Page 149 of Through the Flames
But with our lives, there was never going to be a perfect moment, and more importantly, I didn’twantperfect. I just wantedher.
Slipping my hand into my pocket, my fingers closed around the small band of metal, which suddenly felt like it carried the whole world.
I pulled the ring free and dropped to one knee beside the open car door, the gravel biting into my skin, the sunset bleeding down behind her. My gaze never left hers.
“Ella,” I said, my voice rough, trembling only slightly. “I’ve watched you fight. I’ve watched you overcome. I’ve watched you become everything you were meant to be, and I’ve realized nothing else matters. We belong together. Every breath you take, every second we have — I want to be the one at your side. Always. Will you make me the luckiest man alive and be mine forever?”
Her eyes filled before I even waited for an answer. She didn’t hesitate, didn’t pause.
“Yes,” she breathed.
The ring slid onto her finger, inevitable, like it had always been meant for her. When she pulled me into her arms, when her mouth found mine, I felt the whole world collapse into a single truth:
She knew who I was. She knew the darkness, the obsession, and the violence, and she chose me anyway.
Ella was mine.
Finally, fully, completely mine, and I would never let her go.
