and bulge. She covers her mouth with a trembling hand and starts to cry. “You’re serious?”
“I’m down on one knee, offering you a ring, my heart, and my future. It doesn’t get any more serious than that.”
“Oh, my god.” She searches my face, then drops to her knees beside me. “I never expected… I didn’t think…”
“You thought I would just let you get on a plane Wednesday afternoon and fly away forever?”
“I’ve been afraid to hope for anything else.”
“I want everything, and I want it with you. Just say the word.”
She swallows, and I see her natural caution take over. Reservations set in. She frowns. “You haven’t met my mother or my brother or…”
“Will their opinion really change your mind?”
“No.” She shakes her head slowly. “Sorry. I’m so shocked I can’t think. But no. They’ll love you anyway. I just…didn’t see this coming.”
I try not to get frustrated. “I know. But can’t you picture it? You and me and Ranger all together? You growing your business while I keep working mine? A new house? And someday more babies? Your best friend a few miles away? Staying forever in paradise?”
“It sounds amazing, like the most perfect existence ever.” As tears roll down her face, she cups my cheek. “I love you.”
Relief fills my chest. I grab her and pull her tight against me, pressing my forehead to hers. “Oh, honey, I love you, too. Is that a yes?”
She bites her lip. “I-I want to say yes. You have no idea… But I came to the island to bury my past. I wasn’t thinking so much about the future. C-can I have twenty-four hours to think about it?”
I rear back. Is she serious?
Masey grabs me again. “This isn’t about you, Trace. I don’t want to be impulsive. Don’t you want me to be sure I can genuinely come to you with a yes in my heart and make you happy?”
“I’m already convinced.”
“I’m glad, but I need to catch my breath. When did you start thinking about this?”
“At Clint and Bethany’s wedding,” I admit.
“It inspired me, too. But you’ve had two days to wrap your head around this idea and what it would mean for us. I’ve had two minutes.”
Disquiet rips at my guts. “You either love me or you don’t.”
“I do. Please…” She grips my face, and I try not to feel crushed. “You’re asking me to move across an ocean and change my whole life. Shouldn’t I think about that at least a little?”
I can’t deny that I assumed she’d move here or that it’s a sacrifice on her part, but if that’s what’s standing in her way… “I can move to LA.”
I’d have to start my business over, and I’d miss my family like hell, but…
Love softens her face. “That’s amazing of you to offer, but you don’t need to. I’m not insisting on staying there, I’m just… I didn’t let myself picture or hope or…” She gives me a self-deprecating smile. “If ten years wasn’t enough to convince the last guy that he cared enough to marry me, why would I think the man I’ve known ten days would?”
Gritting my teeth, I hold in a curse and stand. I get what she’s saying. Logically, she’s right. Realistically, almost no one pledges to change their whole life so they can spend it with someone they’ve known less than a season, less than the flip of a calendar. Hell, less than a pay period.
I’m a level-headed guy, and not impulsive. But when it comes to love, I can get swept up and overly optimistic—and I fuck myself.
Apparently, I didn’t learn much from Voldemort.
“Trace,” she implores me as she stands. “Please. Twenty-four hours?”
“Sure.” I shove the ring back in my pocket with my heart in the gutter and hope washing away. “We should get back. I told Noah I wouldn’t be too late.”
It’s not true. I told my brother I would call him and let him know whether I’d be coming for Ranger tonight…or in the morning. I stocked enough provisions to stay out here at least that long, thinking that if we had something to drink to, I didn’t want to put the celebration on hold.
Now, I just want to get the fuck out of here.
I swipe the bottle and the untouched glasses of champagne and take them into the galley. Every step feels like I’m dragging a ton of wretched regret.
And why is Masey right behind me? I can hear her. I can feel her. What the hell does she