Page 68 of The Exposed Heiress

Her throat constricted and her eyes filled with tears.

Leo opened the box. “Emma Bolles, you’ve had my heart for as long as I can remember. Will you marry me?”

“Leo.” She looked at the diamond ring and then into his eyes.

He stood and pulled her into his arms.

The flashes around them became more rapid. Leaning into him, her knees went weak, and she let out a deep sob into his chest.

He held her tight and asked, “Are you alight, love?”

She clung to him. “No.”

He lightly ran a hand down her back in a soothing motion.

Leo held his other hand up and said, “Give us some space.”

Emma looked into his eyes. “I’d hoped you’d take me back. I never thought in a million years that you’d want to marry me.”

He placed his hands on either side of her face and said, “I love you with everything I have and everything I am. I’m yours. That feels like marriage.”

Leaning forward, she kissed him. “I love you.”

He wiped away a few of her tears. “So, that’s a yes?”

She smiled, “Yes. I want to marry you.”

He took the ring out of the small box and slipped it onto her finger. Her heart softened.

After a few more photographs, she whispered, “Can we escape this madness?”

Leo held her hand and looked out into the crowd, smiling widely. “Thank you, everyone.”

She turned and walked with Leo behind the curtains. “I need to change. The dress is too long and I don’t want to rip it.”

Leo placed his hand on her lower back and asked, “Why didn’t you make it the right length?”

She looked at him over her shoulder. “I knew the model would wear it. It was meant to be symbolic, not actually worn.”

He smiled. “You’ll have to wear it for the engagement party.”

Emma took in a startled breath and stopped walking. “I guess so. I hadn’t thought past declaring my love for you.”

He leaned forward and kissed her. “I had absolutely no idea. I came to see the collection and see you claim victory. I hadn’t thought about how I’d survive all of it.”

She pulled him into the private dressing room.

Looking down at her hand, she asked, “But you had a ring with you?”

He touched her shoulders. “I bought it the same day that my uncle came to speak with me.”

She titled her head. “He thought you should marry?”

Leo smiled. “Not exactly. He came to my office and talked about not fully living because of his fears about the world. I decided in that moment that I wasn’t going to let that happen to me.”

Emma turned and said, “Can you undo the fasteners for me?”

He touched her back. “This gown is rather elaborate.”

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