15. Maggie #3
"That was significantly more than karaoke bar singing," Martin countered, his low voice rich with an unshakeable certainty. He didn't believe her simple excuse for a single second. "You have a real gift."
"Okay, so I wanted to be a professional singer when I was young," Penny admitted, her voice dropping into a shy whisper as her face flushed even deeper.
"I entered a lot of local talent shows, and I even had a private vocal coach for a few years back in Miami before the corporate world took over my schedule. "
"I can easily picture that," Martin said, his grip around her waist tightening slightly in a supportive squeeze. "A little singer singing and dancing."
"Tap..." Penny told him with a playful nudge of her elbow. "I did tap dancing, not jazz."
"I did too," Martin laughed, a genuine, boyish chuckle escaping his throat. He leaned closer to her ear, his voice dropping into a humorous, confidential whisper. "And... seriously, don't you ever tell a single soul on this island this, but I did ballroom dancing too."
"What is so embarrassing about that?" Penny asked, her eyes widening in total surprise as she turned in his arms to face him directly. "I think that is amazing. Maybe you can teach me some of your moves when we're working on the ballroom floor at the mansion."
"Anytime," Martin's voice dropped, his gaze locking onto her face with a quick, intense tenderness that made her pulse race against her ribs.
They fell into a comfortable, deeply content silence, the steady lap of the waves and the distant glow of the bonfire the only boundaries to their private sanctuary.
Penny looked up into his handsome, rugged face under the silver moonlight, realizing with a quick, breathless certainty that she was falling fully in love with him.
"Do you trust me?" Martin asked unexpectedly, his voice carrying a serious weight.
"Sure," Penny said, her heart giving an excited leap as he stepped around to stand directly beside her, his fingers lacing through hers.
"Will you close your eyes for a second?" Martin asked.
"That depends," Penny said, her dark brows drawing together in immediate, playful suspicion as she studied his features. "What are you up to?"
"Will you?" Martin coaxed his eyes sparkling with a hopeful anticipation.
"Okay," Penny nodded. She let out a breath as she closed her eyes, letting the darkness wrap around her as she focused on the cool night wind.
She felt Martin shifting in the sand beside her, a rustle of fabric, and then, a faint, metallic click echoed through the thick air, making her brow furrow in deep curiosity.
"Open them," Martin commanded.
She did, her breath catching sharply in her throat as her eyes widened to their limits.
Martin was kneeling in the white sand in front of her. In his large, weathered hands, he held a beautiful, velvet-lined box open, and a flawless, stunning diamond ring was glinting brilliantly under the silver reflection of the full moon.
"I have fallen head over heels in love with you," Martin's voice was slightly gruff with a raw, intense emotion that was ripped from his soul. He looked up at her, his expression fully devoted and vulnerable. "I want to spend the rest of my life with you. Will you marry me?"
Penny’s breath hitched, her heart leaping straight into her throat, a quick, powerful wave of joy flooding her chest. There was a roaring in her ears, and her stomach was a wild, fluttering mess of happy, nervous butterflies.
She whispered his name as tears were pricking the back of her eyes as she looked down at the man who had healed her broken heart without even trying.
"I love you too. And yes... yes, I'll marry you. "
He let out a long, ragged sigh of relief, his fingers trembling slightly as he reached out, took her hand, and slipped the beautiful diamond ring onto her finger.
The exact second the band of gold settled securely against her skin, a loud, collective chorus of "yay!" and thunderous clapping erupted from the shadow of the dunes.
Penny turned her head quickly, her jaw dropping as she gulped in surprise.
The entire bonfire party, Linda, Darius, Maggie, Michael, Owen, Isabel, and all five of the kids, were standing just yards away near the edge of the grass, cheering and waving their hands in total victory!
They had followed them down the shoreline to watch the whole proposal!
But before she could even form a single embarrassed retort, Martin was already on his feet. He caught her securely around the waist, lifting her right off the sand into his strong arms and spinning her around in a joyous, triumphant circle.
"You have made me the happiest man alive," Martin whispered against her ear, his chest expanding with an overwhelming happiness.
He gently lowered her back down, his arms pulling her body tightly against his as he bent down and crushed his lips against hers in a deep, slow, and lingering kiss.
As the rest of the beach faded fully into the background, Penny realized with total certainty that Martin wasn't just a second-chance love.
He was her first big, true love, and her beautiful future had finally begun under the starlit sky of Sweet Blossom Bay.