Chapter 19
POV: Suzy
At first I thought I was imagining it — the warm glow of candles scattered across the floor, soft string lights draped from the bleachers, petals scattered in careful, deliberate arcs.
The gymnasium, usually filled with sweat and chalk and squealing girls, had been transformed into something out of a dream. My dream.
And at the center of it all stood Logan.
A black suit hugged his broad shoulders, sharp and devastatingly hot, his tie undone just enough to make my knees weak. In one hand, a bouquet of roses. In the other, his heart — I could see it in his eyes before he even spoke.
“Logan…” My voice broke on his name as I stepped forward, half in awe, half in disbelief. “What is all this?”
He smiled, a little nervous, a lot vulnerable. “It’s me, finally saying what I should’ve said the day I met you.”
And then he began.
“You know what they called me?” His voice echoed softly in the vast space. “The other moms at meets? Dr. Ice King.” He gave a rueful chuckle. “Because I was cold. Distant. Untouchable. And I thought that’s all I would ever be. That’s all I deserved.”
He took a step closer, and my heart lurched.
“Then you walked in. With your sunshine. With Lily. With this laugh that made my whole world feel less gray. You were the sun after a storm, Suzy. The kind of light I didn’t believe in anymore.”
Tears burned behind my eyes.
“You’re not just beautiful. You’re not just the sexiest woman I’ve ever laid eyes on. You’re warm. Your heart is pure fire. You’re love, Suzy. The definition of it.”
His voice cracked then, raw and real. “And it’s not just what you’ve given me. It’s what you’ve given Izzy. The way you see her, care for her… that’s everything to me. Everything.”
By the time he dropped to one knee, I was already sobbing.
“I love you more than I ever thought possible. I don’t want another second without you as mine — without a ring on your finger to prove it. Suzy, will you marry me?”
“Yes!” The word tore out of me before he even finished, a cry, a laugh, a promise. “Yes, yes, yes!”
He surged up, sweeping me into his arms, spinning me in the center of the candlelit floor while I clutched the bouquet between us and laughed through my tears. His mouth found mine, desperate and sweet, and for a moment the world disappeared.
Until the bleachers erupted.
“FINALLY!” Barbara’s voice rang out, joined by Daniel’s loud whistle, Izzy’s squeal, and Lily’s little clap as they bounded down the steps.
I gasped, laughing even harder as I saw them — my niece, his daughter, my sister, and brother-in-law — all beaming, all clapping, all witnesses to this perfect, impossible moment.
Logan grinned against my hair. “They’ve been hiding back there for twenty minutes. Do you know how hard it is to keep Daniel quiet that long?”
I laughed until my ribs ached, until tears blurred the lights around us into a glittering haze.
And then I looked at him, my fiancé, my love, my family.
And for the first time in my life, I felt whole.
The restaurant was one of those places with low lighting, clinking wine glasses, and white tablecloths that practically begged to be stained.
So of course, the kids were in rare form.
Izzy couldn’t decide if she wanted pasta or pizza, Lily asked for friesanda side of pickles, and Daniel nearly knocked over the wine list when Barbara hissed at him to stop making airplane noises with Lily’s fork.
And yet, somehow, it was perfect.
Logan sat beside me, calm as ever, though his hand never strayed far from mine under the table. Every so often, his thumb would brush over the diamond on my finger — as if he was checking to make sure it was still there, still real. Each touch sent shivers down my arm.
“You keep doing that,” I whispered, leaning close enough that only he could hear.
His mouth curved into a slow grin. “Can’t help it. Looks too good on you.”
Heat flushed my cheeks, and I quickly took a sip of my wine, hoping Barbara was too busy wrangling Lily to notice how utterly undone I was by one sentence.
Halfway through the meal, Izzy reached across the table, eyes wide and earnest. “Does this mean we’re really a family now?”
Barbara pressed a hand to her chest with a theatrical gasp. Daniel beamed. I swallowed hard, blinking fast as Logan squeezed my hand tight beneath the table.
“Yes,” Logan said simply, his voice steady, certain. “It means exactly that.”
The rest of dinner blurred into laughter — Barbara teasing me about finally “upgrading” to fiancée status, Daniel promising to give Logan endless grief about being “softened up,” and the girls squealing about who got to design their matching flower girl dresses.
By the end, my cheeks hurt from smiling.
When the check came, Barbara stood, slipping on her coat with a grin I knew too well. “Alright, girls. You’re coming home with us tonight. Sleepover rules: extra popcorn, zero bedtime.”
Lily whooped, Izzy gasped in delight, and within seconds the two of them were holding hands and plotting which movie to watch first. Daniel gave Logan a subtle wink as he helped herd them toward the door.
I shook my head, laughing, but the truth was, my heart was full.
And then the door swung closed behind them, and the restaurant seemed suddenly quieter.
Logan shifted in his chair, turning fully toward me. His hand slid over mine again, slow, deliberate, brushing the ring with his thumb like he couldn’t stop himself. His eyes locked on mine, dark and heated, and the world around us blurred.
“So…” His voice was low, rough enough to make my stomach twist. “Fiancée.”
I swallowed hard. “Yeah?”
His lips curved, his gaze dropping to my hand as he traced the diamond again, possessive and reverent all at once. “I think I like the sound of that.”
My heart raced. “Logan—”
Before I could finish, he leaned in, brushing his mouth against mine in a kiss that was slow but full of promise, his hand tightening around mine under the table.
When he finally pulled back, he murmured, “Come on. Tonight’s just for us.”
And as he led me out into the night, my pulse still wild, one thing was crystal clear: our first night as fiancés was only just beginning.
The second the front door clicked shut behind us, Logan was on me.
My back hit the wall, his mouth crushing over mine in a kiss that stole my breath, stole my sanity. His hands slid over my waist, down my hips, gripping me like he couldn’t decide whether to hold me close or strip me bare right there in the hallway.
“Logan—” I gasped against his lips, clutching at his jacket.
He growled low in his throat, nipping at my lower lip before pulling back just enough to look at me. His eyes were molten, dark with heat. “Fiancée.”
The word sent a shiver straight through me.
“You’re really going to keep saying that, aren’t you?” I tried to sound annoyed, but my voice was shaky, betraying me.
His grin was wicked, his thumb brushing over the diamond still sparkling on my finger. “Damn right I am. My fiancée. My sunshine. Mine.”
Before I could answer, he lifted me effortlessly, my legs wrapping around his waist. I squealed into his mouth, laughing breathlessly as he carried me down the hall.
“Logan,” I whispered, heat pooling low in my belly.
“Bedroom,” he ordered softly, pressing kisses along my jaw, down my neck, every brush of his mouth making me tremble. “Now.”
By the time he laid me on the bed, we were both half-crazed. His hands roamed everywhere — tugging at my dress, sliding over bare skin as he peeled it away inch by inch. My fingers fumbled with his shirt, desperate to feel him, to strip away everything until there was nothing between us.
“Slow down,” I whispered, though my body arched into his.
His mouth curved against my collarbone. “Not a chance. I’ve waited too long to have you like this. My fiancée.”
I moaned when he said it, the sound raw, helpless. He knew exactly what it did to me, and he reveled in it, lips tracing every line of me as if memorizing me all over again.