Page 48 of Remember Me

I opened the box with steady hands, revealing the familiar ring and met her tear-filled eyes with my own. “Will you do me the honor of marrying me?”

The stadium erupted in a new wave of cheers, and I became peripherally aware that we'd been projected onto the massive jumbotron overhead. Eighty thousand witnesses here and countless on TV to the most personal moment of my life. I felt a flicker of nervousness as Aster stood motionless, staring down at me with wide eyes, tears gathering at her lashes.

“Aster,” I prompted softly, a smile tugging at my lips despite the tension coiling in my stomach. That seemed to break whatever spell had held her immobile.

She shook her head slightly, not in refusal but in disbelief, letting out a sound somewhere between a laugh and a sob before reaching for my shoulders.

“Of course I'll marry you,” she said, her voice breaking on the words. “Yes. Yes, absolutely yes.”

Relief and joy crashed through me in equal measure. I slid the ring onto her finger with hands that shook slightly despite my best efforts, the diamond catching the light as it settled into place. Then I was on my feet again, lifting her once more and my lips finding hers.

I didn't care that the stadium was roaring louder than when the final whistle blew. I didn't care about the cameras capturing every moment, the flashbulbs creating a private lightning storm around us. I didn't care about the Lombardi Trophy or the MVP chatter or the confetti still falling like snow.

This moment wasn't for them. It wasn't for posterity or social media or tomorrow's headlines.

This moment was for Aster and me. The culmination of six years and the beginning of forever.

When she finally pulled back from our kiss, she rested her forehead against mine, our breaths mingling in the small space between us. “I can't believe this is happening,” she whispered, glancing down at her hand where the ring caught the stadium lights. “I love it, Tanner. It's beautiful.”

“I love you,” I replied, the only truth that mattered in a night full of extraordinary moments.

She smiled and leaned in for another kiss. Softer this time, a promise rather than a celebration.

Before we could fully break apart, a familiar squeal pierced through the ambient roar of the stadium, and I knew exactly what was coming.

“Oh my gosh!” Thea's voice carried across the field as she sprinted toward us, dragging Jackson behind her, his camera somehow still steady despite being pulled along at top speed. “You finally did it! YOU FINALLY DID IT!”

She crashed into us with the force of a defensive lineman, wrapping her arms around both Aster and me in a group hug that nearly toppled us all to the ground.

“I've been keeping this secret formonths!” she exclaimed directly into my ear, loud enough to make me wince. “Do you haveanyidea how hard that was for me? Any idea atall?”

Aster laughed, the sound bright and surprised as she extracted herself enough to look at Thea. “So you knew? This whole time?”

“Of course. Tan Tan can’t keep a secret from me. We have that twin telepathy going on.” Thea pulled back just enough to grab Aster's hand, examining the diamonds with obvious pride. “I practiced in the mirror. 'Don't mention the ring, don't mention the ring, don't mention the ring.'”

Aster's eyes widened. “The night we had dinner at your place, when you kept excusing yourself to the bathroom—”

“I was literally giving myself pep talks!” Thea confirmed. “Jackson can vouch for me. He found me whispering to myself like a crazy person.”

“It's true,” Jackson nodded solemnly. “The struggle was real.”

I couldn't help but laugh, the tension of the night finally fully dissolving into pure joy. This was my family, both the one I was born into and the one I was choosing, hectic, loving, and completely perfect.

Around us, the world continued its chaotic dance of victory and exultation. Teammates shouted and laughed, cameras flashed, reporters angled for interviews, music blared from the stadium speakers. But in our little circle, we'd found a pocket of stillness, a moment of perfect clarity amidst the storm.

I had won everything tonight. Everything that mattered.

And looking into Aster's eyes, with my sister's excited chatter providing the soundtrack, I knew with absolute certainty that this, Aster, was the greatest victory I would ever know.

Chapter Fourteen

Chloe

As I stand on the sidelines watching the gold and red confetti fall, I feel the vibrations through my feet, I watch my brother congratulating Tanner on his engagement and celebrating with a few of his college friends.

He did it. He fucking did it.

He won the Super Bowl.

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