Page 164 of Downforce

“In which ancient city does A Midsummer Night’s Dream take place?” she mumbles the question before quickly writing the city in the puzzle. “That was easy.”

I watch some more.

“What is the name of the 1995 film retelling of Jane Austen’s Emma?” She huffs. “Only one of the best movies to come out of the 1990s.”

She writes ‘Clueless’ in the squares before stopping and turning to me.

“These are so easy.” She looks at the book and back to me. “They’re right up my alley. It pays to have an English lit degree when doing one of these, huh?” She holds up the book, shaking it a bit before going back to answering the clues.

“Let’s see what the big reveal is.” She hums as she flips back and forth, filling in the letters at the back.

My stomach does a somersault, and I swear I feel a trickle of sweat run down my back.

“Will …” she drags out once the first word is completed. “You …” Second word. “Marry …” She stops.

Annalise turns to look at me.

“There’s one more word,” I tell her, urging her to complete the question.

“Me,” she says slowly.

This time when she turns to me, I’m down on one knee, in front of her, ring box in hand, opened to show the teardrop yellow diamond ring set in a white gold band.

“You had this made,” she says, holding up the book.

With a nod, I tell her that with the help of my new assistant, I tracked down a company that creates crossword and sudoku puzzles to have it made.

“There are tons of more puzzles in there for you. They don’t all ask you to marry me though,” I joke, because my nervousness has me speaking when I should be waiting.

“Marry you,” she says before her eyes move over my head to a far corner of the room. She almost whispers, “You want me to be your wife?”

“More than I want my next breath,” I admit.

“Annalise, I love you beyond measure and reason. I want to build a life with you and bring you as much happiness and purpose as you’ve filled my life with. Will you marry me?”

The first tear falls from her eyes.

She doesn’t answer, and for a second, I swear I can see all of the reasons why this won’t work moving through her mind.

We haven’t been together long enough.

What if we’re not in love as much as we think we are?

What if the bridge between her brother and me is made of straw and breaks down again?

What if …

What if …

What if …

“Yes,” she says with a certainty in her voice that reaches all the way down to my soul. “I’ll marry you, Max.” She cups my face. “Because you owe me all of the happiness you plan to bring me for the rest of our lives.”

A burst of laughter fills the room before I bring her lips to mine.

She is the power that keeps me grounded. That keeps me from spinning out. My downforce in life, and I will be that for her.

* * *