20. Kim #2
Sebastian slid the ring onto her finger—a stunning oval-cut diamond, at least three carats, the stone so clear it seemed to hold its own light.
A halo of smaller diamonds encircled it like a crown, and the platinum band was delicate, almost vintage in its design, with tiny pavé diamonds trailing down the sides. It was elegant and romantic and somehow perfectly Aria—and then he was on his feet, pulling her into his arms.
The room erupted.
Applause, cheers, champagne corks popping. Helena was crying. Eleanor was smiling that satisfied smile of hers, like she'd orchestrated the whole thing.
I found myself blinking back tears of my own as I watched Aria bury her face in Sebastian's chest, her shoulders shaking with happy sobs.
I pushed through the crowd to congratulate her. Aria grabbed my hands the moment I reached her, her face glowing.
"Kim! Look!" She thrust her hand out, the diamond catching the light. "Can you believe it?"
"It's gorgeous." I pulled her into a hug. "Congratulations. You deserve all the happiness in the world."
"I can't stop shaking." She laughed, wiping at her tears. "I had no idea. He's been so calm all week, I thought—I don't know what I thought. Not this."
Xavier appeared beside us, clapping Sebastian on the shoulder. "Congratulations, brother. Didn't know you had it in you."
"Thanks." Sebastian actually smiled—a real smile, not his usual controlled version. "I've been carrying that ring around for three weeks. Nearly gave myself an ulcer."
I watched them embrace, these two brothers who were so different and yet so clearly loved each other. Xavier's warmth and Sebastian's steadiness. Chaos and calm. They balanced each other.
Then Xavier turned to look at me.
Something in his expression made my breath catch. His eyes were dark, pupils blown wide, fixed on me with an intensity that made the rest of the room blur at the edges.
His body had gone still—completely still—the way a man goes still when something important is happening inside him. His jaw was tight, his shoulders squared, and there was a rawness in his face I'd never seen before. Like a mask had slipped.
Like he was seeing me for the first time, and the sight had undone him.
He crossed to me in three strides and took my hands. His palms were warm, slightly damp. Trembling, I realized. Xavier Dubois, who charmed his way through every situation, whose hands never shook, was trembling.
"I love you."
The words hung between us. Three words, simple and devastating. We'd never said them before. Not whispered in the dark, not murmured against skin. This was the first time, and he was saying it here, now, in the middle of a crowded room with his whole family watching.
His thumbs traced circles on my wrists, right over my pulse points, like he was counting my heartbeats.
"I love you too," I said, and my voice cracked on the last word.
Xavier's grip tightened on my hands. His eyes never left mine.
“Marry me.”
The world stopped.
My brain short-circuited. Rebooted. Short-circuited again.
“What?”
“Marry me.” He said it again, like it was the simplest thing in the world. Like he was asking if I wanted coffee.
“You're insane.” The words came out before I could stop them. Classic Kim, someone offers you everything, and you call them crazy.
"Insane for you." His grin flashed, but there was nothing playful in his eyes. He was completely, utterly serious. "Marry me, Kim."
"Xavier..." I glanced around. People were starting to notice. Heads turning, whispers spreading. "We just started dating. We're skipping a lot of steps here."
"Technically, we've been dating for three months. Which, by my books, is long enough."
"Xavier—"
"I've loved you since the very moment I laid eyes on you."
I gave him a look.
"Okay, the second time I laid eyes on you," he amended.
"The first time, I was too drunk to remember my own name, let alone yours.
But the second time? When you walked onto the executive floor, I realized you were my new secretary?
The woman I'd left a thousand-dollar tip and couldn't even recognize?
" He shook his head. "I was done for. Completely, utterly done for. "
My heart was racing. This was insane. This was completely, totally insane. We'd known each other for three months. We'd been actually dating for two weeks. This wasn't how responsible adults made decisions.
Every practical bone in my body screamed to slow down. To think. To protect myself, the way I'd always protected myself.
But when had anything about Xavier been responsible?
And when had playing it safe ever made me happy?
"Please put me out of my misery," he said, his voice dropping. "Say you'll marry me."
I wanted to say yes. God, I wanted it so badly I could taste it.
This man, this life, this future that I'd never let myself imagine because imagining it would hurt too much when it inevitably fell apart.
But it wasn't falling apart. He wasn't leaving. He wasn't looking for the exit. He was standing in front of me, hands shaking, heart in his eyes, offering me everything I'd ever wanted and been too afraid to ask for.
But it wasn't falling apart. He was standing in front of me, offering me everything, and he meant it. I could see it in his eyes. He meant every word.
"I..." The word stuck in my throat.
"If you don't marry me, no one else will," Xavier said, and there was something almost vulnerable beneath the humor now. "I'll die alone. Is that what you want? My tragic, lonely death on your conscience?"
A laugh bubbled up through my chest. This ridiculous, wonderful, impossible man.
I'd spent my whole life building walls. Protecting myself. Preparing for disappointment so it wouldn't destroy me when it came. What the hell. Maybe it was time to stop preparing for disaster and start believing in something good.
“Yes.”
Xavier's eyes went wide. "Yeah?"
"Yes!" The word came out louder than I intended, drawing more stares. I didn't care. "Yes, let's do this!"
He kissed me. Lifted me off my feet and spun me around and kissed me like we were the only two people in the room. When he set me down, he grabbed my hand and turned to face his family.
"We're engaged!"
Aria screamed. Actually screamed, her hands flying to her face. Helena rushed toward us, tears streaming down her cheeks. Isabelle appeared from somewhere, grinning ear to ear. Even the British man was smiling, hovering at the edge of the crowd.
Sebastian stared at Xavier with an expression caught between disbelief and exasperation.
"You couldn't just let me have the moment."
"What can I say?" Xavier grinned. "You inspired me."
Sebastian shook his head, but he was fighting a smile. He crossed to Xavier and clapped him on the shoulder. "Congratulations, man."
"Thanks."
Then Sebastian turned to me, and his expression softened. "Welcome to the family. Officially."
Before I could respond, Eleanor swept in, pulling both Xavier and me into a surprisingly strong embrace.
"I told you that you had enough time," she said to Xavier. Then she turned to me, her eyes sparkling. "And thank you, my dear, for taking him off my hands. There's a no-return policy, I'm afraid. You're stuck with him now."
She kissed my cheek and swept away, already calling for more champagne.
"MOMMY!"
Zoe came barreling through the crowd, Evie trailing behind her. She launched herself at my legs, and I scooped her up, holding her tight.
"You're getting married!" Zoe's face was flushed with excitement. "Evie told me what it means! Xavier's going to be my daddy now!"
I looked at Xavier over Zoe's head. His eyes were bright. Wet, maybe.
"Yeah, munchkin." His voice was rough. "If that's okay with you."
"It's the best!" Zoe flung her arms around his neck, and he took her from me, holding her close. "I always wanted a daddy. And now I get the best one."
I watched them, my daughter in the arms of the man I was going to marry, and something cracked open in my chest.
For a second, I braced for pain. That was instinct. That was years of learning that good things came with a price.
But this didn't hurt.
This was the other kind of cracking. The kind that lets the light in
Xavier met my eyes over Zoe's shoulder. He mouthed three words.
“I love you.”
I mouthed them back.
Then I stepped into his arms, letting him hold both of us, and for the first time in my life, I let myself believe.
That this was real.
That it would last.
That I was allowed to have this.
That Kim Young, the girl who aged out of foster care with nothing but a garbage bag of clothes and a chip on her shoulder, was allowed to have a family. A real one. One that would stay.
I kissed my fiancé.
I couldn't be happier.
And for once, I didn't wait for the other shoe to drop.