It had been a long day of looking at wedding venues and running around. You’d thought now that you were immersed in planning your dream day, you’d be a lot more excited. But as the big day inched closer and closer, as the planning made it feel more real, you found yourself questioning it all. Shouldn’t you be ecstatic? You were certain watching other would be brides, that the way you felt was abnormal. You were disconnected from it all, just agreeing to everything your future mother in law wanted.

And you knew the reason why. You’d been trying to lie to yourself, and for awhile you’d been doing a good job. You’d almost managed to convince yourself that Topper was who you wanted a future with. When in reality the only man in your heart was Rafe Cameron. You hated yourself for still holding so much space for him in your heart. Because all that had ever brought you was pain.

You shook the thoughts from your brain, trying to push them down and out, as you headed into your apartment. It wasn’t long after you kicked off your heels, that you heard the doorbell ring. Pinching the bridge of your nose, you issued a silent prayer that it wasn’t Topper’s momzilla. You swung the door open to find the last person you expected- Rafe. Your mouth widened into a perfect O.

“Going to invite me in, princess?” He asks in a lazy drawl. You stepped aside to let him in, too shocked to do anything else.

“What are you doing here, Rafe? I’ve had a long day”

“Planning the picture perfect wedding?” He mocks. He shakes his head, clearing his throat and fixing his gaze on you.

“Don’t marry him. Marry me. I’ll put a giant rock on your finger, and I’ll get down on one knee, but you’ll have to quit running away from your feelings, princess.” He pauses, his hand coming up to your chin, forcing you to look at him as he says the next words. “Say you’ll marry me. Say you’re mine. Say it”

“What?” you ask, staring up at him in disbelief. You can’t have heard him right. It wasn’t possible. These were the words you’d been dreaming of hearing from him for so long. The words you’d given up all hope of ever hearing. You’d put aside your feelings, put aside those dreams, certain that Rafe would never want the kind of life you’d longed for with him. And yet here he was.

“You heard me” he mutters, gripping your chin. “Say it. Say you’ll be my wife.”