AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Her lips part slightly, and there's a shimmer in her eyes—a reflection of the very stars I'd steal from the sky for her if I could. For a heartbeat, the world holds its breath.
“Of course I'll marry you,” she says, and it's as if the whole vineyard exhales in joyous relief.
I rise, pulling her into an embrace that feels like coming home. “I love you,” I whisper against her ear.
“I love you, too,” she whispers back, her words filling the voids I didn't even know I had.
With trembling hands but a steady heart, I slip the ring onto her finger—a perfect fit, a perfect moment, a perfect start to forever.
Laughter bubbles around us like champagne, effervescent and infectious. I clink glasses with old friends, swapping stories, while Isla, radiant and filled with joy, is the sun everyone orbits. My gaze keeps going back to her, how the light plays off her hair, the way she throws her head back when she laughs.
I catch my father's eye across the room. We're navigating this new terrain between us, cautious but determined. Every small conversation, kind word, and nod of acknowledgement is another step on the path to reconciliation. It feels good, hopeful.
“Congratulations, son,” he says as he comes up beside me, placing a firm hand on my shoulder. “She's quite a woman.”
“Thanks, Dad,” I say, a sense of pride swelling within me. “I know.” She deserves better, but here she is, promising to be mine forever. And I’ll be hers for as long as she wants me.
As night falls and crickets and frogs begin to sing, Isla's brother, still wary, gives me a nod that's as close to approval as I'm likely to get from him, and I’ll take it.
“Ready to go?” I whisper to Isla as the party begins to dwindle.
I won’t tell her just yet, but there’s one more secret I’m just itching to reveal. She nods, and after quick goodbyes, I lead her out to the car. “I have one more surprise for you,” I say softly in the privacy of the front seat.
“Another surprise?” The curiosity in her eyes brings a smile to my face.
“Trust me?” I ask, offering her my arm.
“Always,” she says, her hand slipping into the crook of my elbow as she stands.
The drive is short and quiet as the evening air slips through the open windows, cooling us from the heat of the day. Anticipation winds up in my stomach, but it's the good kind—the kind that comes before a moment you know will be locked into your memory forever.
Pulling up to the storefront, I can feel her confusion. The Closed sign hangs lopsided in the window, the interior shadowed but for the faintest glimmer of light that escapes a back room.
“Here,” I say, unlocking the door and leading her inside.
The front room is quiet and dark, but when we step into the kitchen, I hear her gasp. Every surface gleams beneath the high-tech lights rigged up for filming. Cameras wait to capture her culinary magic. It's sleek, professional, every detail meticulously chosen just for her.
“Wha— How did you...” Isla stutters, her eyes wide as she takes it all in.
“I knew what you needed before you did,” I say with a shrug, trying to play it cool even though my heart is hammering against my ribs. “For your cooking channel. You're amazing.”
“You knew?” She sounds almost distrustful, as if me keeping this knowledge from her was wrong. I disagree.
“I knew,” I say. I want her to know that I intend to always anticipate her wishes, to support her dreams, and help her however I can.
She spins to face me, her arms flying around my neck, her kiss fierce and hungry. She’s kissing me like the world is about to end. But for us, it’s just beginning.
Epilogue
Isla
Well, I know why I was dizzy when Walker proposed.
With every sweep of my palm over the curve of my belly, I feel the fluttering kicks, each one a tiny assurance of life thriving within me. Walker's gaze is heavy and constant, as he watches from where he and Vice are talking, his expression taut with a silent warning for me to step away from the suds and the sink.
“Easy there,” Liam's voice meets my ears, his laughter mingling with the clatter of dishes.
“Walker's gonna have my head if he sees you working.”
