Page 133 of Crossing Lines

“Do I look like I’m fucking with you?” He says it with a serious tone, and there’s nothing about him that would indicate he’s joking.

“But you have work…”

“Don’t you get it?” Evren says. “You’re more important than work. And don’t tell me you’d rather stay inSkyrise and miss out on a tour of some of the most prestigious fashion houses in the world.”

“Holy shit.” A tour of any of the Italian brand headquarters would be a dream come true, and he said houses, meaning more than one. “Are you for real?”

“I certainly hope so.” He flashes me a grin.

“But we can’t just go for me.”

“Why not?”

“Because we should also do something you want to do.”

He thinks about it for a minute. “Well, I’ve always wanted to go to Lake Como.”

“Perfect, we’ll do that, too.” I straddle his lap. “And we’ll do everything else you want, as long as we get to do it together.”

“Now you’re getting it,” he murmurs, his thumb brushing gently along my jaw. “That’s what I mean when I say you’re more important than work. Before you, it was all I had, all I focused on. But now…” He pauses, the sincerity in his gaze making my breath catch. “Now, I see it all differently. You’ve shown me there’s more to life—more tous. I wake up thinking about you, not meetings or deals. I fall asleep with you on my mind.Youare what matters. My future—our future—that’s the priority. Everything else can wait.”

“Well, shit, when you put it like that…” I lean into him, my voice soft but steady. “We’re going to be unstoppable.”

Milan and Lake Como are the dreamiest places in the world, or at least what I’ve seen of the world.

Our villa in Lake Como is directly on the water, framed by rolling hills and other massive homes. Today, we’re going on a boat ride to enjoy all the lake has to offer. I pull on a summer dress and head to the living room where Evren’s already waiting for me.

“Quick question,” he says, putting on a bomber jacket. “Does this look okay?”

“A jacket?” I ask as he does a slow spin, showing off whatever this jacket is. “But it’s not cold outside?—”

The words dry up in my throat as I read the back. It’s the same jacket I made for Stella, Aria, and Elodie for the charity event, the one that put me on the map. But it’s in a men’s cut and size. On the back, hand-sewn on the top, in lopsided and uneven stitching are the wordsmarry me.

My brain stutters, unable to process the words at first. He’s proposing? Of all the things I thought he’d ask right now, it’s not that. He turns back around to face me and grabs my hands in his.

“I have a new appreciation for sewing,” he says, “after it took me hours to sew just those words.”

My breath catches, and I forget how to speak, my mouth suddenly dry. Eventually, I choke out, “You sewed that yourself?”

“Yes, because I wanted you to have a good memory related to this jacket. It’s something you’ve shied awayfrom, and it’s even been used against you recently. Maybe it’s a stupid way to ask you to marry me, but?—”

“It’s not stupid.” I cup his face in my hands. “It’s thoughtful and unique and perfect.”

“I love you more than I’ll ever be able to express with words. You’re it for me, and I can’t imagine life without you by my side.” He says it simply, as if it’s obvious, as if there is no other truth in the world than this. “I want to be the one who hands you your first cup of coffee every morning, just to see your smile. I want to hear your off-key singing that fills the house with so much life. I want to be the strength behind you—the knife in your hand—whenever you need to cut through anything or anyone that stands in your way. I want to live in the beautiful, colorful world you create, where nothing is ever dull and everything feels like magic. And every night, I want to fall asleep with your fingers running through my hair, your body pressed against mine, knowing I’m exactly where I’m meant to be. Forever. So, please, Nina, please, do me the honor of marrying me.”

His words stretch me like an elastic band, pulling me to the edge until I snap—only to spring back, reshaping me into something entirely new. My heart races, and tears well, as I stare at him in awe. I never thought someone would see the real me and still want me, until him.

I swallow, trying to find the right words, but everything I feel for him is too big, too all-encompassing.

“You…you make me feel like I’m home,” I whisper, myvoice catching. “My first true home in my life. I always thought home was a place, but it turns out it was a person—you.” I clear my throat, trying to talk over the emotion blocking it. “Making you smile and having fun with you is my new life goal. So is forcing you to eat sugary cereal in the morning, even if you hate it.” He chuckles and I grin. “But I promise to fiercely defend you from anyone who doesn’t see how amazing you are, because you deserve nothing less. And every night, I want to fall asleep wrapped in your arms, knowing that when we wake up, we’ll face the world together, side by side.”

“Is that a yes?” he asks, blinking back his own tears.

“No, it’s a hell fucking yes.”

He wraps his arms around me, kissing me like I’m the missing piece that makes his life complete. And I finally understand what it feels like to belong so completely to someone else, as if every moment in my life was leading me to him, to this moment.

He pulls back and asks, “Wait, don’t you want to see the ring?”

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