Chapter 48
Chapter Forty-Eight
Summer
The night air was crisp, the city skyline glowing beneath the dark sky as Malcolm drove through streets that felt oddly unfamiliar despite my years of living here.
He hadn’t told me much about our date, only that I needed to dress up, which immediately put me on edge.
Malcolm wasn’t one for simple dinner plans.
If he was being vague, it meant he was up to something.
Still, as I sat beside him, watching the lights blur past the window, I let myself relax.
It wasn’t hard when Malcolm was like this—one hand effortlessly on the wheel, his other resting on my thigh, thumb tracing slow circles against the fabric of my dress.
It was infuriating, really, how easy he made everything feel.
"You’re suspicious," Malcolm murmured, eyes still on the road.
I scoffed. "When am I not suspicious of you?"
He smirked, squeezing my thigh. "Fair point."
The car slowed as we approached a tall high-rise, its modern glass exterior gleaming under the city lights. I turned to him, brows furrowed.
"This doesn’t look like a restaurant," I said slowly.
Malcolm parked and stepped out, circling the car before opening my door. He held out his hand. "It’s not."
I hesitated before taking it, letting him help me out. "Malcolm."
"Summer," he mimicked, leading me toward the building’s private entrance.
The elevator ride was quiet, except for the occasional side-eye I threw at him. He knew I hated surprises, but he was enjoying himself too much. When the doors finally opened, I gasped.
A private rooftop terrace stretched before us, draped in warm golden fairy lights. A single table was set near the edge, overlooking the entire city, the skyline stretching into the night. Small lanterns flickered, casting a soft, intimate glow across the space. It was beautiful.
I turned to Malcolm, stunned. "You did this?"
He grinned. "I pulled a few strings."
I shook my head in disbelief, a slow smile spreading across my lips. "Who are you?"
"Your incredibly romantic fiancé-to-be," he teased, guiding me toward the table.
I snorted. "You wish."
His smirk deepened, but he didn’t argue. Instead, he pulled out my chair, pressing a soft kiss against my shoulder before taking his own seat across from me.
Dinner was perfect. We ate, we laughed, we stole bites from each other’s plates, and for a moment, it felt like nothing else existed outside of this rooftop.
Then, just as dessert arrived, a sudden boom echoed through the night.
I flinched slightly, startled, but Malcolm only sighed, rubbing his temples.
"Really? Fireworks?" he muttered. "Who the hell scheduled fireworks during our date?"
I laughed, shaking my head as I glanced up at the sky, watching bright bursts of color explode above us. "You know, for a man who owns half of this city, you’re surprisingly bad at keeping track of things."
He smirked. "Clearly."
I was too distracted by the fireworks to notice him reaching into his pocket.
Too busy laughing at his annoyance to see how his expression shifted, how the teasing edge softened into something more serious.
It wasn’t until his voice dropped lower that I finally turned back to him.
"Summer."
The way he said my name made my heart stop.
He was kneeling.
Oh my God.
My breath caught as my gaze flickered down, taking in the small black velvet box in his hand. The ring inside sparkled under the fairy lights, but I could barely focus on it. Not when Malcolm was looking at me like that.
Like I was the only thing that had ever mattered.
"You were my first love," Malcolm said softly, his voice steady. "And every single time I tried to move on, I couldn’t. Because no one else was ever you."
My throat tightened.
"You were right about the timing," he continued, his lips twitching slightly. "If I had come back sooner, maybe we’d have a bunch of kids running around by now." His smirk returned, just a little. "But I think we’re right where we’re meant to be."
A tear slipped down my cheek, and I let it.
Malcolm exhaled, opening the box fully. "So, what do you say?" His gaze locked onto mine. "Want to make this real?"
I let out a breathless laugh, wiping my tears quickly. "You’re impossible."
"That’s a yes, right?"
"Of course, it’s a yes, you idiot."
I barely finished the sentence before Malcolm closed the distance, cupping my face as he kissed me so thoroughly I forgot about everything else.
The fireworks exploded above us, but all I could hear was the sound of my own heartbeat, pounding loud and wild against my ribs.
I was officially the future Mrs. Sinclair.