Page 195 of Chasing Infinity

“Wouldn’t have missed it for the world,” he tells me, his lips curling up in the corners.

I’m suddenly hit with a sense of déjà vu as I take in Noah in his tux, standing here in this room, dancing with me. Everything in my mind replays the scene from when we were eighteen, trying to navigate our feelings for each other. That night sparkles in my memory as one of the last nights before everything changed.

Since that night, we’ve battled against impossible odds, faced so many tragedies, and fought to be together through it all. It’s been years, but finally, I feel like I can say that the battle is won. We’ve made it. Standing here, holding onto each other as we sway back and forth, everything feels like it should.

We’ve come full circle.

“What are you thinking about?” Noah whispers, his eyes studying me.

I shake my head and chuckle under my breath. “Just how far we’ve come. I finally feel like everything I’ve ever wanted is within reach.”

“It is,” Noah confirms, his voice a low rumble. “For both of us.”

I give him a smile and then step forward, letting his arms wrap around me in a hug. We dance through this song, and then it gets quiet. I pull back and look up at the band, confused. At that moment, they start up their next tune, and my eyes grow wide. The few notes of the familiar melody play over the speakers as the keyboardist hits them perfectly. The singer steps up to the microphone and starts singing the lyrics I know by heart.

I turn back to Noah, my mouth falling open with a gasp. “Did you plan this?”

He gives me a casual shrug, a smirk playing over his lips. “Maybe.”

“Noah,” I shake my head, grinning back at him. “I can’t believe you.”

He makes a satisfied sound, pulling me into him as he leads me across the floor to the same song we danced to when we were eighteen. As he leads me throughout the song, I let myself get swept up in the moment.

All too soon, the closing bars of the song plays. Noah times it perfectly that he dips me right as the song ends.

I look up at him, feeling breathless. His eyes smolder over me, taking in the rise and fall of my breasts from the dance. He brings me back up and frames my face with his hands, gently holding my attention.

“Will you come with me for a few minutes?” he asks, his voice gentle. I nod my head, unsure of what to say. I wonder for a moment if he will find us somewhere private, and I press my legs together in anticipation. Noah’s hands drop, and then he laces our fingers together, leading me off the dance floor and over to the doors leading outside.

“I have something important to show you,” Noah says softly as he leads me out the ballroom doors and toward the courtyard.

“Okay,” I respond, my stomach tightening with anticipation.Is this it?

As soon as we’re through the doors, I gasp. The small courtyard has been done up with white lights and decorative roses. Small candles are lined up, leading the way to the pavilion in the middle of the garden. I let go of Noah’s hand and walk through the pathway, taking in all of the small details that Noah must have spent so long perfecting.

My heart hammers in my chest, and my stomach erupts with butterflies. I look at Noah, who has followed me into the garden. He’s got his hands folded behind his back. His expression is soft as he watches me; never in my life have I felt so loved andseen. This is the man I want to spend my life with, all the ups and downs and every moment in between. I’ve never been so sure of anything in my life. A sense of calm comes over me as I close the distance between us again, looking into his eyes and knowing I’ve found the person my soul was destined for.

“Addison, I love you,” he whispers to me, and somehow my heart rate increases even more. “I feel your absence in everything I do alone, in every place I go without you. I can’t imagine living a life without you by my side.

“It will always be you, Parks. I’ve known that for a long time, and finally, I get the chance to ask you to be mine forever. Will you do me the honor of being my wife?” He falls to one knee, reaching into his pocket and pulling out a box. He flips the lid open, and I gasp at the sight of the glittering diamond right in the middle. “Marry me, Addison, and make me the luckiest guy alive.”

“Oh, Noah,” I whisper. I take in the sight of him, bending down on one knee and holding out the sparkling expression of his love. His eyes are gleaming, a confident smile on his lips as he waits for me. I commit this moment to memory, never wanting to forget it. Slowly, I kick out the skirt of my dress, falling to my knees and holding his gaze. “Of course, I’ll marry you.”

Noah’s grin splits wide open, and his face lights up as he closes the distance between us, capturing my lips with his in a searing kiss. My hands frame the edges of his face as I hold him to me. In the distance, I hear people cheering, and I pull away to see the source of the commotion. On the stairs, I see all of our friends present, watching and clapping as Noah asks me to spend the rest of my life with him.

I turn back to Noah, stealing his lips in another kiss. His hand wraps around my lower back, pressing our bodies together. I moan against his lips, and my body lights up with longing. Before we put on too much of a show, Noah separates us. He holds out a hand, and I place my left hand in his.

Carefully, he takes out the ring resting in the box and slides it over my fourth finger, where it will stay forever.

He takes a moment, appreciating how the adornment looks on my hand. Finally, he looks up and catches my eyes, and my heart constricts at the level of emotion he’s displaying.

“I love you so much, Parks. You’ve made me the happiest man tonight.”

I grin at him and wrap my arms around his neck. “I love you too, Noah. More than anything.”

As I hold him there in the garden, with all of our friends and family cheering us on in the background, I can’t help but feel like a girl in a fairy tale. We’ve come so far from when we were kids, antagonizing each other over the slightest transgressions.

Noah and I have overcome time and distance to be together in this moment. Though the journey has been challenging, and some moments seemed impossible, we’ve beat the odds.