Page 50 of The Art of Loving You

He didn’t say anything. He didn’t have to because we all knew exactly what we were to each other.

Lucas tilted his head slightly. His eyes locked on mine with an intensity that made my breath catch. I could see the wheels turning in his mind, the weight of a decision forming in real time.

“That’s a great idea, Bess,” he said softly, his voice warm with something I couldn’t quite place. “But I think we should ask your mom something even bigger.”

My heart slammed against my ribs.

Lucas turned his full attention to me, and suddenly, the bustling noise of the aquarium—the chatter of nearby families, the faint whoosh of water filtering through the tanks—faded into a distant hum.

I stared at him, completely caught off guard, as he exhaled slowly, steadying himself.“Ella,” he started, his voice low but sincere. “I could have planned something elaborate. A grandspeech, the perfect time…” His lips twitched with the hint of a smile. “But the truth is, I don’t want to wait.”

The world spun before my eyes as if it, too, recognized the weight of what was happening.

“I love you,” Lucas continued, his expression open, unguarded in a way that made me weak. “I love Bess. And I don’t want to spend another second without knowing you’ll be mine—officially. Will you marry me?”

Bess let out a delighted gasp, turning to me with wide, shining eyes. “Say yes, Mom!”

A tear slipped down my cheek, but I barely noticed. There wasn’t even a second of hesitation. I already knew the answer—I’d known it long before now, long before the words were spoken aloud.

“Yes,” I breathed, my voice shaking with more emotion than I could control.

Then, stronger, surer—because I meant it with everything in me—I repeated, “A thousand times, yes.”

Lucas let out a soft, relieved laugh, his smile full of so much joy it nearly unraveled me all over again. Before I could say anything else, he cupped my face and kissed me deeply, right in there the aquarium, with Bess clapping beside us.

The kiss was everything—a promise, a new beginning, a love story that neither of us had seen coming but somehow had always been meant to be.

When we finally pulled apart, Bess was practically bouncing with excitement. “We’re getting married! We’re gonna be a real family!”

Lucas brushed a tear from my cheek in a way that sent shivers down my spine. “Looks like we have some shopping to do,” he teased.

Bess gasped. “For a wedding dress?”

Lucas chuckled, shaking his head. “Not yet. First, a ring.”

I laughed, wiping away the lingering tears. “Well, if we’re making this official, I guess we should do it right.”

Bess grabbed both of our hands, beaming up at us. “Can I help pick it out?”

Lucas smirked, glancing at me. “What do you think?”

I squeezed Bess’s hand and smiled. “I think that sounds perfect.”

As we walked toward the exit, hand in hand, I realized something deep in my bones—for the first time in my life, I wasn’t just looking forward. I was stepping into a future I couldn’t wait to begin.

CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE

Lucas

I woke up to the scent of coffee and the sound of muffled laughter drifting down the hall. For a second, I just lay there, taking it in—the quiet hum of life in Ella’s house, the subtle warmth of the sheets that still held her scent. It was a far cry from the mornings I used to have, waking up alone in a sleek, impersonal apartment, my first thoughts about damage control rather than…this.

This was different. Better.

A few months ago, before I reconnected with Ella, my life had been consumed by the weight of my last name, the mess my father had left behind, and the constant battle to separate myself from it. Now, I was engaged to the woman I wanted more than anything, and I had Bess—bright, mischievous Bess—who had accepted me like I’d always belonged.

I rolled out of bed, pulled on a shirt, and followed the sounds into the kitchen.

Bess was perched on a stool, watching Ella with the intense focus of someone solving an impossible puzzle. “No, not that one,” Bess declared, shaking her head at the blouse Ella held up. “You need to wear something fancy today. Museum fancy.”

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