“You are.” Connor grins into the kiss he gives me. “I have one more surprise.”
“Okay, but you probably should’ve led with that one. I don’t think you can top this.”
His gray eyes gleam. “We’ll see. Close your eyes.”
Tugging the sleeves of my sweater over my hands, I cover my eyes. A few moments later, Connor is back, cupping my elbow. He takes a shaking breath, drawing my attention. He’s usually confident no matter what he does.
“Okay, you can look.”
When I lower my hands, Connor kneels on one bent knee in front of me, thumbs stroking the sides of my legs. My eyes go wide.
“Are you—”
“Not if you interrupt with your classic nervous babbling.”
I mime zipping my lips and tossing away the key. It makes him huff out a laugh, a tenderness lighting up his handsome features.
“I’ve known you’re the girl I’d marry since you first challenged me every step of the way with your not so quiet stubbornness and logic. You’re my perfect match”
As a watery puff of amusement escapes me, he pulls out a velvet box, popping the lid back to reveal a ring that steals my breath. It’s two rings fitted together, a sun captured by a moon. An eclipse, like he describes our love. In the center is a pearlescent moonstone. A lump clogs my throat.
“Connor,” I whisper.
He lifts his gaze to meet mine, taking one of my hands. “Thea, I’d wait until the end of time for you. But I need you to know you’re it for me. There’s no one but you.”
I release a garbled, incoherent sound and fall into his arms. He catches me as we collapse to the floor, lips locked together. When we part, he rubs his nose along my cheek, hands cupping my ass.
“What do you say?”
“Yes, obviously.”
He snorts, taking my hand once again. With his eyes burning into my soul, he kisses my ring finger and slides the engagement ring into place.
“I love you so much,” I say. “I didn’t know it was possible to be so happy.”
“Let me keep surprising you. I’m not going to stop now.” He makes me squeal as he holds me tight, climbing to his feet. My arms wind around his neck. “We have a lifetime of surprises ahead of us. Together.”
Together.
When I’m happy, he lifts my spirits higher, and when I’m aching, he holds me while I cry, offering his strength until I restore my own. He takes care of me and I take care of him.
“As long as I’m with you, I feel like I can do anything.”
“You always could.” He sets me down on top of the counter and braces his hands on either side of my hips. “You prove that every day.”
I bite my lip around a wicked smirk I’ve picked up from dating him in the last year. “I’m about to prove something else. With my tongue.”
“God, yes.” Connor steals a quick kiss. “Hold that thought, though. They’re all waiting to come in.”
“Who?”
“Our friends. They all helped get the bakery together, so keeping the proposal a secret from them was impossible. Gemma wanted to camp out behind the counter all sniper style to capture your reaction.”
As he explains, he types out a text on his phone. A minute later, the door opens and everyone in our life spills in. I hop down to meet them, hugging Maisy first before she makes it across the threshold.
“Dude. You’re getting married.”
“Holy crap,” I mumble into her neck.
When we part, the loud rev of a motorcycle cuts into our celebratory moment. We both look up as Fox Wilder glares at Maisy from across the street, sitting on his bike. She stiffens, breaking their tense staring match first.
While she examines her feet, Fox’s sneer fades. He meets my eyes for a beat before driving off. Once the roar of his bike dwindles, Maisy sighs.
“Is he still bothering you?” I ask.
“No. Yes? I don’t know. It’s senior year, but he hasn’t grown up from his stupid feud. At least Holden graduated with you guys, so now Fox doesn’t seem to be around every corner as much, throwing what we don’t have in my face.” She shrugs, tucking her highlighted brown hair behind an ear. “I just wish things could be like before, when we were kids…when we were friends. This is so stupid.”
“Don’t let him get to you. And if he’s still bullying you, Connor and Devlin will kick his punk little ass.”
Maisy snorts at the fierce expression on my face. “Okay, come on, killer. It’s your day. My petty life dramas can wait.”
Hooking her arm over my shoulders, she steers me inside where the rest of our friends are elbowing Connor in congratulations. His gray eyes fall on me and his smile grows. He pulls me to his side as Lucas Saint’s girlfriend snaps photos with her camera.
Over the summer while they were on break from college, she helped me grow more comfortable with my body by modeling for her any chance she needed me. She has a real eye. When I see myself in her photos, it feels as if I’ve bared my soul to the lens, never worrying if there’s a difference between the mirror and the photo because I love myself, even on the days it’s hard and those dark thoughts creep up on me. When they do, I take myself through the affirmations my therapist had me write out to process those painful thoughts.
Blair slides up next to me and Maisy squeezes in on the other side.
Gemma hands her camera off to Lucas. “Group shot, babe. Girls first, then the guys.”
“You’ve got it.” He holds up the camera. “Work it, ladies.”
Connor elbows Devlin, grinning. “Damn. We are lucky bastards.”
“Fucking truth,” Devlin murmurs, with eyes only for Blair.
The door opens again and my parents come in. Mom gives me a tentative smile. I motion her over and show her the ring. As soon as Connor and I graduated, we moved out of our houses to live in the apartment he bought for us. Things have been somewhat bumpy and slow learning to be honest with each other, but they’re improving. We’re getting to a point we can be a mom and a daughter again. Dad is taking less regional jobs and they’ve started seeing the same therapist as Connor to work through her suppressed grief for her sister.
Someone plays music from a phone and we bring in take out and snacks from one of the nearby shops on the strip. Tucked against Connor’s side, I soak in the love our friends and family share with us.
“You and me,” I murmur to him, stealing his chip, then a kiss. “Always and forever.”
“Ends of the earth, to the moon, wherever doesn’t matter. I’ll love you.”
He takes my hand and pulls me from my seat on the counter he built, leading me to the middle of the room. Our friends cheer and hold up phones to record us as Connor sweeps me into a dance, twirling me in the middle of my future bakery.
Epilogue
CONNOR
Paris, Six Months Later
“Where do you think you’re going? Get back here, I’m not done with you yet.” Grabbing Thea by the ankle, I drag her across the bed and latch my mouth over her nipple while tracing her sun-shaped birthmark. She squeals, writhing in the sheets as I tease her. “I need to fuck my wife silly before we go anywhere.”