Chapter 9 - The Proposal She Never Thought She Would Hear
A year later, Jack took me to the Maragold Room.
The restaurant had changed.
New owner.
New staff.
New atmosphere.
No Victor.
No fear.
No whispers.
The private suite was decorated with candles.
No business meeting.
No guns.
No contracts.
Only dinner.
Jack stood at the end of the table.
“I brought you here because this is where everything changed.”
I smiled.
“You mean where I accidentally saved your life.”
“Yes.”
“And where I was almost killed.”
“Yes.”
“Romantic.”
He laughed.
“I knew you'd say that.”
Then he stepped closer.
“I can't promise your life will always be easy.”
“I don't need easy.”
“I can't promise danger will disappear.”
“I know.”
“But I can promise that you will never again wonder whether you're enough.”
My eyes filled.
He dropped to one knee.
No crowd.
No photographers.
No grand speech.
Just Jack.
“Lily Bennett, will you marry me?”
I looked at him.
The man I had once feared.
The man who had seen my scars and never once asked me to cover them.
The man who protected my son without trying to own him.
The man who never asked me to forget my past.
He only helped me build a future.
“Yes.”
He smiled.
No dramatic applause.
No cameras.
Just his arms around me.
Then Noah ran into the room.
“Does that mean Jack is my stepdad?”
Jack looked at me.
I laughed.
“It does.”
Noah hugged him.
Jack closed his eyes for a second.
Then hugged my son back.
And I realized the little family I had once believed was broken beyond repair was becoming something stronger than what I had imagined.
Not perfect.
May you like
Real.
That was better.
