Chapter 282: ~ 281
Chapter 281
~Clinton~
Today was the day.
I took a deep, steadying breath, but my chest feels so tight. My hands were shoved deep into the pockets of my trousers, my right fingers tightly wrapped around a small box.
It was the custom-designed oval ring I had picked up. My palms were sweating, a detail that would have deeply annoyed me on any other day of my life.
Annie stood directly beside me, her small hand resting securely on my forearm. Her eyes were still covered by the heavy silk blindfold I had playfully tied around her head before we left the café down below.
"Clinton, seriously, where are we?" she laughed, her voice bright, airy, and full of that beautiful, unbothered curiosity that always made my chest ache. "We’ve been walking in circles, and I can smell flowers. Did you take me to garden?"
"Not quite," I murmured, my voice sounding a little tighter than I intended. I reached up, my fingers gently loosening the silk knot at the back of her head. "Alright. Open your eyes."
The silk slipped away. Annie blinked against the soft light. The entire private terrace winding around the upper level of the building had been transformed into a secluded paradise.
It was the exact, spectacular view she had pointed to from the last outing we had together.
Annie froze. Her breath caught clean in her throat, a soft, breathless gasp escaping her lips as her eyes darted from the flower-covered paths to the edge of the stone railing. "Oh my god... Clinton. This is... this is the terrace from across the street. How did you—"
She cut herself off, her voice cracking as she turned her head toward the shadow of the brick conservatory on our right.
Standing there, completely silent but radiating an intense, protective warmth, was our family. Trudy was leaning against the stone pillar, her hands clasped tightly over her heart, her eyes already bright with unshed tears.
Beside her stood Franklin, he had little Lael strapped securely to his broad chest in a dark fabric front baby carrier. Leaning into Franklin’s side was Octavia, a soft smile lighting up her face as she quietly held her phone up to record the moment.
"They’re all here," Annie whispered, her lower lip beginning to tremble violently as the reality of the moment finally crashed over her. She turned back to face me, her eyes pooling with thick, glassy tears that threatened to spill over at any second. "Clinton, what is all this?"
The second her gaze locked back onto mine. A heavy, burning pressure built up behind my eyes, and before I could even utter a single syllable, a hot tear slipped over my lashes, tracking straight down my jaw.
I took a step forward, reaching out to capture both of her small, trembling hands in mine. The contrast was staggering, my large, shaking palms meeting her soft, delicate fingers.
I had never felt this raw, this completely exposed, in front of anyone in my life.
"The day you were sharing the news about your sister with me, You were vibrating with so much joy, Annie. You were going on and on about how you couldn’t wait to buy everything in sight for her baby. And as I sat there, just watching the light catch your eyes... all I could think about was how desperately I want to build that exact same life with you."
Annie let out a broken, ragged sob of her own, the tears finally cascading down her flushed cheeks. She didn’t look at the flowers or the skyline anymore; her entire world had narrowed down to my face, her eyes wide with a beautiful, devastating love as she saw the tears streaming down my own jaw.
"Before you walked into my world, Annie, I was just navigating through the dark," I choked out, another tear spilling over as my voice dropped into a vulnerable, raspy whisper. I didn’t care about keeping up appearances. I was completely, beautifully undone by the girl standing in front of me. "I was so rigid. I was so consumed by my father, by the expectations, by a lonely world where everything was just surviving. I didn’t think a love like this existed for someone like me. But then you showed up with your energy, your beautiful laugh, and your giant heart. You brought color into my world, Annie. You brought warmth. You taught me how to actually breathe."
"Oh, Clinton..." she wept, her shoulders shaking violently as she stepped closer into my space, her hands clutching mine so tightly her knuckles were white. "Stop, you’re going to make me hyperventilate."
"I can’t stop," I whispered, a watery, emotional laugh escaping me as I dropped heavily onto one knee on the smooth stone floor.
The velvet box felt incredibly heavy in my hand as I pulled it from my pocket, but the promise inside it was entirely weightless. I opened it and revealed the ring.
Looking up at her, my vision swimming as I watched the girl of my dreams look down at me, I poured my entire soul into the open air. "I want the messy mornings where you burn the toast. I want every single routine, every ridiculous laugh, and every heavy tear for the rest of our lives. I want to protect you, cherish you, and choose you every single day until my heart stops beating."
I took a deep, shuddering breath, my voice cracking one last time as I looked at the ring, then back into her crying face. "Annie... will you make me the luckiest man alive? Will you marry me?"
For a second, the entire city felt like it held its breath.
"Yes!" Annie gasped out through a heavy, breathless sob, her knees practically buckling as she nodded frantically. "Yes, a million times yes, Clinton!"
I surged to my feet, my heart exploding with a level of pure joy I didn’t know a human body could contain. I slid the ring onto her finger, and before she could even look at it, I wrapped my arms around her waist and lifted her completely off her feet. Annie clung to me like a lifeline, her arms wrapping fiercely around my neck, burying her wet, tear-stained face into the crook of my shoulder as she sobbed out of pure happiness.
Behind us, the silent gallery broke out into a chorus of cheers. Trudy was openly weeping into a tissue, clapping her hands together, while Octavia let out a joyful cheer, lowering her phone to rush over. Franklin gave me a thumbs up, his hand still resting over little Lael.
I held Annie tightly against me, my eyes closed as I rested my chin against the top of her head, the scent of her hair filling my senses.
My wife to be.