Chapter 295 - 308.

Her eyes began to shine.

He smiled.

"You were still the woman who danced in the kitchen when her favourite song came on. You were still the woman who called me at an unreasonable hour because you had thought of something funny and decided I needed to hear it immediately."

She laughed weakly. "You did need to hear it." Her lips trembled.

"I watched you become a criminal lawyer three years ago," he continued. "And I watched your career grow into something incredible. I’ve watched you work hard, fight for your clients, earn respect, and become someone other people look to when they need help."

He took a breath.

"And every time something good happened to you, I felt proud. Not because I had anything to do with it. Not because I wanted to take credit for the woman you became."

He lifted her hand and pressed it against his chest. "Because I got to love you while you became her."

Kylie stared at him.

Her eyes were already filling.

Christian’s own expression grew tender.

"I don’t want to stand in front of you, Blue. I don’t want to stand behind you and pretend that your achievements belong to me. I don’t want to tell you what to do or what kind of woman you should be."

He shook his head. "I want to stand beside you."

Her breath caught. She laughed through her tears.

He smiled.

"I want to be the person you come home to. I want to hear about your day, even when I don’t understand half the legal terminology. I want to celebrate your victories, hold your hand through your difficult days, and remind you that you don’t have to be extraordinary every minute to be loved."

Her tears spilled over.

He brushed one away with his thumb. "I want to grow old with you."

He laughed softly, though his own eyes had begun to shine.

"I want to see what you become in ten years. Twenty years. Thirty. I want to watch you change your mind about things, discover new dreams, and build a life that surprises both of us."

He drew a slow breath.

Kylie looked at him through her tears. "Christian."

He squeezed her hands.

"I know you have your own dreams. I know your career matters to you. I know you have worked too hard to build a life that belongs to you, and I would never ask you to make that life smaller just to fit beside me."

His voice grew quieter. "I want to make room for you. All of you."

He lifted her hand and kissed her knuckles. He looked directly into her eyes. "I want to be your husband, Kylie."

Her lips parted.

For a moment, she simply stared at him.

He smiled nervously. "I had a much better speech prepared."

She let out a wet laugh. "Did you?"

"Yes."

"What happened to it?"

"I looked at you."

She laughed again, wiping her cheeks. "That’s a terrible excuse."

"I know."

He took a breath. Then he reached into his pocket.

Kylie’s eyes widened.

Christian watched her expression change. He could almost see the moment she understood.

The way her mouth fell open. The way her hands went completely still in his. The way her blue eyes widened until they seemed to hold every light in the garden.

"Christian..."

He lowered himself onto one knee.

Kylie made a sound.

A tiny, breathless sound that he would remember for the rest of his life.

He opened the box.

The ring caught the light.

It was elegant without being overwhelming, beautiful in a way that made it feel unmistakably hers. The stone sparkled beneath the garden lights, set in a band he had spent weeks choosing because he had wanted something she would love wearing every day.

He looked up at her. "Kylie Benneth."

She pressed both hands over her mouth.

He smiled, his eyes already glowing.

"I have loved you for seven years, and somehow, that still doesn’t feel like enough time to tell you everything I love about you."

Her tears fell freely.

His voice caught slightly. "I love the woman you’ve become, and I love the woman you’re still becoming."

He held the ring box steady.

"I can promise that I will keep listening. I will keep learning. I will keep making room for your dreams, and I will never ask you to become less of yourself to make loving you easier."

Kylie shook her head, crying.

He looked up at her with a tenderness that made her heart ache.

"But you said you don’t do marriages, Mr. Sinclair." She sniffed. "Remember? Seven years ago?"

Christain swallowed. "Seven years ago wasn’t today. And I wasn’t proposing to you then."

His eyes shone. "Kylie, will you marry me?"

For one long second, she didn’t answer.

Christian’s heart stopped. He knew she was overwhelmed. He could see it in her face. He could see the tears, the disbelief, the way her lips trembled as she tried to find words.

Still, that second stretched.

Then another, and another.

He opened his mouth.

Kylie made a strangled sound. "Are you serious?"

He blinked. Then he laughed. "Very."

She stared at him. "You are actually proposing to me."

"That was the intention, yes."

"To marry you."

He chuckled. "That’s generally what a proposal means."

She let out a disbelieving laugh and hit his shoulder lightly. "Christian!"

He grinned up at her. "Blue."

She looked at the ring again. Then at him. Then at the ring.

"Oh, my God."

He laughed.

She dropped to her knees in front of him.

He barely had time to react before she threw her arms around his neck.

"Yes!"

The word came out between laughter and tears.

Christian froze.

She drew back enough to look at him. "Yes, you ridiculous, infuriating, wonderful man. Yes!"

His entire face changed.

The tension disappeared, and the uncertainty vanished. His eyes lit up so brightly that Kylie began laughing all over again.

"Yes?" he repeated.

"Yes, baby!"

He stared at her.

Then he laughed, a sound so full of disbelief and happiness that she had never heard anything quite like it.

"Yes?"

"CHRISTIAN!" She was laughing so hard now that she could barely speak. "Yes!"

He surged to his feet, pulling her up with him. And then he lifted her.

Kylie shrieked. "CHRISTIAN!"

He spun her around. She threw her arms around his neck, laughing as her feet left the ground.

"YES?"

"Yes!" Kylie laughed, being spun. "The ring, Christian!"

He stopped abruptly. For a second, he simply stared at her. Then he burst out laughing. "Oh, my God."

She was still laughing, her cheeks wet and her arms locked around his neck.

"The ring, you lunatic!"

He carefully placed her back on the ground.

She steadied herself against his chest, still giggling. He was grinning so widely that his cheeks had begun to hurt.

He took the ring from the box.

"Six years, Christian."

"I know, baby."

"Six years, and you still manage to be the most ridiculous man I have ever met."

He smiled. "You’re going to marry me anyway."

She lifted her chin. "Fortunately."

He laughed. Then his expression softened. He took her left hand. His fingers trembled slightly as he held it.

Kylie noticed.

Her smile grew gentler. "Hey."

He looked up.

She squeezed his hand. "I’m here. This is real."

His throat moved. He slipped the ring onto her finger. Slowly, and carefully. As though the moment deserved to be handled with both hands.

The band settled into place.

He stared at it. Then at her. His eyes were glowing.

With disbelief, and relief. With the kind of joy that made him look younger, softer, and almost helpless.

He turned her hand slightly, admiring the ring against her skin.

"Beautiful," he whispered.

Kylie smiled.

He looked at her. "You are so beautiful."

Her expression glowed as she smiled. "Oh, stop."

He laughed. "I’m serious."

"I know, but stop."

He lifted her hand and kissed the ring. Then he kissed her knuckles. Then he pressed her hand against his cheek and closed his eyes for a brief moment.