Page 112 of Connected By Stars
“I don’t think I’ve seen anything more beautiful,” he whispers before bending down to kiss me softly. “I love the dress.” I feel his breath against my skin as he kisses behind my ear.
“You two should probably get going. You don’t want to be late.” I glance at Sophia, and her eyes are dancing with joy. I don’t think I have ever seen her this excited.
“What’s up with you? You’re acting all giddy and unusually happy.” I eye her, trying to figure out what I’m missing.
Mav quickly grabs my hand and starts walking me to the door. “She just doesn’t want us to be late. I told her earlier that I made reservations.”
I look at Sophia one last time. Her grin hasn’t left her face. She winks at me, and the confusion on my face grows. Shaking my head, I let it go and follow Mav out the door.
I buckle in as he closes the door and walks around to the other side.
“I need to run by Emma’s house real quick on the way. She wanted me to look at a couple of things she’s leaving behind that would look good in the new store I’m opening. They’re donating it all tomorrow, so I told her I would stop by tonight. I hope you don’t mind.”
“That was sweet of her. No, I don’t mind at all.”
He takes my hand and smiles at me before turning his attention back to the road. We pull into Emma’s driveway a short time later. He gets out and opens my door, helping me down from the jeep in my high heels. He’s got a boyish grin on his face, and I can’t help but grin back at him as we walk up the front steps. He unlocks the door and opens it for me as I step into the house.
My hand flies to my throat, and I gasp in shock. Candles are lit on every surface possible, and vases of daisies are everywhere. The place is completely empty except for a beautiful woodentable set for a dinner for two. Fairy lights have been strung around the place, giving it a magical feel. I turn to Maverick, and he’s watching me take it all in.
“You did all of this? It’s beautiful. It must have taken you hours to put all this together.”
“I had help from Noah, Emma, and Sophia, but I wanted to do something special for you.”
“I don’t know what to say. It’s…magical. It’s perfect.”
He takes my hand and walks me further into the house. There’s a small box sitting on the table that he picks up and hands to me.
“This is gift one of two.” I look at the small white box and run my fingers over the light pink ribbon. I open the box and see a key nestled inside.
“What’s this?” I hold the key up and search his eyes.
“That is the key to our new home. This home. It’s ours.” His eyes search mine, and I look around the house I’ve grown to love, not really believing that it’s ours.
“You bought a house? This house?”
He softly laughs at my shocked face. “When Noah told me Emma wanted to sell, I jumped on it. I couldn’t think of a better place to make a home with you. I’ve put money back over the years with some of the surf competition money and made some smart investments, so it was an easy decision to buy. My lease is up this month, and Sophia wants to take mine over because it’s a smaller one-bedroom, and she loves the tub.”
“No wonder she was excited. I knew something was up but couldn’t figure it out. She knew what you had planned tonight.”
“She almost ruined the surprise tonight with her excitement. She never has been good at keeping secrets.”
“No, she hasn’t,” I laugh.
“We will, of course, have to add on at some point when wehave kids, but for now, it’s perfect. You have a room overlooking the water you can use for your office, and our neighbors are pretty cool up on the hill…”
I throw myself in his arms, and he laughs. “It’s perfect. You’re perfect.”
“It goes with your next gift,” he says softly in my hair. I watch him bend on one knee, and my eyes instantly start to water as my emotions take over.
“Isabella Maya Bennett, I’ve loved you my whole life but never truly knew what that meant until you broke down my walls, and I let myself see what I truly wanted for the first time in my life. I want to build a life with you in this house and raise a family. I want to spend every sunrise with you on that deck, watching the first light hit the water with you in my arms. I want you to be the first person I see in the morning and the last person I see before I go to sleep every day for the rest of my life. I’m so deeply in love with you, and I want to start our life together with you tonight if you’ll have me. Will you marry me and be by my side as my forever person?”
The tears fall down my face as the love I feel for this man overcomes me. I see that same love shining bright in his eyes as he looks at me. I drop to my knees, nodding and crying.
“Yes,” I say through my tears. “Yes, I’ll marry you. I’ve loved you my whole life and promise to continue loving you for the rest of mine. You’re my forever person, too,” I whisper.
He grins that dimpled grin I love so much as he puts the most beautiful diamond ring I’ve ever seen on my finger before he softly kisses my lips, savoring every second and committing it to memory.
He rests his forehead against mine. “I love you, Bell,” he whispers.
“I love you more,” I say softly.
“Not possible,” he grins.
Pulling me up with him, he leads me to the back deck. I put my hands on the rail and breathe in the salty air. His arms come around me from behind, and I lean back against him. I close my eyes and take in the feel of him, knowing we will fill these walls with love for many years to come.Our home.
I can hear the waves crashing against the shoreline as I open my eyes and see the night is full of stars. I see Andromeda and Perseus side by side, shining extra bright tonight as if they’re giving us their blessing. I know without a doubt our love story will be written up there in the stars one day, shining brightly for all to see. Connected by Stars…him and me.
THE END
