Page 128 of This Beautiful Lie
A velvet box hanging from the ribbon around his neck, nestled just against his chest.
My breath caught.
Slowly, I lifted my gaze—and Dean was already stepping forward. Already lowering himself onto one knee, eyes locked on mine with a softness that stole every inch of air from my lungs.
“What are you doing?” I whispered, my chest tightening, breath hitching like I couldn’t quite get enough air.
Dean reached forward and untied the ribbon from George’s neck, his fingers shaking—subtly but unmistakably—as he slipped the velvet box free. He didn’t look away, not even for a heartbeat.
Then he opened the lid, revealing a princess cut stone, and a band encrusted with small glittering diamonds. His voice dropped to something soft, but incredibly vulnerable. “Something I never pictured myself doing,” he whispered. “Not until I met you.”
Then he removed the ring from its housing and took a deep breath.
“When I hired you,” he began, “I told myself I was digging myself out of the mess I created. One night. Something simple to shut everyone up.”
He gave a small shake of his head. His eyes lifted when someone grunted with disbelief behind him.
“But after I met you,” he continued, “I convinced myself that I needed more. Needed you to come to the lodge to solidify the lie… For us to spendmore time together to snuff out any lingering doubts. But the truth was… the person I was lying to most was myself.” He swallowed—the muscles in his throat working.
“The night I met you, I couldn’t look away. You were… God, Em, you were stunning. Not in the kind of way that makes a man stare—though I did—but in the kind of way that hits you like a punch in the stomach. And then I got to know the woman underneath—the one who still shows up with kindness and fight after everything she’s lived through…That’s when I knew I wasn’t walking away easily.”
He lifted the ring between his fingers, as though steadying himself with the motion.
“I tried to fight it. God knows I did. The timing was wrong, everything was falling apart, and I had no business wanting someone as good as you. But every single day… I fell more in love with you.”
His voice cracked—a sound so raw it split something inside me wide open.
“I know this is crazy. We’ve only known each other a couple of months. But what feels even crazier is imagining one more day without you.”
He swallowed hard, eyes never leaving mine. “Emily Garland…” His voice dropped low, rough but steady, as though he was offering every unguarded piece of himself. “I’ve had enough loss in my life. And I know you have too. We’re the same that way—we protect our hearts so hard they end up bruised from the inside out.” He let out a shaky breath. “But I don’t want to live like that anymore.”
He shifted closer and took my hand in his, his thumb brushing over my knuckles like he was steadying himself. “I want you. And as terrifying as it is to say it out loud, the thought of you never knowing the truth is unbearable. So here I am—laying my whole heart on the line in front of every person who matters to me.” His voice broke. “I love you, Em.”
The words hit me like a breath I’d been holding for years finally releasing.
“I want a life with you. Not a perfect one—a real one. I want the mornings, the arguments, the stupid inside jokes, the quiet nights…”
He paused, searching my face as though committing it to memory.
“I want you—exactly as you are. Your past, but most importantly your future.”
His breath shuddered. “Will you do me the honor of letting me love you for the rest of my life? Will you marry me?” He saidit like a vow, like a prayer, like a man who was finally ready to stop running.
My chest cracked open. Because there was only one truth left inside me, and it was clawing its way out.
“I love you too,” I whispered.
His eyes slammed shut for a second—just once, just long enough for me to feel the weight of what those words did to him. His family gasped behind him. Someone choked on a sob. George pressed closer to my leg like he could feel the electricity sparking off my skin.
I reached for Dean’s face with trembling hands. “I love you,” I said again, stronger this time, because it felt like a miracle to finally be allowed to say it out loud.
“Yes,” I whispered, barely able to breathe. “Yes—a thousand times, yes. I’ll marry you.”
For one suspended heartbeat, the entire world went silent.
Then everythingexploded.
Confetti burst into the air, party poppers cracked, someone screamed, “SHE SAID YES!” and laughter and cheering rolled over us like a wave. But none of it touched me.
