Page 39 of Soaring and Steadfast

His fingers tightened around hers. “I would give you anything you asked for if you took a chance on me.”

Her heart stuttered. “You keep saying that but…” she hesitated, eyes searching his. “What are you meaning? Move in? Date you? Kiss you?”

A slow, almost nervous smile tugged at his lips, but his gaze held steady, unwavering.

“Marry me.”

CHAPTER TEN

PASTEUR

Okay, so maybe that wasn’t his finest moment.

This wasn’t how he ever imagined proposing. Heck, this wasn’t a normal proposal. But then again, nothing about Lila was normal, and nothing between them had ever followed the rules. With her, there was no pretense, no careful maneuvering, no tiptoeing around feelings. It was raw, unfiltered honesty—a connection so rare it made his chest ache just thinking about it.

And if he was going to do this—if he was going to give her his heart, his future, and his name—then he’d do it without hesitation. Without fear. Without conditions.

Because he was already lost.

Completely, irrevocably lost in her.

Louis hadn’t planned for this, hadn’t expected it, but the moment she’d spoken so casually about wanting a child—just tossed it out there like it was any other thought—something inside him shifted. A deep, undeniable certainty settled in his bones. She trusted him. Maybe more than she even realized. And knowing that? It made him feel invincible like he could lasso the stars and lay them at her feet.

He believed in signs, in being led to the right moment, and in knowing when to take the leap. And right now, every part of him was screaming that this—she—was his path.

His fingers twitched, itching to reach for her, to pull her in and convince her that this wasn’t crazy. That what they had was real; that she wasitfor him.

“Lila,” he tried again, his voice softer this time, willing her to see what was in his eyes. “I want you to marry me. I want to give you a home where you can feel safe, where you know—without a doubt—that you are appreciated, loved, and wanted. I want to be the person you lean on, the one who helps you heal from the past. We don’t have to rush. We can take our time. But I need you to know—I believe in marriage.”

Her lips parted, but no words came out. She blinked at him, stunned, as though she wasn’t sure if she’d heard him correctly.

“I… I don’t know what to say,” she finally stammered.

His heart clenched. He wasn’t sure what he expected, but he hadn’t prepared forthis—the uncertainty, the hesitation.

“We could take it slow,” he assured her, his voice steady even though his pulse was anything but. “We could date. We don’t have to rush into anything. Just like our first kiss, we could wait until you’re ready for anything else. But I want to be in your life, Lila. I want to know you more, to have you close, to build something real with you.”

Her throat bobbed as she swallowed, her gaze flickering over his face like she was searching for something.

“But you’re talking about me moving almost a thousand miles from where I live now…”

“I know,” he admitted, exhaling. “It’s a lot. But I wanted you to see this place with me, to picture what our future could look like.”

He reached for her hand, threading his fingers through hers, and gently pulled her down the hallway. The apartment wasempty, just a shell of what it could be, but when he looked at it, he sawthem.

A life.

A future.

“There’s no reason we couldn’t make this into a nursery,” he said, pushing open a door. His voice was quieter now, almost reverent. “And this—this would be our room. There’s a laundry room…”

“Oh, goody,” she deadpanned.

The tension cracked, and he laughed, but it was nervous, unsteady.

“Lady, have I ever told you how amazing I am at folding towels?”

“Good, because I hate laundry.”

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