Page 162 of Unwritten Rules

Mila is glowing, dressed in denim shorts and a simple white vest. With her usual Versace sunglasses atop her head, keeping her long, straight hair from falling into her face, she smiles brightly at me as she tugs my hand along the street, having spotted our destination up ahead.

“I would never have guessed.” My droll reply earns me a light slap on the arm, and I chuckle indulgently.

Our tour guide meets us at the entrance, quick to introduce herself as Stefanie, but her phone chimes before we can even get started.

“Scusami, un momento…”

She ducks back outside, leaving Mila open-mouthed and not a little peeved.

“Well, screw her. I’m not waiting here.”

Worked like a charm!

I look at her askance, the picture of innocence. “Do you want to leave, baby?”

Her eyes light up with mischief, and I feel a thrill run through me as she utters her next words, feeling euphoric that, for once, she’s the one waltzing straight into my trap.

“Not a chance, Nathaniel. I’m seeing that damn balcony right this second.” She turns on her heel and takes off up the stairs, so intent on reaching her destination she doesn’t notice any of the small touches surrounding us.

Details she will notice later, such as the bouquets of apple blossoms filling every available space. And the petals of the same blossoms strewn across the stairs, marking our way to Juliet’s balcony.

She arrives on the balcony, and I’m right on her tail as she slowly steps onto the narrow space, taking in the empty courtyard below. She grips the wall, and I can see her flexing her fingers as she inhales deeply.

“Isn’t it just so romantic! Why isn’t this in a damn rom-com, hmm? I mean, it’d be the absolute perfect ending—”

She spins to face me, her words stalling in her throat when she finds me, smirking and down on one knee.

Her golden eyes turn glassy as we take a beat to absorb this special moment. A moment that feels as though it’s been fated since before time began.

“Once upon a time, Hellcat, I told you that we’d skip the tragic ending and make up our own happily ever after.”

Mila sucks in a breath. “Oh, shit.”

My smirk breaks into a full-blown smile. “I know this is still early days for us. Settling down and kids…our happily ever after…it can wait until you’re ready – I know you still have your whole life ahead of you. This is me being selfish with my need to tie you to me with more than mere words. I want to share every moment with you, because I simply can’t imagine my time on this Earth without you.”

I take a deep breath, reaching into the pocket of my shorts to pull out the ring Henry helped me pick out weeks earlier.

I slowly open the navy box to reveal a thin platinum band encircled by tiny diamonds with one large emerald-cut diamond atop. It catches the sun, light dancing all across the balcony, shimmering across both our bodies.

As I raise my head to find her eyes, Mila’s breath catches in her throat. She’s blinking rapidly, one hand on her breastbone as it rises and falls in rapid succession.

“Mila Amaya DeMarco…” My voice breaks on her name, and I need to clear my throat, suddenly nervous. “…meeting you was by happenstance. Becoming your friend was by choice. But falling hopelessly in love with you was completely and utterly out of my control. And it was in losing control that I found you.”

My throat tightens as tears fall from Mila’s bottom lashes, streaking down her flushed cheeks. I swallow roughly, needing to get the words out before my own emotions get the better of me.

“You’re my favourite escape when my mind searches for peace. My shelter from the storm. The light to my dark. You soothe my soul. You’re my friend, my lover, my soulmate, and I have no doubt our spirits will find one another in every lifetime because they were created to be one. We were created to be one.”

The unmistakable sound of strings sounds from the courtyard below us, causing Mila to glance behind her and down. Her face lights up in a smile, even as tears fall freely. “Wildest Dreams” resonates through the private space as Mila slowly pivots back to me, eyes wide, smile bright.

“I promise to always love you the way you deserve to be loved, because my heart doesn’t know any other way. I can’t promise you that the road ahead will be smooth, because no one knows what tomorrow brings, but I vow to trust that the journey will bring us where we are supposed to be. Together.”

She steps closer, gaze moving from my face to the ring in my hands and back again.

“Hellcat, will you marry me?”

Launching herself forward, Mila throws her arms around my neck, knocking me backwards onto my ass with the force of her movement. I pull her tight against me, my heart racing in a mixture of adrenaline and euphoria.

“Yes, yes, a million times yes, Nathaniel.”