She turned back to him, rolling her eyes playfully. “Smooth, Carter. Very smooth.” But her teasing expression quickly faded when she saw the way he was looking at her.
There was something different in his eyes tonight. Something deeper. More certain. More… infinite. Before she could even ask what was wrong, he took a deep breath. Then, slowly and deliberately, he dropped to one knee.
Anna’s breath caught hard in her throat. Her hands flew to her mouth as Grant pulled a small, dark velvet box from his pocket, flipping it open to reveal the most stunning engagement ring she had ever seen in her life—an elegant, flawless diamond set in a delicate platinum band.
But it wasn’t even the ring that truly took her breath away. It was him. It was the way his voice, usually so strong and confident, trembled just slightly as he spoke. “Anna… you didn’t just save my life. You became my life.”
Her heart was pounding so hard she could feel it in her ears. “Before you, I thought I had everything. Money, power, success. But I was missing the most important thing. I was missing you.”
Tears welled up in her eyes, threatening to spill over. “You’re the reason I fought to live. You’re the reason I found myself again. And now, I want to spend the rest of my life making sure you know just how much you mean to me.”
He held the ring up, his gaze never once leaving hers. “Anna Munro… will you marry me?” The entire world seemed to stand perfectly still.
Anna couldn’t speak. She couldn’t breathe. All she could do was nod frantically, a choked sound that was half-laughter and half-sob escaping her as tears finally spilled over. “Yes,” she finally managed, her voice breaking.
“Yes, Grant. A thousand times, yes!” Grant let out a shaky breath of pure relief, sliding the beautiful ring onto her finger. He then stood up, pulling her into his arms, into his world, and into their forever.
And as their lips met under the fading orange sunlight, Anna knew with absolute certainty that this was where she belonged. Always.
The Carter estate had never looked more radiant than it did on their wedding day. The gardens had been completely transformed into an enchanting wonderland. Thousands of white roses lined the pathways. Twinkling fairy lights were draped from the towering oak trees, and soft, classical music played in the background as the guests gathered in awe.
Anna stood at the grand entrance to the garden, dressed in a breathtaking, elegant white gown, her heart racing a mile a minute. “Are you ready?” Lisa, her best friend and maid of honor, whispered beside her…
