“Twenty years ago, I fell out of a tree and landed in my new neighbor’s backyard. When I finally caught my breath, it was to find an angel standing over me with concern on her face. She held out her hand to help me up, and even though I was just an eight-year-old kid, lightning struck me as I took it. That single spark traveled its way to my heart, planting itself there, where it has lived ever since. A spark that she has always owned.”
“What are you doing?” my girl whispered, a flush coating her cheeks.
I smiled at her, reaching into my pocket and pulling out the green box I’d hidden earlier. Her mouth parted in surprise.
“I’m not going to lie,” I said into the mic. “I’ve spent many of the years since that first meeting letting the rightness of what I felt that day scare me into pretending I didn’t want to be anything more than your friend. But not long ago, I had the discomfort of watching another guy flirt with you and realized what a screwed-up idiot I’d been. I realized how many years I’d already wasted by denying the truth the universe had set before me the day you’d first held your hand out for me.”
I bent down on one knee, opened the box up, and said, “I hope you can forgive me, Maisey. I hope you’ll let me start making amends right now. So, I’m asking you, once again, to marry me, and I’m doing it here and now, where everyone in this town can finally see the same truth I do—that we belong together. Marry me, my Maisey-girl, and make me the luckiest, happiest man on this planet. Say yes, and prove to everyone this isn’t a scam or a farce or a damn lie. The only lie was the one I told myself when I said I wanted to be single. But the truth is, I’ve never been single. Not from themoment you held out your hand all those years ago.”
She pressed a hand to her stomach, and tears threatened to overflow. Then, she cupped my face and leaned down to kiss me. It wasn’t a sweet, innocent kiss. It was passion and promise twined. Far too heated for a ballroom with hundreds of people watching, but neither of us cared.
When a throat cleared nearby, I chuckled and drew back just enough to say into the mic, “Is that a yes? I feel like you need to say yes so everyone is very clear on what we’re doing here.”
“Yes, Beckett. Yes. I’ll marry you.”
Even though I’d already known what her answer would be, even though I’d had no doubt she’d say yes, joy still filled my heart at her response.
A roar of applause and cheers rang up around the room. Over Maisey’s shoulders, Delilah’s face crumpled. Tears. Fury. A flush of embarrassment. She whirled around and pushed her way through the crowd. A spike of alarm pierced through my happiness. If it was Delilah who’d been coming for Maisey, our little scene hadn’t helped, but maybe it would force her out into the open. Maybe she’d come for me this time instead of my girl.
Maisey grabbed my hand, helping me up off the ground. As people began crowding in to congratulate us, I ignored them. Instead, I drew her close and moved us into the middle of the dance floor. I looked over at the DJ and spoke into the mic one more time, “I think we need a song, maestro.”
The air filled with the strands of a love song. I shoved the mic at the nearest body, wrapped my arms around Maisey’s waist, and tucked her close to me. Then, I drew the ring from the box, took her left hand, and slid it into place. Thetoi et moiring looked perfect there. It looked just like the symbol it was—two becoming one.
“You got a ring,” she whispered in awe, staring at her hand resting on my chest as we swayed to the music.
“Do you like it?”
“It’s exactly what I was looking for without even knowing it.”
I kissed her gently, tucked her even closer, and lost myself in the scent of her, the beat of her heart, and the beauty that came from being joined. Knowing I had to wait a few more hours before I could fully revel in her, truly twine myself to her body and soul, was irritating, but that annoyance was soothed by the knowledge I’d finally done something right when it came to Maisey. I’d claimed her for the whole town to see, and she’d claimed me back.
When the song was over, we had no choice but to deal with the congratulations people had waited to give. It continued through dinner and right on through the speeches, the auction, and the dancing that came afterward.
It was well past midnight, well past the hour when Cinderella’s coach should have turned back into a pumpkin, by the time I was finally able to drag her out of the ballroom for good. We were halfway to the elevator bank when someone called our names. I let out a pained sigh, and Maisey let out a soft laugh, but we turned simultaneously to face the mayor.
She was approaching seventy but had the vivacity of someone much younger. The shimmering black dress she wore draped elegantly over her full curves, the dark color accentuating her white, short cap of hair. She was smiling as she approached, making the wrinkles on her face more evident, but her gray eyes were serious.
“Mayor Nattingly,” I greeted.
She looked from me to Maisey and back. “You both looked so happy tonight. Congratulations.”
“Thank you,” Maisey replied, fingers tightening around mine.
“I just wanted to say, contrary to what my husband might have told you, the city council isnotlooking to make a decision about the chief’s replacement solely based onhisrecommendation. Nor are we necessarily looking for someone who’s married. While we want whoever we hire to live in Swift Rivers, we are all painfully aware marriage doesn’t necessarily prove someone has the honor and integrity to do the job, does it?”
Sadness lit her face. While there hadn’t been a whisper of the chief cheating on the mayor lately, her husband’s infidelities had been the center of the town’s gossip for years. While I’d always known that I hadn’t been theonlyreason Delilah had slit her wrists, I’d thought I’d been the catalyst. Now, I could see that, while I might have been the last straw, the pile under me had been the driving force. It was time to relinquish the responsibility I’d felt. I had to so I could make my dreams with Maisey come true.
“I know what they both wanted,” the mayor continued when neither Maisey nor I had responded to her. “It takes a whole lot of gumption to defy both my husbandanddaughter. It takes the kind of bravery I very much think someone in a leadership position in our community needs.”
Gratitude filled me for her honesty and strength. It proved she’d earned her decades-long post as mayor of Swift Rivers.
“It’s not that I don’t like Delilah, Mayor. It’s just I found my forever after first.”
The mayor waved her hand. “You don’t owe me, or anyone else, a justification, Beckett. While I won’t deny wanting to see my Delilah settled down with a family of her own, I want her to find it with someone who adores her. Who sees her as the center of their whole world in much the way you see our Maisey.”
Mayor Nattingly looked at Maisey with real affection, and it eased someof the tension in my heart. “I’m thrilled to see you both so happy after everything your families have gone through. Sometimes, it takes trauma and disappointments to realize exactly what we have. Good luck to both of you.”
She started to walk away and then looked back at me. “And Beckett, make sure you apply for the job no matter what my husband tries to tell you.”