Page 70 of No Strings Attached
Chad scoffs. “Wow. Someone’s a little territorial.”
“No,” Henson bites out. “I’mprotective. There’s a difference. And you’re standing on the wrong damn porch. Get the fuck off my fiancée’s property.”
I blink. My heart stops.What?
Chad’s face drops. “Fiancée?”
I glance at Henson, but he doesn’t even flinch, his body brimming with tension.
Chad, clearly thrown, stumbles back a step. “Right. Okay. Well... Merry Christmas, I guess.”
He walks off without another word.
The second we’re back inside and the door shuts, I turn to Henson, chest pounding. “Fiancée?”
His eyes flick to mine, a teasing smirk on his lips now. “Come with me.”
Before I can press him further, he laces his fingers through mine and tugs me gently toward the living room.
“Henson, what are you doing?”
He doesn’t answer. Instead, he steps into the middle of the room, clears his throat, and raises his voice.
“Hi, everyone—sorry to interrupt,” he says, his hand still holding mine tightly. “I know tonight is already special, but if I could steal just one more moment…”
The room quiets. My entire family turns toward us, curious. My heart stumbles over a beat.
“I didn’t plan to do this right now, but when you know, you know. And I’ve known for a while now that this woman is it for me. She’s kind. Fierce. The calm to my chaos. The reason I breathe easier. She’s my everything.”
Henson turns fully to face me, and suddenly, it’s like we’re the only two people in the room.
“Amira, you make me feel like I can be more than just the man with the big company, the money, the pressure. With you, I get to just be me, and somehow, that’s enough. You see me. You ground me. You love me in a way I never thought I’d get to be loved. And I want to spend the rest of my life loving you back.”
My eyes sting with tears.
I glance toward my parents through blurred vision. My mom has a hand to her heart, wiping her eyes with the other,and my dad gives me the tiniest nod, his smile proud. That’s when I know Henson asked them. He included them and made sure this moment would feel right for me in every way that mattered.
Henson kneels, pulls a small velvet box from his pocket and opens it, revealing a stunning ring.
“Amira Noor Haddad, will you marry me?”
My voice cracks as I say, “Yes. Of course, yes.”
The room erupts into cheers, my mom crying, my dad raising a toast with his Arak. Cousins shout over each other. Someone starts playing music on the speakers. And in the middle of it all, Henson stands and kisses me, slow and deep, sealing the moment with a promise.
“I love you, Temptress.”
“I love you more, Heartbreaker.”
This time last year, I was heartbroken, unsure of everything.
This year, I’m home. In love. Engaged.
And finally, exactly where I’m meant to be.
BONUS EPILOGUE
HENSON
