see sense, but always trusting you to know your own strength. To making you laugh, even when you’re angry with me. To remembering how you take your coffee and to building every dream you didn’t know you had. Marry me.”

For a moment, Ava was still, her expression unreadable again, and my heart stopped. Had I said too much? Was it too soon?

And then she laughed, a soft, breathy sound that stole the tension from the air.

“Silly, Mhaor,” she said, her lips curving into a smile that lit up the world.

Her nickname for me struck me, and my heart stuttered in my chest. I stared at her, caught between hope and disbelief.

“I’ve always been yours,” she said, her smile widening, her tears spilling freely now. “Yes.”

The world spun, and I surged to my feet, slipping the ring onto her finger before pulling her into my arms.

My heart felt like it was going to burst, an overwhelming surge of joy and disbelief crashing over me like a tidal wave.

As I kissed her, laughter escaped me—deep, raw, and unrestrained. God, when was the last time I’d laughed like this? It felt foreign, almost startling, but so damn right. Like something buried deep inside me had finally clawed its way to the surface after years of suffocating silence.

Her fingers curled into my hair, her breath warm and steady against my skin. I closed my eyes, letting the moment anchor itself deep inside me.

Ava had freed me—trulyfreed me.

AVA

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