Liam pulled into the driveway and hit the button opening the garage door. Lorelei’s car was in its place. He blew out a breath, trying to calm his racing heart. It had taken him hours to make this decision. He thought he’d made the right one.

The dresses hung at the back of her closet had been a huge clue in what she’d want. In the end, he had asked Rayne to help him. She’d told him the vintage white gold ring with a four-leaf motif and a sparkling emerald was perfect. Now, he worried she’d think it was cheesy.

She opened the door from the house and stared out into the garage, one eyebrow cocked up, her lips twisted in a smirk.

“You going to sit there all day?”

He smiled and popped open the door to his truck, grabbing his rucksack on the way out. “I was thinking of it.”

“Dinner is almost ready.”

He stepped into the house and pulled her close, staring into her eyes for a moment before dropping a kiss on her lips. When he stood tall again, he noticed her eyes were a little dilated. He chuckled before he kicked off his shoes and headed into the laundry room to dump his dirty clothes in the bin.

At the bottom of his rucksack was the ring box. He held it in his hand, staring at the blue box before stuffing it into his pocket. Lorelei stepped in and her nose wrinkled.

“Goodness. What did they have you all doing this week? That smells awful.”

He chuckled. “You’re lucky I showered before I came home. It was bad.”

“Ugh, you’re going to have to do a pre-wash and an extra rinse. That stuff is bad.”

He smiled, knowing she was right. They’d worked outside most of the day on one of the obstacle courses. All the guys were dirty and stinky. He started a load of clothes and pulled the towels out of the dryer, folding them before putting them away.

“Dinner is done,” Lorelei called out.

His heart was racing again. She wasn’t just the most beautiful woman in the world, she was the kindest too. He wouldn’t survive if she didn’t say yes. He almost didn’t want to ask for fear of being rejected, but that was crazy.

When he stepped into the kitchen and saw the spread she’d laid out, his stomach growled. She’d made his favorites. It was six months after their first date, and she’d said she wanted this to be special.

He moved close and held out his hands. The one that had been broken had healed though she’d had to have surgery. The scar was still visible, but it didn’t look too bad. He kissed her scar and then kissed her other hand.

“Let’s eat. We’ll get to that other stuff later.”

He chuckled and held out the chair for her. She slid into her seat and waited for him to sit before she started serving them. The first bite was a flavor burst on his tongue.

“This is excellent,” he said after swallowing his first bite.

“Thank you. I think it’s good.”

“So good.” They chatted about her work. The new bank building was almost done and they would be moving to the new location in about two weeks. He told her as much as he could about his work day, which was a lot because of their day spent on the obstacle course.

“I talked to Megan today,” Lorelei said.

“Really, how is she doing?”

“Good. She’s been accepted at the college she wanted.”

He glanced up before he took another bite of food. “Oh, where was that?”

“West Point.”

“What?” Liam set his fork down, excitement filling him.

“Yep, she said she knew it would be hard, but she wanted to do it after meeting you.”

“That’s awesome news.”

“I asked her to come over next weekend.” Lorelei’s smile warmed his heart. He was glad he’d been able to influence a young woman into going into the military. It wasn’t for everyone, but he knew Megan would do well.

When they finished eating, he cleaned the kitchen, insisting she pick out music so they could sit in the back yard and relax. He’d strung fairy lights around the porch and made the place more enjoyable. He planned on popping the question under those fairy lights tonight.

Before going out to the back yard, he stared at his reflection in the mirror, working up the nerve to ask. He thought she would say yes, but he wasn’t positive.

When he stepped outside, soft rock welcomed him from the speakers he’d installed. Lorelei was sitting in her favorite lounge chair. He moved beside her and dropped to one knee. She opened her eyes and narrowed them before sitting up.

“What are you doing?” Lorelei sat up, facing him.

“The day I first saw you I thought I didn’t stand a chance of ever being with you. You’re so beautiful and I didn’t think you’d ever look at me. We went for coffee and I was terrified I’d say the wrong thing. Then you agreed to date me. Lorelei, these last six months has been amazing. I want to spend my forever with you. Would you marry me?”

Her lips quivered, and her eyes filled with moisture. “Liam, you saved me. Not just when you saved my life, but you saved me. You taught me how to enjoy life and appreciate everything. Every day I can, I want to spend it with you.”

“Lorelei,” he pulled her close, and they both laughed as tears filled his eyes. She’d said yes. He pulled back and dug into his pocket, pulling out the ring. He noticed she had tears running down her face. “I can’t believe I forgot this.” He pulled out the box and Lorelei’s hands covered her mouth as her eyes went wide.

“Is that…”

He smiled and opened the box, revealing the ring. Lorelei gasped and her face grew pink as more tears spilled over.

“Are you okay?”

“Oh my God, Liam.” She flung herself off her chair and into his arms. Her sobs continued as she held onto him. Another few minutes passed before he could take her hand and slide the ring on. When he did, she jumped up and tugged him up with her. “Come on.”

He followed, unsure where they were going. Then she took him to their spare room where she pulled out an old photo album. She flipped through the pages then stopped and pointed. He looked down, staring at the photo for a few seconds before it hit him. He glanced up, then back to the photo.

“Wow, that’s weird.”

“This is almost exactly like Gran’s ring. She stopped wearing it, but when she married Grandpa before he headed off to Vietnam, this was the ring. Look at it.”

He pulled her closer before kissing the top of her head. “Where is her ring?”

“It was with my grandpa’s watch collection. Now it’s in the safe deposit vault.”

“Could I have seen it?”

“I don’t think so. I don’t think I ever showed it to you. I was afraid you’d think I was trying to get you to ask me to marry you.”

“I would have said yes if you showed me her ring,” he quipped.

She laughed and rolled her eyes. “I knew you were right for me from the beginning, but this ring makes me even more sure.”

He lowered, brushing his lips over hers. She opened and turned, the photo album forgotten as they came together. She was the perfect woman for him. Every day was brighter with her. He felt whole and could talk to her. She gave him life, brought him hope. Together, they were the perfect team.

Lorelei ended the kiss and leaned back, her gaze meeting his. “This is just the beginning of our adventures together.”

“I agree. All of our tomorrows will be even better. I love you.”

She lifted up on her toes and brushed her lips over his. He lifted her up and she wrapped her legs around him, holding on as he carried her to their bedroom. She was the lightness in his life that brought him back time and time again. The world could go dark, but as long as he had his Lorelei, he had everything he needed.