Page 77 of Critical Strike

And thanks to Luke, she had the courage to dream.

“I love you.” He touched his forehead to hers while his arms locked tight around her, holding her close enough that she could feel his heart pound in time with hers. “Thank you for saying yes.”

“I love you, too. Thank you for asking.” She opened her eyes. “Wait. Where did the ring come from?”

“My pocket. Where do you think?” He laughed at himself. “I pulled it out when you were looking away. Come on, you have to give me points for originality.”

“Oh, you definitely won some points.”

“Speaking of which...” He took her left hand in his and slipped the cool band over her finger. It was a perfect fit.

Just like the two of them.

“There goes the rest of my day.” Claire held out her hand, moving her finger, admiring the diamond’s sparkle. “I don’t think I’ll be able to take my eyes off this ring.”

“Wow. I killed two birds with one stone, then. No pun intended.”

“What do you mean?”

He offered a wink, nodding to the poles lying on the ground. “If you’re distracted, I might actually be able to catch more fish than you.”

“Something tells me it’ll take more than a sparkling diamond for you to manage that, Luke Patterson.”

Still, she was willing to give him this one since he’d given her so much more. A lifetime’s worth of more.

And they had only just begun.