Page 38 of Ansel

His grip tightened gently on my jaw. “You’re talking about marriage.”

Tilting my head ever so slightly, I offered, “You have mentioned it once or twice.”

More than once. More than twice. Lately, those words had woven their way into our conversations about the future that wasn’t solely mine or his, but unequivocallyours.

“So, you’re really saying yes to all of it?” he murmured, his voice thick with emotion. “The partnership, the moving in together, the becoming a fiancée, the marriage, the having kids?”

I set the envelope aside and let my hands glide up his chest, over his shoulders, until my arms found their place around his neck. “I’m saying,” I whispered, my tone both playful and earnest, “yestoeverythingwithyou.”

“So, anal?” he joked.

I pulled his mouth to mine in a kiss that conveyed all of our shared battles, regrets, and hard-won triumphs. His arms wrapped around me, drawing me into his embrace as I melted into the heat and certainty of the moment.

When we finally parted, our foreheads resting together, his breath uneven yet filled with dawning wonder, he softly murmured, “I love you.”

I smiled and traced my thumb over his jaw. “I love you, too.”

And that’s how we sealed our future—not with a contract or a business deal, but with the undeniable truth that had always mattered most.Us.

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