54. Knox

Taylee and her boyfriend,Claude, took the kids for a walk around the stream near the Eiffel Tower while Larkin and I sat on a blanket with personal-sized bottles of wine and looked up at the structure. The sun had set over the horizon, and now the sky was a mix of pastel blue and purple. It was cool in late November, so both of us wore thick sweaters and coats.

Then, the lights came on, shimmering across its surface.

Larkin’s face was full of wonder as she smiled up at the structure. “It’s so pretty.”

It may have been, but I couldn’t take my eyes off of her. She was so damn beautiful, those lights twinkling in her eyes.

That was one thing I loved about her. No matter what she’d been through, no matter what people said to try and bring her down, she found the light, the good in the world. I loved seeing it through her eyes.

I always wanted to see it through her eyes.

And I knew I couldn’t wait anymore. So I reached into my pocket, taking out the blue velvet box that had been waiting for the perfect moment. Then I got onto one knee in front of her. She glanced at me and did a double take, setting down her little bottle of wine and covering her mouth. “Knox,” she whispered.

“Larkin.” I pulled the lid back, revealing a diamond ring with one center stone and two surrounding it. One for her and two for her children, because I knew this wasn’t just about her and me. Not even close. “The first day I met you, I knew you were something special, even though you were pissed at me for pulling you over.”

She giggled, and I loved the sound.

“The first time we hung out, I could see how well you fit into my family, just a day in.”

She smiled, like she could picture Maya and Emily playing together in the sandbox, the way Jackson had let me hold him, feeling comfortable in my arms. The way the girls had giggled with that prank.

“The first time you went out with a man who wasn’t me, I knew I couldn’t let it happen again. Knew you couldn’t be anyone’s but mine.”

She brought her hand from her mouth to her heart, eyes shining with more than just the reflection of the lights.

“Back in August, you asked me to think about the kind of life I wanted, and all I could think about was the kind of life we could build together.” I reached for her hand, holding it. “I pictured a life with two perfect children waking up every day knowing how much we love and care about them. I pictured a life where we go to bed together every night and where you’re the first person I see when I wake up. I picture a life where our neighbors, our families, know we’re always in their corner, no matter what. And I picture a life that I know my mom would be proud of, with you and Emily and Jackson by my side.”

My voice broke, and I blinked back liquid heat. “I got this ring with three stones so you could always look at it and know, without a doubt, what I want. I want that life with you more than anything, Larkin. I wanted to know if you do too.”

She got to her knees in front of me and gently kissed my lips. “I thought that divorce would be the worst thing that ever happened to me, to my children. But moving to Cottonwood Falls... meeting you...” Her voice cracked, and she wiped a tear from her eyes. “I don’t regret a thing about my past because that’s what it took to be here with you. Of course I’ll marry you, Knox Madigan.”

At those words, the ones my heart had been longing to hear, I scooped her into my arms and kissed her, right there under the Eiffel Tower.

This was the best day of my life.

But I knew, with Larkin and her children, it would only get better from here.