Page 96 of Mountain Hero

It’s all decorated with white lights on the edges of the roof and all the posts and railings. A thin sheet of plexiglass protects the furniture inside—a cozy loveseat with two small tables on either side and a gas fire pit I snuck out to light just before I went to get Winter. Thick blankets are draped over the back of the couch, and on one of the tables, there’s a thermos of hot chocolate ready and waiting.

It looks pretty nice, if I say so myself. But the important thing is what Winter thinks of it.

“Enzo.” Her eyes are wide with surprise. “When you said a surprise, I thought… I don’t know. Maybe a pond for ice skating? Or just a bench somewhere? But this…”

“Do you like it?” Should I have cleared off the pond on the other side of the property?

“I love it.” She tugs me inside, then looks around again, taking everything in. “With the fire… it’s actually pretty warm in here. It’s perfect. We can sit out here and watch the snow, and when it’s nicer, we can do s’mores. Or just watch the stars… It’s amazing, Enzo. I love it.”

I guide her over to the couch and pull her down beside me, then tuck one of the blankets over our legs. Winter sighs happily as she leans into my side. “This is so perfect. I can’t tell you… this is such a wonderful surprise.”

“I’m so glad.” My throat gets thick. “But… that’s not all.”

“What else?” Her brows arch up. “Isn’t this enough? I mean… you built a gazebo, Enzo. That’s a pretty big surprise.”

My pulse thunders so loudly, it’s a miracle Winter can’t hear it.

“The gazebo is just… part of the presentation. Because I wanted this to be perfect.”

“Wanted what to be perfect?” As she looks at me, hope lights in her eyes.

I reach into my pocket and pull out the little box I’ve had for months. “I wanted this to be perfect.”

And then I open the box, revealing all my hopes and dreams in facets of diamond. Dropping to my knee, I take Winter’s hand. “I wanted this moment to be perfect. Because you deserve everything, Winter. And I want you to have a proposal you’ll remember forever.”

She bites her lip. Her voice trembles. “A proposal?”

“If you’ll have me.” I stop. “I’m doing this out of order. What I mean to say is; I love you. I love you with all my heart. Every day with you is the happiest day of my life. I don’t know what I did to get this lucky, to find the one person in the entire universe that fits me. But I know I don’t ever want to let you go.”

“Enzo…”

“I’ve known for a long time that I wanted to ask. But I thought I should wait. Give you some time. So I thought… I hope it’s not too soon. But God, Winter. I love you so much. I’ll do anything to make you happy. Anything to protect you. I will devote my life to you, if you’ll let me.”

A sheen of tears turns her eyes to a glistening emerald. “Enzo. I’ve been hoping you would ask. It’s not too soon.”

“It’s not?”

“Absolutely not. I love you. Actually, that’s not a big enough word for how I feel about you. It’s like… all the stars in the universe. We can only see a tiny fraction of them. But they’re all there. That’s how I feel about you. Saying I love you is just the stars we can see. But in my heart, it’s all of them. A universe of stars.”

For a moment, I can’t speak.

“Winter.” I pull off my gloves and stroke her cheek, brushing away the dampness lingering there. “That’s the most perfect way to say it. And I feel the exact same way.” Blinking away my own tears, I hold her gaze as I ask the most important question of my life. “Will you marry me, Winter Clarke? Be my wife? Make me the happiest man in the universe?”

There’s no hesitation. “Yes.” She whips off her mitten and holds her hand out to me. “Of course I will, Enzo Rossi. I absolutely will marry you.”

As I slide the ring on her finger, my heart explodes with joy.

My Winter.

Soon to be my wife.

Between kisses, I keep repeating, “I love you, Winter. I love you so much.”

And after we’ve kissed long enough to not feel the chill anymore, Winter looks down at her finger, to the sparkling gem catching flashes of orange and crimson from the fire. Then her gaze rises to meet mine. “I love you. And I can’t wait to be your wife.” A small smile curves her lips. “Winter Rossi. I like the sound of it.”

Oh.

I frame Winter’s face with my hands and look at the woman I love more than anything. “I love the sound of it. And I love you.”

After everything, I found more than happiness here. I found my future.