“What the hell are you doing?” she snarls at me. “Who do you think you are, swanning around looking like that? You look ridiculous.”
I smile to myself. I know now that Rachel is nothing but a jealous witch who can’t stand to see me happy. I look her up and down.
“I’m going to meet Leo in the garden. He’s going to ask me to marry him,” I tell her sweetly. “I’m about to have every single one of my dreams come true. And half of yours too.”
I push past her, completely done with her. She might have terrorized me ever since I got here, but she’s on the opposite end of the spectrum from my new life with Leo. She can’t hurt me anymore. Not when I have everything I could ever need.
And as I step into the garden, I can’t help gasping. Because across the garden, a thousand candles are burning for me, lighting the path to where Leo stands, waiting for me. I let out a happy gasp. I can’t believe he’s done something so extravagant for me. There are storm clouds overhead and I know we don’t have long before the heavens open, but I don’t care. All I care about is me and him.
I walk toward him, my heart pounding in my chest. Ahead of me, I see my entire future, because it’s him. It’s always been him. He’s the only one who can give me what I want from life. And now, I know exactly what he’s going to do. He’s going to give me the love I deserve. He’s going to promise himself to me for life.
He’s going to ask me to be his wife.
I stop in front of him, trying to steady my breathing. He smiles at me and I feel a rush of love inside me. This is it. This is the moment.
“You look beautiful,” he says. I stare around me at the thousands of candles surrounding us. They light up the dark and make every sequin on my dress shimmer.
I take his hand in mine.
“You really did all this for me?”
“Of course,” he tells me. “I wanted to do something you’ll never forget. Just like this.”
He drops down on one knee in front of me and I cover my mouth to hide the beaming smile on my face. I gasp even though this is no shock to me. It just escapes from me because I’m on cloud nine, so excited for this moment.
When he shows me the ring, it’s everything I dreamed it would be. A perfect pink diamond, my favorite color in the world. He really does know me inside out. He bought the perfect dress for this day, the perfect ring, and did it all in the perfect location. I love that it’s just me and him here, alone in the garden that will soon be a part of my home. Just us and a thousand candles to light our way to happiness.
“Amelia, from the moment I met you, I knew you were something truly special,” Leo says, voice firm. “I knew that everything had changed. I became a new man. I became the man you need me to be because I’ve been molded specially for you. And now, I’m down on one knee, asking you to take me as I am. To love me and cherish me forever, the way I will you. I’m asking you to be merciful, to save a man from a life of misery by saying yes. I can’t live without you, baby. Ever since I made you mine, you’ve become my kryptonite. Nothing has ever been able to floor me before, but you could do it in an instant if you ever leave me.”
“I never will,” I whisper. “I’ll never leave you behind.”
“I know,” he pauses. “But I want to pledge myself to you. I want to join our lives together forever. I want to share everything with you, everything I’ve ever built here in this place. I want this to be the place where we raise our children, where we share so many happy memories in our future. I know that you can have anyone in the world, but I’m asking you to choose me for the rest of our lives. Amelia, will you marry me?”
“Yes. Of course, I will,” I whisper, a single tear streaming down my cheek. “Of course I will, Leo. I love you so much. I love you so, so much…”
“I love you too,” he says, as he slides the ring onto my finger. And just like that, I feel like my life has become complete. As he stands to kiss me hard, the storm clouds above begin to pour down with rain, soaking us to the bone, but his strong arms protect me from it all. Even as my hair soaks through and my dress clings to me heavily, I feel the strength of his love for me holding me up.