Page 89 of How Sweet It Is

Tears fill my eyes as Zoey snatches away the platter. “Oh my gosh. Is this fromhim?”

Before I can say anything. Levi steps into view. He kneels on my welcome mat, and my heart thumps hard in my chest. Is he doing what I think he’s doing? Zoey screams then pulls out her phone to record the scene.

Levi pulls out a ring box and opens it. The ring inside is simple but stunning, a single round diamond, set low in a delicate band that sparkles with tiny flecks of gold, like sunlight on the ocean. It’s elegant. Unexpected. Understated yet perfect.

He clears his throat. “So, I was going to hide the ring inside one of the éclairs, but I figured you might choke and die, and that felt like a bad way to start a proposal.”

A shocked laugh bubbles out of me, and Zoey makes little noises with her mouth closed, like she’s trying so hard not to scream again as she does this hopping dance from one foot to the other. Yeah, that video will turn out great.

He grins. “Claire.” His voice softens. “You showed up in my life like a plot twist I didn’t see coming. And somehow, in all the chaos, in all the flour and fear and gluten-free bakery disasters, I fell in love with you. The kind of love that doesn’t want to breathe without you.”

He pauses, and his jaw flexes, his nerves showing for the first time.

“I know I’m a mess. I know you’ve been through hell. But if you’re willing, I want to be the guy who makes you laugh when life is hard, who fights for you, who bakes you things you’re not allergic to… forever.”

He lifts the ring toward me. “So, will you marry me?”

Emotions rise up in my throat, and I can’t talk. I can’t think straight. I knew I wanted to go to Levi, but marriage? Am I ready for that?

My gaze drops to the ring then to his eyes. They’re so open, so full of hope, and my heart starts to ache in that way it does whenyou’re standing right in front of something good and you’re scared you don’t deserve it.

I’ve been running for so long. From danger, from disappointment, from the kind of love that comes with strings and expectations and silent judgment. And now here’s Levi, on one knee, offering me forever with a heart wide open and a tray of gluten-free éclairs.

Who does that? Who makes me laugh when I feel broken? Who sees the worst parts of me and never flinches? Who treats me like I’m someone worth choosing, not once but every day?

Only Levi. He’s the man who danced with me in my living room, slow and deliberate, making my heart ache. The man who made me feel safe when my world was falling apart. The man who saw past my walls and never tried to tear them down. He just waited patiently on the other side until I opened the door.

And I realize, in that breathless, terrifying, beautiful moment, I don’t need to be ready in the traditional sense. I just need to know who I want to build a life with.

And Ido.

Plus, Zoey’s about to have a heart attack if I don’t say something.

I nod, the tears slipping free now. “Yes,” I whisper, my voice catching. “Yes, I’ll marry you.”

His face lights up with that crooked, boyish grin with the one dimple I love so much, and when he stands to wrap me in his arms, I feel it again. That sense of home. Ofright.

Someone’s screaming, but I’m pretty sure it’s Zoey, not me. I block her out and pull him closer. I cling to him like I never want to let go.

“I was really banking on those éclairs doing the heavy lifting,” he says into my hair.

I laugh through a tear-soaked smile. “They helped.”

“Good. Because the rest of my speech was just stupid one-liners from romantic comedies.”

Zoey stops filming, claps her hands, and dances around us. “Oh my gosh, you’re engaged!”

A part of me kind of forgot she was there. I turn and introduce Levi to my best friend, the one who talked sense into me and made me see I needed him.

Levi turns to me and swallows. More nerves. “Will you come back with me to Willow Shade?”

“I’m already packed.”

His mouth drops. “Seriously?”

“I decided yesterday that I couldn’t stay here. That I couldn’t live without you.”

He grins at me. “So, you were almost out the door to come see me?”

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