Page 32 of My Girl to Protect
“Get used to it.”
We walk side by side along the boardwalk, hand in hand. “So,” I say, glancing up at him, “what’s the occasion?”
“Do I need one?”
“Yes,” I say immediately.
He chuckles. “Can’t I just take my girl out?”
My girl.
I bite back a smile. “You can,” I admit. “But this feels…different.”
He doesn’t answer right away.
And then he stops walking.
“Noah?” I say softly.
He drops to one knee. My entire world stops.
“Wait…” I can’t breathe.
“Cammi,” he says, his voice steady but softer than I’ve ever heard it.
I shake my head slightly, overwhelmed. “Oh my God…”
“You walked into my life when I wasn’t looking for anything,” he continues. “And somehow, you became everything.”
Tears blur my vision instantly.
“You made me believe in things I didn’t think were meant for me,” he says. “In peace. In love. In having something worth fighting for. Now that I have you, I want all of you. I don’t just want a future,” he adds quietly. “I want a future with you.”
He opens a ring box. “Marry me.”
I’m silent—for just one second. “Yes,” I choke out. “I love you. Yes, I’ll marry you.”
He exhales like he’s been holding his breath forever. He rises, then slips the ring onto my finger before pulling me against him. I laugh through tears as he lifts me slightly off the ground.
“I love you,” I whisper again.
“I love you more,” he murmurs.
Cheers erupt around us. I pull back, startled. “What…?”
That’s when I see them. “No way,” I gasp.
Millie. Wilder. Noah’s brother. His sister.
“Oh my God,” I laugh, covering my face. “You guys knew?”
“Of course, we did!” Millie yells, running toward me.
“You planned this?” I turn to Noah.
“Maybe,” he smirks.
I hit his chest lightly. “I can’t believe you!” But I’m smiling too hard to be mad.
