68. Drew
DREW
Nocturne is quieter than I remember.
Or maybe I’m just more aware of everything tonight.
The low lighting.
The soft music.
The way the room feels contained, like it’s holding something in.
I adjust my collar for the third time.
“Relax,” I mutter under my breath.
Violet watches me fidget.
“You’re planning something,” she says.
I glance at her. “I’m always planning something.”
Her head tilts slightly. “No,” she says. “You’re nervous.”
I huff out a breath. “Am I that obvious?”
“Yes.”
Good to know.
I lean back in my chair, trying to settle the restless energy in my chest.
This shouldn’t feel harder than everything else I’ve done.
Except this isn’t something I can solve.
It’s not numbers. Not logic.
It’s her.
I look at her, and everything else falls away. She looks composed and incredibly beautiful with the candlelight flickering across her skin.
“You’re thinking too much,” she says.
“That’s kind of my thing.”
“You don’t always need to think before you act.”
I almost smile. “Yeah, I do.”
I reach for her hand, intertwining our fingers together. She gives it a slight squeeze.
That’s my Violet.
Always there.
I trace my thumb over her knuckles, grounding myself in something solid and certain.
“You found me before I even knew I was looking for you,” I say.
Her gaze sharpens.
“I didn’t know it then,” I continue. “Hell, I didn’t even know you.”
Her eyes shine with happiness.
“But you already knew me."
Her fingers tighten around mine.
“And somehow…” I shake my head slightly, a quiet laugh slipping out. “You ended up being exactly what I didn’t know I needed.”
Her lips part.
I lean forward slightly, closing the space between us.
“I tried to make sense of it,” I admit. “Tried to figure out how any of this works.”
“It doesn’t make sense,” she says softly. “Not like your spreadsheets.”
“I know.”
And I do.
I finally do.
“There’s still a lot to learn about you.”
“Good,” she says.
I raise an eyebrow.
“I’d hate for you to get bored.”
I chuckle.
As if that’s possible.
I shift in my chair, reaching into my pocket. My fingers close around the small box.
This is it.
No more thinking.
No more hesitation.
I pull it out and open it.
Her eyes move from mine to the diamond ring. It catches the candlelight.
“Drew,” she whispers, her eyes glimmering with unshed tears.
“Marry me.” It comes out like a statement, not a question.
She sucks in a breath, blinking rapidly.
My heart pounds as I wait for her to say something.
I didn't phrase it as a question. Just like she'd never asked permission to become my entire world.
“Yes.”
It’s immediate. No hesitation or doubt.
Then her composure breaks for a moment as the tears well in her eyes.
Before I can say anything else, a loud voice yells, “FINALLY!”
I wince, immediately knowing who it belongs to.
Callie.
Ivy follows behind her, practically bouncing on her heels.
“I told you he’d figure it out,” she says to Callie.
Sebastian steps in behind them, calm as ever. “About time.”
I glare at him.
“What?” he says. “You made a list.”
I stare at them. “You knew?”
Three sets of eyes move to my fiancée.
Violet lifts her glass, taking a slow sip. “I had a feeling.”
Of course she did.
I shake my head, a laugh breaking through everything else.
“This is my life now.”
“Yes,” Violet says calmly. “It is.”
I look around at the chaotic, intense, completely illogical life I somehow stepped into.
A slow breath leaves me.
Her eyes hold mine, unwavering.
The noise around us disappears.
Because this?
This is home.
There was never any need to run.