Chapter 16 - THE PROPOSAL THAT NEVER WAS
On their final evening at the Door County cabin, after Leo and Maya had fallen fast asleep upstairs from exhaustion, Luca asked Nia to take a walk with him down to the wooden pier.
A full moon hung low over Lake Michigan, casting a shimmering silver pathway across the dark water.
A gentle breeze rustled the pine needles overhead.
Nia wore a thick cream-colored fisherman’s sweater over her jeans, her hands tucked deep into her pockets.
“It’s quiet here,” Nia murmured, looking out at the endless horizon where the water met the night sky.
“Peaceful,” Luca agreed, stopping near the end of the wooden planks.
He turned to face her, his expression suddenly shifting from casual warmth to intense, quiet seriousness.
Nia noticed the change immediately.
Her heart gave a small, nervous flutter.
“Luca? Is everything alright?”
“Everything is better than alright,” Luca said softly.
He reached into the pocket of his jacket and pulled out a small velvet box.
Nia’s breath hitched.
“Luca... what is this?”
“Years ago,” Luca began, his voice thick with emotion, “I asked you to marry me in a sterile, rushed way that reflected my obsession with timelines and empire building.”
“I never gave you the proposal you deserved.”
“I never gave you the reverence you earned.”
He slowly knelt down on one knee right there on the wooden pier, the moonlight reflecting off the polished dark wood.
He opened the velvet box.
Inside rested a magnificent ring—not an ostentatious diamond meant to impress corporate magazines, but a delicate platinum band set with a stunning amber-brown topaz, flanked by two small diamonds representing their twins.
“Nia Carter,” Luca whispered, his dark eyes shining with unshed tears.
“You built a kingdom in my absence, and you built a family when my world was falling apart.”
“Will you do me the incredible honor of marrying me again—for real this time?”
Nia stared at the ring, a single tear escaping her eye and tracking down her cheek.
She didn't hesitate.
May you like
“Yes, Luca,” she choked out through a watery laugh. “Yes, a thousand times yes.”
Luca slipped the ring onto her finger, standing up to pull her into his arms, lifting her off her feet as they kissed beneath the silver moonlight.
