Page 114 of It's Always Been You
Gabe leans forward and presses a kiss to my forehead. “You could have, but I wanted you to have this instead. A place that belongs to you, that’s all your own. I know that the circumstances were beyond both of our controls, and we’re moving forward together, and I’m wildly grateful for that. But ten years ago, what happened to us took dance away from you. I want to give it back.”
I close my eyes, leaning my forehead against his chest, trying to get myself under control. “Fuck, Gabe. I love you so fucking much. This is just…” I stand straight and look around again, shaking my head in disbelief before meeting his eyes. “This is incredible. It’s beautiful and perfect. I love it so much.”
He smiles softly. “I’m really glad. There’s a little more.”
He takes my hand, leading me to the smaller room that turns out to be an office. A beautiful desk sits in one corner, and bookshelves line one wall. A pink area rug covers the floor, there’s a comfortable looking chair in another corner, and a big pink neonMollysign hangs on the wall behind the desk. It’s warm, cozy, and fun—the most me office that there ever was. Gabe gives me a second to take it all in and then turns me to face him.
“I thought you might want a home office too. I have one, and I want you to have a place to work at home if you ever need to, or just a place to sit and dream up whatever project you want to take on next. Everything you do is amazing, and I want you to have a place to do all of it.”
I take a deep breath, and it’s shaky when I let it out because what a gift it is to be known and understood so well and loved so deeply. I take both of Gabe’s hands in mine and lock eyes with him. “You are the most amazing man I have ever known, andeverything about this is perfect. I love it so much, and I can’t wait to do all the things here.”
Gabe winks at me and leads me back out into the studio, gesturing to the barre. “There are toe shoes tied to the end of the barre over there.”
I snort out a laugh because indeed there are. “I’m a little old and rusty to be dancing on pointe, but I wouldn’t say no to being tied up with ribbons again, if that’s what you mean.”
He gives me a wicked grin. “Oh, that’s definitely what I mean, but we can do that later. I have one more thing.”
“Jesus, the dance studio and most perfect home office ever to exist aren’t enough?”
“Rory baby, nothing with you will ever be enough.” He digs into his pocket and pulls something out, dropping to one knee in front of me, and I swear I black out for a second.
“Oh, holy Jesus Christ.” I follow him down to the floor, my knees no longer interested in holding me up.
He gives me a look of dismay. “I’m supposed to be the one on my knee. You know, kneeling before you and all that, while I ask you to marry me for real.”
“Gabe, everything about us is unconventional. If you’re asking me to marry you for real, I want to look you in your eyes while you do. I don’t need you to kneel before me. I just need you.”
Gabe’s eyes darken with emotion, and he takes one of my hands in his. “I just need you too. Rory, I have never loved anyone in my life the way I love you. I’ve loved you since we were eighteen, and even when we were apart, my heart always belonged to you. And now that I have you back, I want everything with you. Movie nights on the couch and late-night pancakes and peppermint mochas in the morning. Family nights with our friends and trips to Boston and D.C. to see my sisters and plane rides to California to see your family and revisit allour favorite places. Whispering secrets in the dark of night and waking up too early in the morning because I can’t go too many hours without looking at you. I want to keep making this home with you and build an entire life together because every part of my future belongs to you. I love you, Rory. No one will ever love you the way I do. Be my fiancée for real. Marry me. Be my family. Let’s be each other’s forever.”
He holds up a ring and I do a double take, looking down at the finger still wearing my fake engagement ring and then back up at his hand. “You…bought the same ring twice?”
Gabe smiles. “You love this ring.”
“Of course I love this ring. This is the most perfect engagement ring that there ever was.”
“When I saw it, I knew it was the only one I ever wanted you to wear. But a couple months ago when I put it on your finger, I did it because we had to pretend. Nothing about how I feel for you is fake, and I’m asking you to marry me for real, so I want you to have a brand-new ring.”
I blow out a breath and shake my head, even though my stomach is alive with butterflies, and all I feel is excitement and love, right down to my very core. But I’m me, no matter what, so I can’t resist messing with him a little. “Billionaires really are a different breed, aren’t they?”
Gabe shrugs and grins. “I’m not a normal billionaire. I’m the kind of billionaire who falls in love at eighteen and stays in love for the rest of his life. If it takes two rings to finally make it forever, then that’s what it takes.”
I huff out a laugh. “What are you going to do with the other ring?”
“I thought I’d take it to the jeweler Rachel Parker recommended to me and have the stones set in a bracelet. You can add it to your stack. Our first engagement might have been fake, but it’s part of our story now.”
His smile is so earnest and so adorable, I can’t help but lean forward and wrap my arms around his neck, holding tightly, soaking in this moment and committing it to memory. I don’t want to forget a single second. “That sounds like an excellent idea. I think I’m going to like being married to you.”
Gabe kisses the side of my head, tightening his arms around my waist. “Um, I didn’t hear you say yes. I’ve waited a really long time to ask you to marry me, and I really want to hear you say it.”
With my arms still around his neck, I lean back so I can look him in the eyes. “Absolutely, yes. I love you so much, Gabe. We are going to have such a good life together.”
Gabe’s eyes go stormy with emotion, and he leans in and covers my mouth with his. The kiss is long and deep, full of hunger and love and all the promises that we are making to each other in this moment. When we break apart, Gabe takes my left hand, slipping off the fake engagement ring and replacing it with the real one. Then he lifts my hand to his mouth, pressing a kiss to my fingers just below the ring.
“Perfect,” he murmurs.
With the ring in place, I curl into Gabe’s lap, and he wraps his arms around me. On the floor of the dance studio he built me, we sit, tangled up in each other. We breathe each other in and whisper secrets and wishes and dreams for our future. We are steeped in gratitude for everything that brought us to this moment and anticipation for the life we’ll build, and a deep, enduring, forever kind of love.
We belong to each other. Tied together by our past and the future that stretches ahead. And it is more than I ever could have dreamed.
