Peace? What peace.
My heart races at a thousand miles a second. The shock is too much, and my chest tightens with the unfathomable realization of what is about to happen.
“Dante…what the fuck?” My voice comes out higher than I thought it was capable of.
“I was going to wait,” he starts, giving me a meaningful look that obviously reads “shut up and let me do this”. “I thought we’d at least get the unpacking done, settle in first, but I couldn’t help myself.”
“Oh, youbastard,” I say, but the heat is taken away by the tears that are already dripping from my eyes.
“Carmen, I love you. I always have. I want you to curse my name in Italian for the rest of our lives, scream at me,love me, just...be with me. Always.”
He holds the ring out to me, his fingers trembling slightly as though he’s as nervous as I am.
“I can’t believe this is real,” I murmur as a laugh escapes me. My heart is pounding, my hands shaking as I reach for the ring, my fingers grazing his.
With another soft, breathless laugh, I finally manage to say, “Yes. Yes, Dante. A thousand times, yes.”
Before he can say anything more, I pull him to me, my arms wrapping around his neck as I kiss him—gentle at first, but then with all the passion I’ve held inside for so long.
When we finally break apart, both of us breathing hard, I rest my forehead against his, my arms still wrapped around him, as though I never want to let go.
“I can’t believe you’re mine,” I whisper against his lips, shaking my head in disbelief.
“I think you’ve been mine all along,” Dante replies just as softly.
As he slides the ring onto my finger, everything falls into place. There are no more questions, no more doubts.
This is where we belong. This is our beginning. Together. Forever.
And as I look into his eyes, I know that no matter what comes next, we’ll face it together. Because now, there’s nothing standing in our way.
“I love you, princess.”
“I love you, too,” I reply, my heart full.
And as we stand there, wrapped in each other’s arms, the weight of our journey behind us, I know this is the start of everything I’ve ever dreamed of.
* * *
