Page 92 of Enticing My Off Limits Billionaire

I nod, feeling a wave of nerves wash over me. It's not like Madison and I haven't talked about it before—we've discussed the future, the possibility of marriage and a family. But I want tonight to be special, the start of something new and amazing.

As the night wears on, the party begins to wind down, and people start to head out. Kylie and Gavin say their goodbyes as they have to get back to their sitter. Adam will be staying with Delia up in Salem for a bit now that he's gotten out of rehab at Lifeline, and they're the last ones to come over and say goodnight.

And to my surprise, Adam gives Madison a huge hug.

"Hey, Mads," he says, pulling away from him. "I just wanted to say thank you. I don't know if I've said it enough, but..."

He glances at me, and I wonder if he's about to give away my whole plan for the evening, but he just gives me a wry smile.

"I love you, Mads. You're family. Thanks for always inviting me in."

She hugs him again, her eyes sparkling. "Of course, Adam. You two have a safe trip back to Salem tonight, okay?"

"'Night, you two," Delia says. "Love you both."

And they take off, leaving us alone.

Madison takes my hands and looks around at the space, draped in ivy and flowers, petals covering the floor after the conclusion of the most recent performance. For the rest of the run, they'll clean up afterward...but with the party tonight, the crew is gone for the evening. Soft music still plays from the speakers, and I look down at the woman I love, fully confident in what I'm about to do.

"Hey," I say. "Come with me. I've got something to show you."

She gives me a quizzical look as we walk toward the back of the theatre, my hand on the small of her back. There's a more private room toward the back—the chapel where, in Much Ado, Benedick and Beatrice confess their love and it's lit now only by a moonbeam shining through a stained-glass window I painted myself for the show. Madison looks around, the smell of fresh rose petals overwhelming, and she bites her lip.

"You know I've seen this room, right?" she says, turning away just for a moment to look around like she's searching for a jump scare. "I drew the blueprints myself."

I get down on one knee as she's looking around, pulling the ring from my pocket. I had it custom-made for her, designed by a jeweler in Greenwich with an agate centerpiece and diamonds around the edge...and by some stroke of luck, it matches her dress perfectly. I somehow manage to open the box even though my hands shake as Madison keeps going.

"If this is for a little quickie, I wouldn't mind it," she observes. "I think there's room on the altar, and no one would ever know—"

She turns around then, and her hands fly to her mouth as I let out a short laugh at how she very nearly ruined the moment talking about quickies.

Not that she would, I guess.

That's all part of her awkward charm, and it's a part of her I've fallen completely in love with.

"Madison Sterling," I start, my voice rough.

"You know what I'm going to say—" she starts, but I shake my head with a chuckle.

"I hope it's yes. I really hope it's yes," I say. "But let me say my piece."

She presses her lips together, her eyes shining. "I'm listening."

"Okay...Madison Sterling," I say, picking up where I let off. "You came into my life, and you changed...everything. I didn't realize how lonely I was before you. I didn't realize how empty my apartment was, how I needed someone to laugh with and order takeout with, and... all of it. But you came in, and you shook up my life like a damn snow globe, and now that the snow and glitter has settled...fuck, I can't imagine my life without you."

My proposal sounded more eloquent when I wrote it all down weeks ago, but the rounds of edits have made it hard to remember. The speech is by no means perfect.

But she doesn't seem to care.

She gets down on her knees and takes me by the hands, steadying them, the ring between us. She looks down at the ring, then into my eyes, tears streaking down her cheeks.

"Quinn... you made me cry," she chokes out with a laugh. "You know I'm going to say yes. You know that. But I just wanted to say...it's crazy that you think I saved you when you so obviously saved me."

I laugh with her, and we press our foreheads together, gazing down at the shining gemstone nestled in gold.

"How about we say we saved each other and call it fair?" I murmur.

"Deal," she says. "Now...can I put this on?"

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