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“I know.”

I laugh through my tears.

Bane opens the ring box. “Emma, I love you, and I love the family we’ve built. I want to keep building it with you for the rest of my life.” He looks up at me, and his grip tightens around my fingers. “Will you marry me?”

“Yes.”

I answer before he has time to worry.

His expression changes so completely that I start crying harder, and when he stands, I throw my arms around him.

He catches me against him and buries his face against my hair. Everyone behind us starts cheering.

“She said yes!” Biddy shouts.

Babs grabs Bane’s coat. “Daddy, you forgot the ring.”

I laugh against his shoulder as he pulls back. “She’s right.”

“I was distracted.”

He takes my left hand, and I notice his fingers trembling when he removes the ring from the box.

That gets me more than anything else has.

Bane slides the ring onto my finger, and I stare at it before looking back at him. “You planned this for how long?”

“A few weeks.”

I glance at the girls. “And they knew?”

Babs nods eagerly. “I kept the secret.”

“Me too,” Biddy says, then adds with complete confidence, “but I told Sprout because he can’t talk.”

Bane glances down at her. “Good security decision.”

Biddy beams because, as far as she’s concerned, Sprout’s continued silence proves her right.

Before I can answer, Kira wraps her arms around me and nearly knocks me into Bane.

“I knew it,” she says against my hair. “I knew he was going to do this eventually.”

“You knew today.”

“I’ve known for three weeks. Do you understand how difficult you’ve been to avoid?”

Mara hugs me next while crying hard enough that she finally gives up blaming the weather. Behind her, Babs keeps asking to see my ring. Biddy wants to know whether she gets a fancy dress for the wedding.

Max starts fussing in Claire’s arms, Lucy grabs Mara’s scarf, and Sprout races between us with half a sandwich hanging from his mouth.

Theo looks toward the picnic tables. “That was mine.”

Sprout keeps running.

“You left food unattended,” Bane tells him as he puts an arm around my waist.

“I was watching you propose.”