Page 103 of Marc

“Staci, this past year has been incredible. Not only do I get to work with you every day and our careers are doing great, but living with you has been better than I ever could have imagined. I want you in my life and in my bed for the rest of our lives.”

Marc kneels on the soft sand with the sun setting behind him and pulls out a small velvet box.

Opening it up, he shows me the most stunning diamond ring I have ever seen.

His voice is shaky and full of uncertainty. “Will you continue to make me the happiest man alive and marry me?”

I nod my head and scream, “Yes!”

Marc stands and pulls me into a hug, kissing me as people clap and cheer in the background.

Our kiss is gentle and chaste as we share this moment together.

When we break apart, Marc slides the solitaire diamond ring onto my ring finger.

I am amazed at the perfect fit. “It’s the perfect size. How did you know?”

Marc chuckles. “I measured your finger one night while you were asleep. After I picked this ring out, I tried it on your finger to make sure it fit.”

“You did all of that for me?”

He seems unfazed. “Of course I did. I wanted it to be perfect.”

I laugh and gaze at the ring. “Well, it is. The perfect size, the perfect ring, and the perfect location. I couldn’t be happier.”

My stomach growls, interrupting our special moment. “So, are you still too nervous to eat?”

He grabs my hand. “Actually, now that my nerves are back to normal, I feel starved.”

I pull him back towards the road. “Then let’s go so we can catch our reservation.”

He stops walking and I nearly fall.

“I have another surprise for you.”

What else could he have in store for me?

“Something else on top of this beautiful ring and a very nice dinner?”

“My sister wanted to meet you and when I told her I was planning on proposing, she practically came through the phone for an invitation.”

I look around at the people waiting outside the restaurant. “Your sister is here?”

His smile fades. “Yeah. Is that okay?”

“That’s more than okay! How long has she been here?”

I continue to look around at all the people in the restaurant.

Marc raises an eyebrow. “Uh, she came in last night.”

“Last night! Why didn’t you say something earlier? We could have hung out with her today, so she wasn’t alone and bored.”

Marc shrugs before kneeling down to help me put my heels back on.

“She went shopping today. Trust me, she’s fine. Plus, I told her we could meet up after dinner. I didn’t want her to clue you in on my plans and I didn’t want you to be suspicious of why she was at the same beach that we were.”

“Why don’t you call her and see if she can meet us for dinner now? I’ll check in with the hostess and make sure they can put us at a bigger table.”

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