“Yes!” he yells. “Perfect answer. You are the woman of my dreams.” He winks at her, and I hold back from punching him, even though I really want to pummel his face for flirting with my sweetheart of a cousin. “Now, you hafta marry me” he says. “When you’re forty, of course.”

I point to the door. “Rayne. Out. Get lunch. Do not provoke him.”

She giggles and skips out, leaving me to glare at my best friend. “Dude. Don’t even think about it. She is off limits. Period,” I warn.

He stretches his arm out, and I start the design on the top of his hand that will extend down his fingers. “Why? She’s legal. And she’s fucking hot.”

“Are you dim? Do you know who she is?”

“Your hot cousin? What else is there to know?”

“She’s the little sister of like everyone in Ashes and Embers. Storm and Asher would kill you if you went near her. Not to mention ruin your career.”

He lets out a low whistle. “Fuck. I didn’t realize she was related to all them.”

“Yeah. So forget it. She can’t be one of your playthings.”

He shrugs and grins. “So, how old is your future stepdaughter?”

LUKAS

MOST PEOPLE THINK THAT A MARRIAGE proposal is all about the woman and making it special for her—and it is (calm down, chicks)—but I think a lot of guys want it to be meaningful for themselves, too. They just don’t want to admit it because they think they’re too cool. Me? I got no problems admitting I want this night to be memorable for both of us. But, yeah, I really wanna blow her fucking mind and obliterate any memories that she once had a first husband.

Finn was kinda right; I hate that someone married my girl before I found her.

I could not have asked for a more perfect night for my plan. The air is warm, but not humid. Placing the last flameless candle on the table, I take a step back and look at the balcony that I’ve transformed. I decided to not use real candles, so I could leave everything set up while we go to dinner and not have to worry about burning the house down. I’ve shoved the love seat to the far side and laid a huge faux fur rug in the middle of the balcony floor. The electric fireplace is lit in the corner, with the heat option turned off, and earlier today, I strung new tiny purple lights around the edges of the balcony. It looks magical, exactly as I envisioned it.

I pick her up at her house and take her out to dinner a few towns away. She looks beautiful wearing a little black dress that shows off her curves perfectly, and I love that she has no clue how sexy she looks. I notice that she’s wearing the amethyst I gave her a few weeks ago, dangling from her neck on a delicate white gold chain. I’ve never bought a girl gifts before I met her, but I love to give Ivy surprises just to see her face light up. Giving her gifts has become a sort of addiction for me. Sometimes, it’s cute things like stuffed toys, or maybe something I’ve made for her, and other times, it’s something expensive like jewelry. The best part is seeing her face light up, how her eyes go wide like saucers, and then she jumps up and down excitedly before tackling me with kisses. She’s the reason I wake up smiling every day, my own sunny anchor keeping my world grounded.

On the drive back to my house after dinner, we hold hands but don’t talk a lot. I’m a little lost in my own head, worried that maybe what I’ve planned isn’t good enough and is just too simple. I thought about a thousand proposal ideas, some insane like Finn’s suggestions, some over the top and just cheesy, but I finally decided that romantic is the way to go. What better place than where we had our first real deep moment—on my balcony?

“Tonight’s the night,” Ray squawks when we enter the house, and I want to smack him. He must have heard me on the phone earlier with Finn.

Ivy giggles at him as she takes her coat off. “What’s he talking about now?”

I throw the cover over his cage, hoping he’ll shut up and go to sleep, and shrug nonchalantly. “He’s been watching too much television again. I keep forgetting to turn it off when I go down to the shop in the mornings.”

Grabbing her hand, I lead her upstairs, and I actually feel shaky, like I’m gonna skitz out from nervousness. Calm down. Don’t fuck this up.

“Wow, it looks even more beautiful here tonight!” she marvels when she sees how I’ve got it decorated. “I love it.”

“Let’s sit.” I guide her to the white rug and gently pull her down on the floor with me. She takes off her black high heels and tucks her feet under her, watching me suspiciously.

“Are you okay?” she finally asks. “You look a little pale.” She reaches toward me and puts her palm on my forehead.

“Ivy . . . I love ya, babe, but don’t do the mom stuff right now. I’m fine.” I reach beside the fireplace and grab my violin. “I have a surprise for you, and I’m a little nervous. That’s all.”

“Oh!” she exclaims excitedly. “You’re going to play for me? Finally?”

I grin and nod at her. “I wrote a song just for you. No singing, though. Just an instrumental. I’m sorry it took so long.”

She claps her hands like a little kid, a big smile spreading across her face. “Lukas! I’m so excited.”

She’s been begging me to play for her since she heard me play at the club, but I’ve been writing her a special melody over the past few months and didn’t want her to hear it until it was perfect.

I close my eyes and start to play. The melody is slow, haunting, and emotional. It’s everything she makes me feel, and I’m grateful I’m talented enough to play with deep emotion, to make her feel it with me.

Her eyes don’t leave me as I play, and she sways as she listens, her eyes glimmering with tears. She loves it; I can feel it pouring out of her. She loves me. She has quickly become my world, my best friend, my lover, my biggest fan, my queen. I’ve played the violin and piano in front of all sorts of crowds, ranging from metal concerts to classical plays to open mic night at the café, but playing this for her means more to me than any other audience I’ve ever been in front of. I want her to be proud of me and feel equal standing next to me as my wife. I won’t ever be some big fucking executive in a corner office wearing a tailored suit, but I know for damn sure that I’ll be someone that her and the kids will be proud of.

“I loved it,” she whispers when I’m finished playing, her voice hoarse. “It was so incredibly beautiful . . . and moving. I have goosebumps.” She sniffles and wipes at her eyes. “You are so amazing.”

“I’m glad you like it. It’s called Fierce.”

She nods, smiling knowingly at me, remembering. “You do love me that way, just like I asked you to,” she murmurs.

“I do, Ivy. More than you could ever know.”

Moving closer to her, I take her face in my hands, kissing her deeply, wanting to possess every part of her.

“I love you the same,” she says breathlessly.

“I was hoping you’d say that. Close your eyes, little doll.”

A smile touches her lips, and her eyes close. I take her hand and gently slide the diamond ring onto her finger. After weeks of searching, I found it at an antique shop, and it’s perfect for her—for us. A two-carat heart-shaped diamond set in rose gold with tiny diamonds and floral etchings down the side, it’s delicate and feminine, just like her.

I kiss her hand. “Open your eyes.”

Her eyes flutter open, but she doesn’t look at her hand. Instead, she locks her eyes on to mine. “I know what you just did,” she says, choking up. “And I’m not going to look at it yet. First, I’m going to tell you how precious you are to me, and I love you with everything that I am. My soul recognized yours that day we first met.”

She stills my heart in the way that only she can. “I had a big speech memorized, but you just made me forget it,” I tell her. “So, I’m gonna just say what I feel now. You’re everything to me. You’re the stability and safety I need, and the only one I would trust my heart with. You can make all my dreams come true, and I want to make yours come true, if you let me. I will always cherish you.”

We kiss before she finally looks down at her hand, her eyes widening and her mouth falling open. “My God, Lukas, it’s beautiful.” She covers her mouth as she stares at it. “Wow. Holy moly, I love it. Thank you so much.” I smile at her and take her small hand in mine, turning her hand so I can see the diamond sparkle.

“You don’t thank me for an engagement ring, baby. You say yes. Or no. But, hopefully yes.”

“Yes. It’s still yes. It will always be yes.”

“Good.” I kiss her softly. “Welcome to your happily ever after.”

She grabs my shirt and pulls me against her. “God, Lukas, I don’t know how you do it, but somehow you always manage to take my breath away.” She presses her soft lips to mine again and then pulls away, grinning impishly at me. “This is kinda funny, but I have a special gift for you tonight, too.”

I lean back against the love seat and stretch my legs out in front of me. “Oh, really? Does it entail you getting naked soon? Because I’m about to rip that dress off you.” Emotional closeness with her always mutates into an intense need to have wild sex with her, and tonight is no different. I want her clothes off like yesterday.

She laughs and smiles seductively at me. “You get that, too, but first . . . this.” She digs into her purse and hands me a small box.

I take it in my hand and slowly turn it over. It’s a very small box, like a ring box, and it’s made of oak. I’ve never seen such a tiny box made of real wood before. “It’s wild. I love it.”

She lets out an exasperated sigh. “Lukas! That’s just the box! Open it.”

“I love the box, though. It’s handmade. I can tell.”

“I know that. I found it just for you, for what’s inside. Now open it.”