Total pages in book: 26
Estimated words: 24405 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 122(@200wpm)___ 98(@250wpm)___ 81(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 24405 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 122(@200wpm)___ 98(@250wpm)___ 81(@300wpm)
The driver lets us out of the back of the car, and we take the elevator up to the rooftop restaurant. I’ve been planning this night for weeks. Mostly, it’s to celebrate Brynn’s graduation. But I’ve also been planning something else. Something I never thought I’d be doing, honestly. The door chimes, then slides open, and we step out and into the lobby of the restaurant.
“Good evening and welcome to Velvet,” the hostess greets us.
Brynn turns to me. “This is one of the hottest spots in town.”
“I thought for your graduation, you deserved something nice.”
Her cheeks flush. “Thank you, Burke. This is really thoughtful.”
“Only the best for you.”
She pulls me down and gives me a quick kiss and a smile, then we turn and follow the hostess to our table. Moonlight sparkles dazzlingly off the surface of the sea, and the air is redolent with the aroma of the ocean. We talk and laugh our way through appetizers and dinner. I do a good job of maintaining a veneer of calm, but under the surface, my stomach and heart are both churning wildly.
“Tonight has been amazing,” she says. “Really, I never thought I would ever get to eat in a place like this. It’s been… incredible.”
“It’s a momentous day in your life,” I tell her. “And you deserve the best.”
I pick up my champagne flute and raise it to her. Brynn smiles, then raises her own and taps it against mine with a high-pitched ting.
“To the future,” I say.
“To the future.”
We both take a drink, and as I set my glass down, a woman with a violin appears. She stands beside our table and begins to play one of my favorite pieces—La Vie En Rose. I’m not the most romantic man in the world, but I’ve always found this piece striking and beautifully sentimental. As Brynn turns, surprised by the violinist, I slip out of my chair. My gut churns and heart thunders, I drop to a knee and pull a small, black velvet box out of my pocket.
Brynn’s eyes moisten, and her chest heaves with each short, hectic breath. She clamps her hands over her mouth, a stunned expression on her face. I open the box. She squeals and half-stands automatically. I offer the ring. She takes it. But her eyes flick to mine like she’s seeking permission to go ahead and touch it. Her cheeks turn bright red, and her eyes sparkle with tears.
“Brynn Whitman, I did not plan on this. I did not plan on you. But if there’s one thing you’ve taught me in all these months we’ve been together, it’s that the unexpected can be the most beautiful thing in life,” I say. “My life is better with you in it. My world is infinitely brighter. And I don’t ever want to spend another day without you by my side. You belong to me, and I belong to you. Will you do me the honor of being my wife. Will you give me the honor of spending the rest of our days together?”
Tears run down her face, she gets up, then pulls me to my feet and throws herself into me. Holding her in a tight embrace, Brynn trembles and then turns her tear-streaked face up to me.
“I would be honored to be your wife,” she says. “I love you.”
I slip the ring on her finger. “And I love you, too.”
Leaning down, I kiss her, and the restaurant around us erupts in applause. It’s a dull roar in the background, though. I’m not paying attention to it because the only thing that matters is the woman in my arms.
“You’re my world,” I say.
“And you’re mine.”
“I am, my love,” I say. “I most definitely am.”
EXTENDED EPILOGUE
BRYNN
Five Years Later
Inever believed in fairy tales.
Truthfully, I never really believed in that deep, abiding, soul-consuming love. People talk about it, sure. But deep down, I always believed it was just something people said. I mean, I’m not so cynical that I didn’t believe in love. I just never really believed in that kind of love that sets your entire world on fire. The kind of love that set off swarms of butterflies in your stomach whenever you saw that person—your person. But more than anything, I never believed I’d be lucky enough to have that kind of love.
It’s something I am so incredibly happy and grateful to have been wrong about.
Every single day with Burke has felt like a fairy tale come to life. Every single day is better than the one before it. And the love I feel for this man has only deepened.
It’s as if there is no bottom to the love I feel for him. And yeah, when he walks into the room, I still feel the gossamer wings of butterflies brushing my heart and belly.
I never thought I could or would love somebody as deeply as I love Burke. He likes to say that I’ve changed him, but in truth, he’s changed me just as much. If not more. He’s turned my entire world upside down in the best way possible. Without him and his encouragement, I don’t know that I would have had the courage to start my own practice. But he pushed me toward it, so I took the leap. I did it. And now I’ve got a thriving practice and have become one of the most sought-after child psychologists in the city.