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The song ended, but neither of us moved. We stood in the middle of the dance floor, wrapped up in each other, while the world continued around us.
“I have to give my speech soon,” I said reluctantly.
“I know.”
“Will you stay close?”
“Always.”
I reluctantly pulled away, already missing his body against mine. There would be time later. All the time in the world. But right now, I had a job to do.
The next hour passed in a blur of conversations and photographs and the kind of networking that used to exhaust me. But tonight, it felt different. Easier. I wasn’t trying to prove myself. I had the job. And I was killing it.
When the time came for my speech, I made my way to the small stage at the front of the ballroom. The crowd quieted as I approached the microphone.
“Thank you all for being here tonight,” I began. “A year ago, I stood in this same room hoping I could prove I wasn’t the ice queen. Yes, I’m looking at several of you.”
Nervous laughter filled the room. I paused, letting my gaze sweep across the crowd. I found Beau near the front, his fox mask tilted up toward me.
“This year has taught me something important. Success isn’t about becoming who everyone thinks you should be. It’s about having the courage to be who you actually are.”
I touched the edge of my butterfly mask.
“I chose this mask tonight because butterflies represent transformation. The caterpillar was always going to have wings. It just needed time to grow into them.”
Movement at the edge of the stage caught my attention. Beau was walking toward me with his eyes locked on mine. The crowd murmured, confused, as he climbed the steps.
“I’m not quite finished,” I said, half-laughing, half-confused.
“I know.” He took the microphone from my hand. “But I have something I need to say first.”
My heart started pounding. What was he doing? Was this part of his fox persona? Was this how he was planning to make trouble?
He turned to face the crowd, then back to me.
“A year ago, I met a woman who was pretending to be someone she wasn’t,” he said, his voice carrying through the ballroom. “She was brilliant and beautiful and completely convinced that no one could love the real her. She thought keeping everyone at a distance was the only way to get ahead.”
He reached up and removed his fox mask, revealing the face I loved so much.
“I made it my mission to close that distance. Not because I wanted to fix her. She was never broken. But because I could see what was underneath, and I knew the world deserved to see it too.”
He reached into his jacket pocket.
Oh God.
“Darcy Corwin, you are the most extraordinary woman I’ve ever known. You’re the most passionate woman I’ve ever met. You care so deeply about everything you do. You’ve made me laugh and you’ve driven me crazy and you’ve shown me what it means to truly love someone.”
He dropped to one knee. The crowd gasped. I heard Cleo’s unmistakable squeal somewhere in the audience. My hand flew to my mouth, tears already blurring my vision.
“I don’t want to spend another day without you knowing exactly how committed I am to this. To us.” He opened the small velvet box in his hand, and I saw the ring inside.
It was a stunning brilliant-cut diamond surrounded by sapphires. One of a kind. I’d designed it myself, never imagining it would end up on my own finger.
“How did you get this?” I gasped.
“Your father helped,” Beau admitted with a grin. “Turns out he’s pretty good at keeping secrets when he wants to.”
I let out a watery laugh.
