Page 105 of Stuck with my Guarded MVP
“I wanted the ring to look like the nighttime sky.”
“Oh, Liam.”
He took a slow breath, his eyes never leaving mine.
“Claire,” he whispered. “Please tell me you will marry me?”
“Say yes, Aunt Claire!”
My head snapped toward the barn. Another voice, her sister’s, followed. “Sophie!”
I turned away from Liam, my hand falling from my mouth. Our families emerged from the barn. My brother, Nolan, had a wriggling Sophie perched on his shoulders, her little hands clapped over her grinning mouth. Behind them, Brooke and Maeve were high-fiving, their laughter echoing in the quiet yard. Emma walked beside them, solemnly waving a tiny bunch of thyme like a magic wand.
I just stared. My brain couldn’t piece it together. The ring, Liam, now this.
My mouth opened, then closed. All that came out was a hollow, breathy sound. “What?”
Liam’s fingers found mine. A slow, warm smile spread across his face as he looked from me to our families and back again.
“Um, Claire?” he said, his voice low and teasing. “Don’t leave me hanging here.”
I reached up and cupped his face in my hands. “Liam, I never thought I could love someone as much as I love you. Of course I will marry you.”
Then I stepped back and put my left hand out. “Now get that ring on my finger so I can kiss you already.”
A slow, relieved smile broke across his face. His hand was steady as he took mine and slid the cool platinum of the band down my finger. I stared at it there, on my finger, for a single heartbeat.
Then his arms were around me, pulling me tight against his chest. His mouth found mine in a kiss that stole the air from my lungs. My feet left the ground as he lifted me, spinning us once before setting me down, both of us breathless and laughing.
I placed my hands on his chest, “You planned all this… on your birthday?”
He leaned in, resting his forehead against mine. “Best gift I’ve ever gotten.”
"But… how did they even find us? I planned this.”
He smiled. “I figured you’d tell Brooke. I asked her not to tell me where you were taking me, but to tell Maeve. Once we got here, I looped Maggie in, and she hid everyone in the barn.”
The pop of a champagne cork echoed off the barn. A cheer went up, and someone’s phone started playing music.
Suddenly, we were surrounded. Nolan pulled me into a bear hug. Over his shoulder, I saw Maeve throw her arms around Liam’s neck. Brooke and the girls swarmed me next, a tangle of arms and giggles and happy squeals.
Through it all, my hand found his. Our fingers laced together. The cool metal of the ring pressed into my skin, a solid, real weight amidst the happy chaos.
Through the whirl of bodies, my gaze locked with his. A slow, quiet smile spread over his face. The music and laughter faded into a distant hum. For one more second, it was just us. Just our hands, holding on.
****
The last of the cabin doors clicked shut, leaving the patio quiet except for the hum of insects. The string lights glowed above us, casting a soft, golden light.
We had settled on the wide porch steps, my back leaning against Liam’s chest. His arms were wrapped around me, his hand gently holding my left. His thumb brushed slowly back and forth over my knuckles, pausing every so often to trace the new, cool metal of the engagement ring.
His thumb stilled, resting on the band. He bent his head, his voice a soft murmur near my ear.
“I never got to show you the inscription on the inside.”
I shifted slightly, twisting the ring off carefully. I held it up, turning it under the string lights until the platinum gleamed. I angled the band to see inside.
One word.
