Page 54 of Nicky
"You’re still glowing," he teased, his thumb brushing along my jaw. "You’re gonna blind someone if you keep it up."
"I’m not glowing," I huffed, but the grin on my face betrayed me. "Okay, maybe a little. It’s just—it feels right, you know? Like everything finally fell into place."
Markus’s eyes softened, and his hand slid down to grip mine. He didn’t say anything right away, just looked at me like he was memorizing every detail of this moment.
Then he took a deep breath and dropped to one knee.
The breath whooshed out of me. My knees locked, my heart stuttered, and behind Markus, I could hear Faith gasp and Kyle whisper, “Oh my God, it’s happening!”
“Nicky,” Markus said, looking up at me with eyes so full of love I thought I’d drown in them. “Watching you grow, fight for your dreams, and love so fiercely has been the privilege of my life. You’re my everything—my baby boy, my partner, my heart. And I don’t want to spend another day without knowing you’re mine—completely, forever. Will you marry me?”
The ring was simple—a band of silver with a small sapphire in the center—but it felt like the most precious thing I’d ever seen. It glinted in the sunlight, but it was the raw emotion in his voice that made my vision blur. “Yes,” I choked out, tears spilling freely. “Yes. God, yes. I love you.”
Markus slipped the ring onto my finger with steady hands, then stood and gathered me close. The kiss we shared was so deep and consuming, I forgot we were in public.
Behind us, someone groaned.
“For the love of glitter,get a room!” That was Aiden, of course.
Faith smacked him, and Brianna stage-whispered, “Shut up, he’s having his moment.”
Markus chuckled against my lips. "Guess we better take this celebration home."
I looked at him—the man who’d been my anchor, my Daddy, my love and now my fiancé—and nodded. “Yes, Daddy. Let’s go home.”
Because with Markus by my side, I knew I was already there.
