Page 26 of Possessive Mountain Man

I nod, my throat suddenly tight.

“It’s beautiful,” she says, tracing the carved heart with her fingertips.

I clear my throat. “Sit with me?”

She sinks down onto the bench, and I sit beside her, the wood cold through our jeans.

For a moment, we just sit there, the silence easy, the stars stretching endless above us.

Then I shift, reaching into my pocket.

Her eyes widen when she sees the box.

I open it slowly, revealing the simple ring inside—a modest diamond set in a thin, elegant band.

“I don’t have a lot of fancy words,” I say, my voice rough. “But I love you, Elise. More than I ever thought it was possible to love someone. You’ve made my life… whole.”

Tears glisten in her eyes, and she bites her lip, nodding for me to go on.

“Will you marry me?”

She lets out a soft laugh, half a sob, and nods again.

“Yes,” she whispers. “Of course, yes.”

My hands are steady as I slide the ring onto her finger.

She launches herself at me, arms around my neck, and I catch her, holding her close, her laughter muffled against my coat.

When she pulls back, she’s smiling so wide it hurts to look at her.

“You’re stuck with me now,” she says.

“I wouldn’t have it any other way.”