Chapter 43
Lyra
“W
hat?” Spencer stutters.
For a brief moment, I let myself enjoy the confusion on his face, because—come on, he kind of deserves it. Spencer has had years and countless opportunities with me and he’s refused to take advantage of it.
Then again, so have I.
Not anymore.
“I’m ending this,” I repeat. “This—whatever you call it. The does he care, will he kiss me, thing we’ve had between us. The shared history that neither of us can move past, the best friends but more? Maybe more? I don’t know what to call it.”
Spencer steps forward, ready to take my hand, but I step back before he can touch me. “Lyra, there’s so much I never said to you the other day,” he begins.
“Oh, I know.” I smile slyly. “We were too busy kissing, which was nice, but that was our moment, and we missed it. So I created another one.”
I wave my hand to encompass me, the sunset. “I don’t want to miss this one, so let me speak, please.”
“But you want to end it.” He’s on the cusp of frantic, and I’ve never seen that side of Spencer.
I’ve seen him strong and confident. I’ve seen him so focused on his work that he’s forgotten to eat. There were times of sweetness and laughter, and comfort, but I’ve never seen him scared to lose me.
If that’s what it is.
I think it is. I hope it is.
“I want to end that,” I say to put him out of his misery. “What I just said. I want to end the uncertainty. I want to start new. With you.”
I bite my lip, forgetting Alexa’s instructions not to mess up my lipstick. She spent so much time getting me ready this afternoon, and it was nice to see it pay off by the admiration in Spencer’s eyes.
I’ve spoken in public countless times, on videos posted on social media for my followers. I shouldn’t feel this nervous.
But it’s good that my dress is long because my knees are practically knocking together.
I’ve given speeches, introduced my father and other dignitaries. I’ve even presented an Oscar. But that was child’s play compared to this. I’ve never felt the weight as heavy as what I need to say to Spencer.
I force myself to take a deep breath. And then another. And then: “I love you.”
My voice breaks at the end and I steady it as the words float between us. “I’ve always loved you, and I’ve waited—maybe a little impatiently—for you to feel it. To say it, but you never did. So I’m saying it.”
“Lyra, I—” The smile on his face gives me all the encouragement I need to keep going, and I hold up my hand for him to wait.
“I love you,” I tell him again. It gets easier the more you say it.
“And I did come on the show as a way to get back at you, as well as to get over you. You and Abigail—that really hurt me.” My voice shakes a bit.
“In my head, I know it shouldn’t, but my heart said differently. But after talking to you, and Abigail—”
“You talked to Abigail?” he demands.
My smile is just a little smug. “I did. I may be a princess of Laandia, but I’m also a woman terrified of telling you what’s in my heart and you breaking it as you walk back to her.
So I covered my bases. Talking to Abigail helped with that because she explained how it was a friendship between you and a little more. Do you feel the same?”
Spencer, still shocked by me bringing up Abigail, nods.
“You can speak now,” I tell him with a laugh.
“I love her as a friend,” he says in a rush. “It’s always been you. I love you, Lyra.”
I put a hand to my mouth. It’s what I wanted to hear for so long, but now the words are there… it’s so much more than I could have hoped for.
“You love me,” I echo.
“I love you.” Spencer is firm, losing the confusion and gaining confidence. “I love you and I finally realized this after you walked away from me in the brewery, so this has been a bit of a bad week for me.”
I laugh. “A bad week for you?”
“A very bad week for me, so if you don’t mind, I’d really like to kiss you right now.” He takes a step forward, but as much as I’d like nothing more than to be in his arms again, I take a step back.
“In a minute. I’m not done here.”
“What more is there?”
I pick up the rose. “I need to give you this, as a sort of way to finish the process of the show.”
Spencer frowns. “I don’t understand. The show is over? How does that work? I thought…”
“It’s over for us, and I’ll explain later. Will you accept this rose?”
He steps forward and snatches it out of my hand. “That’s a stupid question,” he says with a grin.
“I know, but they made me say it. And then this.” I pick up the box. “This is one of my mother’s rings. I’ve always loved it, and Dad said it was always mine to use as…” I watch Spencer’s face closely, waiting for him to grimace or show some reaction that this isn’t what he wants.
His smile only widens, and he doesn’t take his eyes off me.
“I would really like you to give me this ring someday, but I can wait—”
Spencer lunges for the ring box, but I hold it out of his reach for another moment. “I said I was ending this. I’m ending our past, and I’m ready to start a future with you, Spencer. A future where we love each other—and we both know how we feel. I’m not sure where that leads us—”
He grabs my wrist and takes the box from my shaking fingers. And then—
Spencer drops to one knee in front of me. “Lyra Erickson, I love you. And there will be no waiting. I can’t wait to start a future with you, and I want that future to start right now.” He flips open the box and the square-cut sapphire, surrounded by diamonds, sparkles in the last of the sunlight.
“Will you marry me?”
I pull him to his feet so I can kiss him.
“Yes,” I whisper, the tears beginning to fall. “Yes.”
And then his lips are on mine, and his arms around me, and I hope Johnny gets this shot because it’s the very last time I ever kiss anyone for the camera.