“I bought this five years and one week ago,” Liam said. “Before the crash. I was going to ask you the weekend we went to the coast.”
Tears finally spilled over Clara’s cheeks. “You kept it?”
“I never intended to give it to anyone else,” Liam said. He dropped to one knee. The collective intake of breath from the room was audible.
“Clara Sterling. You are the strongest person I know. You are the only woman I have ever trusted. This venue, this party… it’s tainted. But my love isn’t. Will you marry me? Maybe not today, maybe not here… but will you promise me that my future belongs to you?”
Clara looked down at him. She looked past him to the ocean, churning and wild. She looked at her father, who was slumped in a pew, head in his hands, a ruined man.
She realized she didn’t care about any of them. She only cared about the man kneeling before her, the man who had walked through hell and married a monster just to keep her safe.
“Yes,” Clara said, her voice clear and strong. “Yes. But let’s get the hell out of here.”
Liam laughed—a genuine, joyous sound that broke the spell of the afternoon. He stood up and slid the ring onto her finger. It fit perfectly.
“I thought you’d never ask,” he said.
He grabbed her hand. “Run?”
“I can’t run,” she smiled wryly, tapping her leg.
“Then I’ll carry you.”
