Page 58 of The Bear's Matchmaking Mix-up Mate
“Wasn’t that something special, folks?” he asked, and the crowd responded with renewed cheers. “Now, I believe someone else has something they’d like to say.”
Alfie stepped back, and suddenly Finn was climbing the steps to the stage, his expression a mixture of nerves and determination that made Wren’s pulse quicken. He moved to stand beside her, taking her free hand in his.
“I had this whole speech prepared,” he said, his voice carrying across the hushed crowd. “About how you changed my life the moment you opened that cottage door. About how you accepted all of me…” a knowing chuckle rippled through those who understood the reference to his bear “…when I showed you who I really was.”
Wren’s heart pounded so loudly she was sure everyone could hear it. Her throat tightened as she watched Finn’s face, the way the lantern light caught in his eyes, turning them to warm amber.
“But now that I’m standing here, looking at you,” he continued, “all those carefully practiced words have disappeared. So I’ll just say this: I love you, Wren Hayes. I’ve loved you from the first moment, and I’ll love you for every moment that follows.”
He released her hand and, with a grace that belied his size, dropped to one knee before her. The garden’s collective gasp was audible as he reached into his pocket and pulled out a small wooden box.
“You are my mate, my heart, my home,” he said, opening the box to reveal a ring—a simple band of rose gold with a small, perfect emerald that caught the lantern light. “Will you marry me?”
The world narrowed to just the two of them. Finn kneeling before her, his eyes full of hope and certainty; her own heart expanding with a joy so complete it left no room for doubt or fear.
“Yes,” she whispered, then louder as happy tears spilled over. “Yes!”
Finn’s smile blazed bright as the sun as he slipped the ring onto her finger, then stood and pulled her into his arms. Their lips met in a kiss that tasted of promise and forever, the cheers of the crowd fading into the background of their shared happiness.
When they broke apart, Wren pressed her forehead to Finn’s, breathing in the moment, wanting to remember every detail, the way the lanterns swayed overhead, the scent of roses from the garden borders, the warmth of his arms around her, and the perfect weight of the ring on her finger.
“I never thought I’d find this,” she whispered, just for him, despite the crowd surrounding them.
“I always knew I would,” he replied, his voice rough with emotion. “I just didn’t know it would be you. My songbird. My mate.”
As they turned to face the crowd, hands linked, Wren felt something settle deep within her soul—a certainty, a rightness, a homecoming. The path that had led her to Bear Creek mighthave been paved with heartbreak and fear, but it had brought her here, to this moment, to this man, to this life she couldn’t wait to begin.
