Page 66 of The Billionaire's Promise

I remembered what he'd said years ago about a proposal.You give the girl a ring, get down on one knee, and do it somewhere special she’ll be able to remember her whole life.

He'd sure as hell known what he was talking about.

I took in the garden with fresh eyes—the fairy lights, the gazebo, the flowers, the champagne. The locked door.Ask her in a way she'll remember for the rest of her life.

"Magnolia?"

I'd never heard Vance sound so uncertain. "You're sure?" I asked. I wanted this. I wanted him. More than anything I'd ever wanted, I wanted Vance. But not if he hadn't thought it through. Not if he wasn't sure. I didn't think I could take losing him again.

"I've never been more sure of anything in my entire life. I love you, Magnolia Henry. You're everything—you're my partner, my best friend. You're so fucking sexy you make my head spin. You make me laugh. I want to wake up next to you. I want to make babies with you. I want it all. Only with you."

I studied the ring in his hand. It shone in the sparkling lights, a square-cut diamond with a pavé surround, old-world and elegant. It was a statement of a ring, chosen by a man who wanted everyone to know he'd claimed his woman, and by a man who knew me inside and out.

"Are you going to say anything?" he asked. "Because I'm not letting you out of the garden until you say yes. I know you're pissed off, and you should be. I was an ass. But you love me, and—"

"Yes," I interrupted. "Yes. Yes, I'll marry you."

Vance was sliding the ring on my finger a second later. He stopped cold as the circle of gold settled into place and stared at my hand.

"We can wait," I said, as transfixed by the sight of the ring on my finger as he was. "We don't have to rush."

"I don't want to wait," he said. "If you want to plan something big, we can. I'll be patient. But I'd marry you tonight if I could. We can catch a plane to Vegas."

I shook my head, words caught in my throat. I didn't want to wait either, but I wasn't getting married in Vegas. "I want to get married at my house," I said. "At our house. In the garden. Out back. Only family and close friends."

Vance pulled me into his arms, wrapping them tightly around me, his lips brushing my temple. "That sounds perfect. How long will it take to pull something like that together? A few weeks?"

I hummed in the back of my throat. I had a feeling a few weeks was an optimistic schedule. I didn't even have a dress. "We'll figure it out," I said. Drawing back, I looked up into his impossibly handsome face. "Are you really sure?"

Vance laid a finger across my lips, stopping me from speaking. "Don't ever ask me that again. I was a fucking idiot before. I've been in love with you for years, okay? I just didn't know what to do about it. Aside from the obvious."

"The obvious?" I asked, grinning as his arms tightened around my waist.

Vance grinned back and kissed me, his lips teasing mine apart, taking control until I was bent back over his arm and gasping for breath. "I had that part clear," he whispered, his lips moving against mine. "It was the rest I had to figure out."

The door to the gallery swung open, and Sloane's voice cut through the darkness. "Are you two done yet? I need to move the pieces in here and open it up. Are you sure you won't let me put a price on the gazebo?"

"It's an engagement gift for my fiancée, Sloane. It's not for sale."

"Fine. Then get your champagne and your fiancée out of my way so I can sell some art." She stormed back into the gallery, letting the door shut behind her, this time leaving it unlocked.

"Did she help you set this up?" I asked, having a hard time believing Sloane would help get us back together.

"She begged me not to dump her and the gallery. Since her attitude about you was the reason I fired her, I told her she could have a second chance if she helped me get you back. She's probably the only person who wanted you to say yes as much as I did."

"What about Charlie?" I asked as the lights in the garden flicked on. With more illumination, I could see the stands for the garden sculptures, the information plaques and spotlights already arranged. The door opened again, and workers came through, carrying the sculptures that we'd planned to display in the garden. In a few minutes, we'd be surrounded by art lovers, no longer alone.

I asked again, "Did Charlie know?"

"Are you going to get mad at her if I say yes?" Vance asked, running his lips along my cheekbone. I glanced down and did a double-take at the huge rock on my ring finger.

"Of course not. Charlie's my best friend."

"Did she pick out that dress?" Vance asked, leaning just far enough away to run his eyes down the length of my body.

"She did. Why?"

"Because you look unbelievably hot, and if we weren't about to be surrounded by people, I'd be fucking you against the wall right now."