Page 49 of Puck, Marry, Thrill

Jamie froze.

Her brain couldn't process what she was seeing for a second. The small velvet box nestled in his palm. The diamond inside catching the light, shimmering with a promise she hadn’t dared to hope for. A wedding ring.

She blinked once. Then again.

Her eyes shot up to meet his, and it was like the ground dropped out from under her.

She felt herself crumbling—brick by brick, piece by piece.

The armor she always wore—her tough-girl act, the constant need to seem in control, unshaken, a little untouchable—that mask of strength that had carried her through heartbreaks and disappointments and everything in between... it shattered. It couldn’t hold up to the look in his eyes or the softness of his voice.

Her lip wobbled.

Her chest ached with the force of the emotions pressing against her ribcage.

And just like that, she was undone.

“Sweetheart?” he whispered, so tender it nearly broke her. His fingers brushed her cheek, anchoring her in the moment. “Is this okay?”

“I’m not gonna cry,” she said, though her voice cracked and her throat burned. She tried to laugh but it came out wobbly and tear-soaked. Her hand reached up, trembling, to press his hand against her skin. She leaned into it like she could draw strength from his touch, kissing his palm. “I’m dreaming, aren’t I? This is all a dream, and I’m going to be suddenly sitting on a potty – and then wake up sitting in a puddle.”

His laugh, tearful and full of stunned joy, made her laugh too—even through the tears.

“Oh gosh,” he chuckled. “I never would have guessed you sayingthatwhen I told you that I love you – and you aren’t dreaming, Sweetheart.”

“This is real?”

He leaned in, his lips brushing hers in the gentlest kiss she’d ever known.

“I love you – andthis is real.”

“I love you too,” she whispered, voice thick with tears as one slid down her cheek. The instant she said it, she felt the way his body tensed—like he was holding his breath.

“You do?”

“Oh my gosh, yes,” she breathed, unable to keep it in a moment longer. “I think you are incredible and…”

“Same,” he said with a soft laugh, eyes glistening. “I think you’re incredible too. I just wanted you to look at me in the same way, and I was scared that maybe you might not be happy with me someday or…”

“Not happy?Not happy?” Her voice rose with disbelief, shaking with emotion. “How could I ever be less than happy when I wake up every morning wondering if I’m dreaming or awake because I never imagined that I could meet someone like you – and it turns out – you were right next door the whole time.”

“I know,” he said, tears in his own eyes now. “I had no idea and cannot imagine life without you ever again.”

Jamie clung to his hand like a lifeline, her heart wide open and unguarded for the first time in what felt like forever.

She hadn’t expected to feel this much. Not all at once. Not like this.

He held his breath, his eyes locked on her face—the woman who had turned his world upside down with a smile, who had wormed her way past every wall he thought he'd firmly built. And now, as she looked at him with so much love it felt like his heart might split from the pressure, he knew something deep in his bones: this was it. This was forever.

She knew it too—he could see it in the shimmer of tears dancing in her eyes, in the quiver of her lip as she smiled.

“Good thing, too, because it will never happen. You’re stuck with me.”

“I’m glad.”

“Me too,” she whispered.

Her voice was soft, full of wonder, and something that sounded a lot like awe, and it hit Jamie like a wave. His hands trembled just slightly as he lifted the small velvet box and pulled the ring free. Slowly, carefully, like he was touching something sacred, he slid the band onto her finger. It fit perfectly—like it had been waiting for that very moment, like it belonged nowhere else but there.

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