Page 71 of Fierce Monarch

She tipped her head to one side and smiled. “Open it.”

I pulled off the mailer, surprised to find a jewelry box inside the size I’d expect for a necklace. When my hand hesitated over the flip lock, Mari laughed at me. “Be brave, Greyson.”

Three rings sat on the velvet, similar but not identical. As I looked at them, my eyes caught the one on the far right. It was a charcoal gray, shined to near sparkling. A single line of bright silver broke up the bottom edge. It was sophisticated and smart, basic without being boring. I loved it. When Mari gave a pointed nod, I tilted the band and saw something incredible.

The inside of the band was etched with a single word. Always.

“That one’s yours.”

My eyes snapped to hers, disbelief dropping my jaw even as a sense of rightness dug into my bones. I’d known it the moment I’d reached for it, hadn’t I?

“I had them made a while ago. They came in recently, and it just hasn’t seemed like the right time to give it to you.”

Because there were three rings in the box and only two of us left.

“Why tonight?”

Mari climbed back onto my lap, circling my neck with her arms, cradling me in every inch of her warmth. “Because I don’t want to spend another second without you wearing my ring.”

When I couldn’t speak, she plucked the ring from my hand, holding it between us, though our eyes were locked together. “Marry me, Greyson Andrews. Be my husband. Live with me, fight with me, love with me. Always.”

Always. “Yes.”

Mari wasn’t asking because of Dominic’s secrets or Nate’s; she was asking because of me. Her lifelong best friend, her childhood protector. Her soul mate.

Just me.

And I would love her forever. Always. A day beyond eternity.

The metal was cool against my skin as Mari slipped it on my finger, but I’d never felt anything more right than the weight on my hand.

The second it was on, I grabbed her by the hips and tossed her off me. She startled, barely catching herself as I got up and headed for the door.

Her huff was uncertain as she yelled at my back. “I have to admit, I expected more than a runaway groom from that proposal. This better not be a warning sign.”

Smirking to her, I said nothing as I slipped out the door. Dominic was waiting in the hallway, legs spread wide on the floor, head tipped against the wall.

“Is she okay?”

“She will be,” I said before hustling to my room next door. I probably should’ve told him, but it didn’t feel right. Tonight was ours—Mari’s and mine. Tomorrow, they’d sort things out and he’d be back in the fold, but for the first time ever, she was mine. Just mine.

For a few hours, at least.

It took me seconds to find what I needed and cram it into my pocket, and a few more to get back to the bedroom and lock the door behind me.

Then I pulled out the box and dropped to one knee in front of the bed. “Marianna Marcosa. You’re the love of my life. My heart, soul, and breath. I don’t want to live a day without you. Marry me.”

She slid out of bed, eyes bright with happy tears. “You weren’t supposed to counter propose.”

“If you think it’s necessary for me to wear your ring, you have no idea how much I need you wearing mine. Say yes, reina. Be my queen forever.”

“Yes. Of course.”

I slid the ring on her finger, happy when we looked at them together and they matched. A one-carat upside-down pear-cut diamond sat in the center, and the rest of the ring was all filigree and diamonds around the top edge. It looked like a crown, the perfect ring for my queen.

Mari’s eyes were wide as she took it in. “It’s beautiful, Grey.”

“I’ve had it for ages. Found it in an antique shop one afternoon and just knew it was yours. I wasn’t sure if I’d ever get the chance to give it to you, but I kept it just in case.” I’d stored it in a safe-deposit box in a neighboring town for years. But after Cameron’s and Aislynn’s wedding, I’d moved it into my room, wanting it close in case I got up the nerve to ask.

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