Picture Perfect - Page 184

Something real. That’s what this past year has been. Real laughter, real pain, real love. Something worth fighting for, dying for, living for. I stand up, rolling my shoulders back and taking in a deep breath. In this moment, with the clock ticking down the seconds, I realize there’s no turning back.

“I’ve made my decision,” I state, locking my gaze with each of theirs. “I want her forever, and I’m ready to ask for just that.”

The weight of those words hangs heavy in the air. It’s a declaration, a commitment, a challenge to the fates that have tossed us around before bringing us together.

“Then let’s do this,” Dre says, standing up and clapping me on the shoulder. “It’s go time, brother.”

Chess grins, all traces of mischief replaced by a solemnity that matches the gravity of the moment. “Forever sounds good to me.”

“Forever,” I echo, the word now a promise, a hope, a future unfolding with every beat of my racing heart.

The lock clicks and the front door swings open, a sliver of the fading daylight casting shadows into the foyer. “Hello?” Princess’s voice, that familiar melody, washes over me from where I stand hidden in the living room.

“Hey, Princess,” I call out, my voice steadier than I feel. My heart’s a jackhammer against my ribs, betraying my cool exterior.

“Saint? Where are you guys?” There’s a slight waver in her words, curiosity laced with something else—excitement, maybe, or confusion.

I don’t answer, holding my breath as I listen to her footsteps approach. The soft rustle of her clothes, the gentle padding of her feet on the hardwood floor, it’s a symphony building to the crescendo I’ve been waiting for.

And then, she gasps. A sweet, hitched intake of breath that sings through the air, and I know—she’s found them. The first of the notes nestled among the rose petals. Each one penned with trembling hands, ink stained with everything unsaid until now. Confessions. Memories. Promises.

“Saint?” Her voice is closer now, colored with wonder and a touch of disbelief.

“Keep following the trail, Princess,” I say, my throat tight. My entire world narrows down to the sound of her movements, the soft sighs and murmurs as she discovers each note.

The anticipation coils tighter within me, a spring wound to its limit. The enormity of what I’m about to do weighs on my shoulders like the heaviest armor, yet I’ve never felt more vulnerable.

Finally, her silhouette appears in the doorway of the living room. Green eyes meet mine, wide with emotion, and she runs to me. I catch her in my arms, her momentum pressing her body tightly against mine, and she kisses me—passionately, deeply, like she’s pouring every ounce of her soul into it.

“Princess,” I breathe against her lips, pulling back just enough to look into her eyes, those beautiful storms of seafoam and sage. I drop to one knee, my hand finding hers. The room holds its breath, the very air charged with expectation.

“Princess,” I start, my voice a thread of sound in the silence, “I can’t imagine my life without you anymore. I don’t want to.” I swallow past the lump in my throat, my gaze locked with hers, seeing all the strength and resilience that defines her, the girl who survived so much and still found a way to love.

“Will you make me the luckiest man alive? Will you stay with me, forever?”

Time stands still. Then, she whispers the word that seals our fates together, simple and monumental all at once. “Yes.”

The relief and joy that flood through me are indescribable. I surge to my feet, wrapping her in my arms, burying my face in her blonde hair. This moment, this woman, they’re everything. She’s everything. And she’s said yes. Yes to me, yes to us, yes to a future we’ll carve out together, no matter what the world throws our way. Forever.

The taste of Princess’s yes lingers on my lips, sweet and binding, as we kiss again. Our embrace is a promise in itself, an unspoken vow that transcends any ring or vow.

“Oi, lovebirds! You’re not starting without us, are you?” Dre’s voice cuts through the haze of our passion, his tone light but edged with the faintest trace of possessiveness.

Chess steps into the room behind him, grinning wide, his hazel eyes dancing with mischief. With a flourish, he pops the cork on a bottle of champagne, the sound echoing like a starting gun for the celebration to come.

“Congratulations are in order,” Chess declares, his gaze locked on us with warmth and something deeper, something fiercer. He pours the golden liquid into flutes, handing one to Dre and then striding over to offer them to us.

“Here’s to forever,” Dre says, raising his glass, his ice-blue eyes reflecting pride and devotion.

“Forever,” Princess echoes, her voice steady even as her hand trembles slightly when she takes the glass. She kisses each of us—a soft, thankful press of lips that speaks volumes of the bond we share.

Glass clinks against glass in a chorus of solidarity before they set their drinks aside, and the atmosphere shifts, charged with a new kind of electricity. The weight of the day’s emotions gives way to a more primal urgency as clothes start shedding, discarded pieces marking a trail to what feels like inevitable conclusion.

Princess’s dress falls to the floor like a silk whisper, revealing the goddess within—strong, resilient, unbreakable. She turns to me, her green eyes alight with desire, and without a word drops gracefully to her knees. Her fingers curl around my belt, deftly undoing it as I watch, entranced by the intent in her movements.

“Saint…” she breathes my name like a sacred incantation before taking me into the warm sanctuary of her mouth. My control frays at the edges as I feel her throat close around the tip. A guttural groan wrenches free from deep within my chest, and my hand finds her hair, burying in the soft strands, holding her, guiding her.

“Fuck, Princess,” I half-gasp, half-growl, marveling at the trust she places in me. How far she’s come, from the guarded girl who fought demons alone to this incredible woman willingly on her knees before me, giving herself to me, to us, completely.