And so am I. For the first time in my life, I have everything I’ve ever wanted. A family. A home filled with love and laughter. The woman I adore, the son who holds my heart, and a future that, for the first time, doesn’t feel uncertain. It’s now full of promise. Like our first night together was.
Before I lose my nerve, I pull the box from my pocket and get down on one knee in front of our family and friends. Delighted squeals and gasps surround us, and then everyone goes silent.
Haisley’s breath hitches as she looks down at me, light green eyes that I love brimming with emotion, including shock.
I take a steadying breath, trying to push past the nervous energy buzzing under my skin. “I had this whole speech planned for later,” I admit. “But then I watched you laugh with our son and realized I don’t need a speech to tell you howmuch I love you. How much I care. Because everything I want to say, everything I feel, is right here.”
Placing my free hand over my heart, where our son’s name is tattooed around the swallow design, I glance at the boy. He’s blissfully unaware of the emotional event unfolding as he continues to smear frosting.
Haisley lets out a breathless laugh, tears glistening in her eyes, so I continue with the proposal.
“I’ve loved you since before I even understood what it meant to be in love. You’ve changed my life in ways I never saw coming. You keep proving to me daily that there’s nothing better than us.”
I look at the simple yet elegant ring, which I knew would be perfect for her the moment I spotted it. Even though she loves to dress up and has all these colorful clothes in her closet, she likes to keep the most important things in life more subdued. I still wanted to get her the ring she deserves, and I might have gotten a bigger stone than originally planned.
“So, Haisley Hilda Lavigne, my sweetness, will you marry me?”
She exhales a soft, shaking laugh. “Of course I’ll marry you, my lifeline.”
Cheers erupt around us as I stand, slipping the four-carat solitaire cut diamond onto her finger. She admires the ring as I take Viktor in my arms and hug her. We stand there, soaking in the new happiness while our miracle boy is between us. It doesn't matter that his hands are covered in icing, turning my white dress shirt into another color, or that everyone is watching. It’s only us three in this moment.
Once we break apart, we’re greeted by love and well wishes. Viktor wants to get down, already bored with the celebrations,so I let him down. Hunter and Hendrix are high fiving as though they somehow had a hand in this, while Holden pretends to wipe away an emotional tear. My teammates clap me on the back while Jax still records everything, helping us immortalize the day. Soph and Rose are crying as they pull Haisley in a group hug.
“Primo, why didn’t you say anything?” Manu asks and hugs me, nearing the same height as I am. “I could’ve helped or something.”
“You suck at keeping secrets.”
He rolls his eyes. “I do not.”
“You do, too.”
“Admit you’re wrong. I could’ve kept it under traps.”
“Never.”
Tía Marisol looks at us, a content smile on her face. “That’s enough. Let your primo enjoy his day without your theatrics, mijo.” She takes my face between her palms and switches to more Spanish. “I couldn’t be prouder of the man you’ve become, not even if I tried. You were always meant to be more than the cards you were dealt. Just know that my mother, your dear abuela, would be happy for you and Haisley on this beautiful day. She must be looking down, a huge smile on her face.”
Her kind words heal another small broken piece inside me. “Thank you. It means a lot to have you here.”
“When your rich nephew pays for your flights, new apartment and gets you a job, you don’t say no,” she says with a wink.
Laughing, I hug her one more time. Jeremy and Gloria step forward. Of course, I asked him for Haisley’s hand in marriagein advance, but it’s still good to have them congratulate us with smiles on their faces.
“I guess it’s truly official now. Welcome to the family, son.” Jeremy hugs me before his wife does. And like every time he calls me son, a soft smile curves on my lips.
My future in-laws take their time to share excited words and congratulations with their daughter. In moments like this, I wish I could have my grandparents still here with us. But I’m lucky to have found a family that has taken me in. Both off and on ice.
When my fiancée turns to me, she buries her face in my chest. “I can’t believe you did all this at Viktor’s first birthday party.”
“Seemed fitting. He brought us here, didn’t he?”
She tilts her head up, her eyes shining. “Yeah, he did, but we decided to make it work.”
“We surely did.”
As I hold her close, our son giggling between us at our feet, I know without a doubt... this is it. This is everything. And it’s only the beginning.
EPILOGUE
