Delaney couldn’t move, couldn’t even speak. He popped the lid and she stared at the ring Ivan produced, this massive solitaire, the light hitting it and making it sparkle. She felt her heart beating so hard against her ribs, knew she probably looked shocked, with wide eyes and an open mouth.

And she was shocked, beyond belief.

Never had she envisioned Christmas Eve going this way. Hell, she hadn’t even thought Ivan was the type of man to propose or get married.

But she’d be lying in saying she hadn’t envisioned marrying him, being his wife, having a family with him … the whole shebang.

“Delaney, baby, say something.”

She finally lifted her gaze to Ivan, closed her mouth, and inhaled deeply through her nose before exhaling it out again. What was she going to say? They hadn’t been together that long, but this felt so real and right.

Being with him felt like perfection.

“Say something,” he whispered. “You’re starting to freak me out.” He chuckled softly, but she heard the nervousness in his voice.

She inhaled deeply, trying to calm herself. “You love me?”

His body relaxed slightly. “More than you’ll ever know.” He smiled. “I know this is fast, that our relationship didn’t started off the best. But spending that night with you in the office changed everything for me, Delaney.” He took a step closer to her. “I’ve fallen madly in love with you. But the truth is, I think I’ve always loved you. The banter between us, your stubbornness. Your strength. All of that endeared you to me.”

Oh. God. This was really happening.

And then she felt wetness slide down her cheeks, and she realized she was crying. She lifted her hand to brush away the tears, but Ivan was already doing that.

He ran the pad of his thumb underneath one of her eyes, gathering that droplet before bringing it to his mouth and kissing it, as if he were trying to get rid of her sadness.

But she wasn’t sad.

She was happy, unbelievably so.

And then she couldn’t help herself anymore, couldn’t stop the happiness that exploded from her.

She launched herself into his arms, kissing him senselessly, smiling like a fool. It was several moments later when she finally forced herself to pull back and look up at his face. He looked confused at first, maybe not sure of her reaction.

She closed her eyes and shook her head, still grinning.

“I love you so much, Ivan.” She said the words that she’d kept secret for longer than she even wanted to admit.

“You love me?” He was the one to ask that question now.

“More than you’ll ever know.” And she said the same thing he had, meaning every damn word.

“Delaney, I want you to be my wife. I want to grow old with you, have a family with you. Before you came along I felt like a shell of a man. You are the light of my life. Marry me?” And then he got down on one knee and lifted his hand up, showing her the diamond ring again.

She covered her mouth with her hands and nodded. “Yes,” she said behind her hands and then realized he probably couldn’t hear because it was muffled behind her palm. Letting her arms fall to her sides, she chuckled. “Yes, Ivan. I’ll marry you.”

He was off the floor and pulled her into his arms once more. For long seconds, he did nothing but hold her, and she absorbed all of it.

“This is fucking crazy, isn’t it?” He murmured the words against her head.

“No crazier than it has been.” She closed her eyes and rested her head on his chest, hearing how fast his heart was beating.

He’d been so nervous.

God, she fell in love with him even more.

“Your family may not approve. I’m certainly not up there in financial or social standings like the people they are used to associating with.”

He pulled back, this serious expression on his face. “And I’ll tell them to fuck off, that I love you more than anything else, and if they can’t understand and accept that, then they can get the fuck out of my life.”

She felt her eyes widen at the sheer intensity and truth in his words. “God, if I didn’t love you already, I would have surely fallen for you right now.”

He grinned and pulled her in for a kiss. Ivan stroked the seam of her lips until she opened for him. Delaney moaned, moving her tongue along his, knowing that there wasn’t any place she’d rather be then right here with the man she loved.

He pulled back and took the ring out of the box, grabbed her hand, and slipped the diamond on. It felt heavy.

It felt perfect.

Who would have thought this was how she’d be spending Christmas? Not only was she not alone, she was with Ivan, her future husband.