“Dad?” I call as I walk into his house. I promised to have dinner with him tonight, but I’m a full hour late. My meeting with Aria and Grayson went on for far longer than I expected. They aren’t here very often, and every time they visit there’s so much to discuss. They’ve been amazing, handing me back the company I sold them without me even having to ask.
In the last three months, my life has changed in ways I could never have imagined. Noah and I moved back in together, and he’s kept every promise he’s made me. He’s worked hard at being in the present with me. We’ve fought for our happiness, and we continue to fight.
He’s even attended a handful of dinners with my father. He barely spoke a word, but he was there with me, and that’s all I can really ask for. His relationship with my grandfather seems to slowly be getting back to what it used to be too. He refuses to go back to working for Grandpa, but my grandfather is a hard man to resist. I’m pretty sure Noah will end up caving. I hope he will. Neither of the two admits it, but they both miss each other. Grandpa perks up when I mention Noah, and Noah is exactly the same. Before the truth came crashing down on us, those two developed a bond that I’m slightly envious of. I hope their stubbornness won’t ruin that. Until they make up, I have every intention of enjoying the new supportive version of Grandpa. I guess seeing me as unhappy as I was changed him.
I’ve been scared, but every day Noah proves to me that I was wrong to doubt him. To doubt us. He was right to say that things aren’t easy, but he did what he told me he’d do. Every single day, he’s putting us first.
“Amara,” Dad shouts. I follow the sound of his voice with raised eyebrows, all the way to the patio at the back of the house. I freeze when I find Noah standing in the middle of the patio, my grandfather on his left, and my father on his right. Aria and Grayson stand at the side on their left, with Leia and my mother on the opposite side.
“You… you two were with me just thirty minutes ago,” I stammer, my eyes drifting from Aria to Grayson.
Grayson winks at me as he wraps his arm around a beaming Aria.” Sorry for keeping you so long,” she says. “We had to stall,” Grayson adds, grinning.
I swallow hard, emotion overwhelming me as I turn to Noah. My father places a hand on his shoulder, and the two men look at each other, both of them smiling. The sight of the two of them together is enough to have me bursting into tears. Noah rushes up to me and grabs my shoulders, a panicked expression on his face. He cups my cheeks and wipes my tears away with his thumbs, the happiness I saw in his eyes slowly melting away.
“I’m sorry,” he says. “I’m so sorry, baby. I thought… I didn’t mean to put any pressure on you like this. I just wanted to show you that we have our family’s support. You once told me that marriage is a joining of families too, and I just thought… God, I’m so sorry. Let me take you home, okay? We don’t have to do this. We never have to get married at all if it’s not something you want. I’m sorry, Amara.”
I sniff, unable to hold back my tears. “Yes,” I say, my voice wavering. “Yes, Noah. I’ll marry you.”
He freezes and stares at me in shock. His lips tip up, into a small smile first, and then into one of those that just transforms his face.
He pulls me closer and buries his face in my neck for a second, before dropping down on one knee, his arms still wrapped around me. He rests his head against my hip, a silly smile on his face.
“You have to let me ask properly, baby,” he says, his voice brimming with happiness. “I had a whole speech prepared and everything.”
I laugh, my heart overflowing with happiness. He’s proposed to me three times already, and every time his speech was different. It astounds me that he continues to find new things to love about me. The way he sees me… I wish I could see myself through his eyes. I’ve never felt this loved before.
“Amara Astor, my life was forever changed the day you walked into my clinic with your rosy cheeks and your sky-blue eyes. One look, and I was smitten. You were way out of my league, and every interaction with you since then reminded me of that. You once told me you were addicted to me, but all along it was me developing an incurable addiction. I’m hooked. I can’t spend a single day without you. I can’t even remember what life was like without you, but I vaguely recall it being pretty damn miserable. My world was gray until you walked in, coloring outside the lines, making me feel emotions I didn’t think I was capable of. You do that to me, you know? You push my boundaries in all the best way. You taught me to live life the way it’s meant to be lived. You never intended to, but with every smile, you healed my wrecked heart. You gave me purpose. Because of you, just going through the motions was no longer enough. It never will be again. Every day to come, I’m going to work on making you happy, on building a life we can both be proud of… because that’s what I want. I want to spend the rest of my life with you. Will you marry me?”
I nod, sniffing in an attempt to keep my tears back, but it’s no use. “Yes, Noah.” I start to cry all over again when Noah slides the ring onto my finger. He laughs and lifts me up, twirling me around as our family cheers us on happily. He puts me down carefully, his lips finding mine. I rise to my tiptoes and kiss him with all I’ve got, at last feeling like I’m right where I belong — in his arms.
Noah pulls back and looks into my eyes. He smiles and bites down on his lip, and my heart skips a beat. “I love you, Dr. Grant.”
He chuckles, his gaze heated. “I love you more, future Mrs. Grant.”
Our family surrounds us, each of them offering their congratulations. “I’m glad you said yes,” Grandpa says. “I’m not sure how much more the man could take. I was pretty sure he was going to follow your lead and cry when you did.”
Dad smiles at me, his eyes filled with the same happiness I’m feeling. He shakes Noah’s hand, and the two men nod at each other.
“My mother’s ring looks perfect on you.”
I turn around to face Aria, my eyes wide. “This is your mother’s?”
She nods and takes my hand. There’s a hint of nostalgia in her eyes, but happiness overshadows it. “She’d have wanted you to have it. Mom would have loved you, but since she isn’t here, I’ll love you twice as much. Welcome to the family, dear future sister-in-law. I knew the day we met. I knew right there and then that Noah would end up marrying you.”
I glance down at the ring, feeling just a little guilty for turning Noah down before, when it’s his mother’s ring he proposed with. I didn’t realize the significance behind the ring, but now that I do, it makes it even more special.
I look around and smile. I wasn’t sure Noah and I would ever get here. I wasn’t sure we could overcome our shared past, but we did — and we’re not the only ones. My eyes land on Noah, and I grin at him. I can’t wait to see where life will take us. I can’t wait to grow further with him, to grow old with him.
I can’t wait to become Mrs. Grant.
