Chapter 48
Chapter Forty-Eight
Bobby
The rooftop of the fire station was quiet, the hum of the city below nothing more than a distant echo.
The night air was cool, a soft breeze sweeping through, carrying the faint scent of smoke and the distant sounds of sirens.
It felt right being here, just the two of us, away from the noise, away from the chaos.
This rooftop had always been a place of clarity for me—a space where everything made sense.
And tonight, it was where I was going to ask Gabbi Mason to be mine forever.
The setup was simple. A small table with a white cloth, two plates of food I had picked up from her favorite restaurant, and a few candles flickering in the middle.
It wasn’t extravagant, wasn’t some grand spectacle, but that wasn’t us.
Gabbi didn’t need over-the-top gestures; she just needed real. And that was exactly what this was.
I stood near the railing, rolling my shoulders, trying to shake off the nerves.
My fingers brushed against the small velvet box in my pocket, feeling the weight of it like a reminder of everything we had been through.
This moment was six years overdue. Six years of love, loss, separation, and finding our way back to each other.
The rooftop door creaked open, and I turned just as Gabbi stepped out. She looked breathtaking, her hair loose around her shoulders, her eyes scanning the setup with a curious expression. She raised a brow, crossing her arms. "Okay, Norman… what’s going on?"
I smirked, nodding toward the table. "Just dinner."
She narrowed her eyes, stepping closer. "You don’t do 'just dinner' with candlelight and a rooftop view unless you’re trying to get something out of me."
I chuckled, reaching for her hand, pulling her into me. "Can’t I just want a nice night with my fiancée-to-be?"
Her breath caught slightly, but she covered it up with a playful scoff. "Fiancée-to-be? That’s pretty cocky of you, Fireman."
I leaned in, my lips brushing against her ear. "Confident, Mason."
She rolled her eyes, but she let me pull out her chair, and she sat, her fingers tapping against the wine glass I poured for her.
I sat across from her, watching her as the candlelight danced across her face, bringing out the warmth in her eyes.
She looked beautiful, and for a second, I just let myself take her in.
She noticed.
Her fingers stilled on the glass, and she tilted her head slightly. "Why are you looking at me like that?"
I exhaled, leaning forward, resting my arms on the table. "Because I almost lost this."
Her playful expression faltered slightly, her eyes softening. "Bobby…"
I shook my head. "Let me say this, okay?" I swallowed, my throat tightening. "The day Liam was taken… I was going to propose."
Gabbi froze. Her eyes widened, her lips parting as she sat up straighter. "What?"
I let out a rough breath, nodding. "I had the ring.
It was in my pocket when I got the call.
I had everything planned. I was going to take you to the lake, the spot where we had our first real date, and I was going to ask you to marry me.
" I paused, looking down for a second, remembering the way the world had shattered that day.
"And then everything changed. Liam was gone, and instead of getting down on one knee, I was screaming at you in the middle of that park, blaming you for something that wasn’t your fault. "
Her hands trembled slightly as she set her wine glass down, her gaze locked onto mine. "You never told me that," she whispered.
"I couldn’t," I admitted. "Because for a long time, I thought we were never going to make it back here." I reached into my pocket, pulling out the small velvet box, holding it between my fingers. "But we did. We survived it, Gabbi. And I don’t want to waste any more time."
Her breath hitched as I stood, stepping around the table. Her hands flew to her mouth as I slowly sank to one knee in front of her.
"We’ve spent too much time apart. Too much time fighting what we both knew was always going to happen," I said, my voice thick with emotion. "I don’t want to waste any more of it. I love you. I have always loved you. And I don’t want to live another damn day without you."
Her eyes glistened, her chest rising and falling too quickly, but she didn’t speak. Just stared at me, frozen.
I flipped open the box, revealing the ring inside. Simple, classic, just right. "So, what do you say, Gabbi Mason?" My voice softened. "Wanna stop running?"
She didn’t answer.
Not with words.
Instead, she launched herself out of her chair, tackling me to the ground in a blur of wild hair and laughter, knocking the air out of my lungs as she kissed me so hard I forgot how to breathe.
I grunted, catching her as we hit the rooftop floor, my back slamming against the concrete, her weight pressing against me as she kissed me like she was trying to memorize every second of this moment.
Finally, she pulled back, her forehead resting against mine, her breath coming fast, her hands framing my face. "Yes," she whispered, her voice shaking, her eyes shining. "A million times, yes."
I exhaled sharply, closing my eyes for a second before flipping us over, pinning her to the rooftop, my grin wide. "Jesus, woman," I muttered. "Try not to give me a heart attack before I even get the damn ring on your finger."
She laughed, her hands gripping my shirt. "Then put it on me already, Fireman."
I sat up, pulling the ring from the box, sliding it onto her finger. It fit perfectly, like it was made for her. She stared at it for a second, her lips parting, then looked up at me, her eyes glassy.
"Took you long enough," she murmured, her voice thick with emotion.
I leaned down, brushing my lips against hers. "Yeah," I whispered. "But I always get there in the end."
She wrapped her arms around my neck, pulling me down into another kiss, and I knew, without a doubt, without hesitation, that this was exactly where I was meant to be.