Chapter 205: Baby, Smile

Chapter 205: Chapter 205: Baby, Smile

Lynn Winslow took a step back toward the wall. She swung the camera in her hand, her eyes wandering around boredly as she took in her surroundings.

A figure around the corner up ahead looked somewhat familiar. Lynn Winslow frowned, but her curiosity got the better of her, and she hurried forward to catch up.

Just as she reached the corner, Ian Sterling walked out of the room behind her. Seeing her standing there with a puzzled expression, he strode over and glanced in the direction she was looking.

"What’s wrong?"

The corridor ahead was empty.

Lynn Winslow said, "I saw someone from behind. They looked a little familiar."

Ian Sterling’s lips curved into a smile. He raised an arm, wrapping it around Lynn Winslow’s shoulders. "You probably just saw them in the past couple of days," he said. "That’s why they left an impression."

"Really?" Lynn Winslow pouted. "Maybe."

Ian Sterling let out a sigh of relief and took Lynn Winslow’s hand, leading her toward the elevator. Seeing that his hands were empty, Lynn Winslow raised an eyebrow. "Didn’t you go back to get your camera? Where is it?"

"I went back and looked all over, but I couldn’t find it. I’ll check if it’s in the car later." He said it with a straight face, lying without so much as a blush.

Lynn Winslow snorted with laughter. She lifted her hand, showing Ian Sterling what she was holding. "And what’s this?" she asked, grinning.

Ian Sterling stared at the camera in her hand, surprised. He reached out and took it. "How did you end up with it? No wonder I couldn’t find it when I went back to look."

"Didn’t you hand this to me when we were leaving?" Lynn Winslow tilted her head. "Did you forget?"

She noticed Ian Sterling’s expression was a little off. Taking a step toward him, her high heels made a crisp CLACK on the floor.

Lynn Winslow drew out her words. "What were you just thinking about?"

Ian Sterling quickly came up with an excuse and pecked the corner of Lynn Winslow’s lips.

"Thinking about you, of course. What else would I be thinking about?"

"Thinking what about me?"

"Thinking about why I didn’t make a move on you earlier. Guess my head was in the gutter."

"..." Lynn Winslow felt she had no choice but to concede defeat in the face of Ian Sterling’s shamelessness.

The two of them dawdled on their way down. They had thought the rainbow they saw from the window would have disappeared by now, but to their surprise, it was still there when they got downstairs.

The dusky yellow of the sunset stained the entire sky. Lynn Winslow looked up and squinted, her mood soaring.

"Want to go to the beach?" Ian Sterling asked, dangling the camera in his hand.

"Okay."

They started walking toward the beach together. The farther they went, the more Lynn Winslow felt that something was wrong. She stopped in her tracks, refusing to go any further. She squeezed Ian Sterling’s hand tightly and said through gritted teeth, "Why didn’t you let me put on my makeup?!"

Ian Sterling knew she had figured it out. He let go of her hand and raised the camera, aiming it at her.

The camera blocked the upper half of his face, revealing only his sharp jawline and the thin, crimson lips that had kissed every inch of her. The corners of his mouth lifted slightly as he coaxed, "Baby, give me a smile."

Seeing him aiming the camera at her, Lynn Winslow forced a dry smile. Ian Sterling pressed the shutter.

Once he’d taken the picture, Lynn Winslow stepped forward and demanded through gritted teeth, "Tell me, why didn’t you let me put on makeup? A few days ago, you were going on about how a guy should let the girl know he’s proposing so she can be prepared. Now you tell me, what exactly did you let me prepare for?"

Ian Sterling’s fingers brushed against her cheek. "Baby," he said earnestly, "for you, makeup is just a burden."

Lynn Winslow didn’t buy it. She turned to go back to the hotel, tossing over her shoulder, "I’m going back to do my makeup. You can propose to me again later."

Ian Sterling’s reflexes were fast. He grabbed her arm, a helpless smile on his face. "Baby, it’s too late."

"What’s too late?" Lynn Winslow turned back, confused, and then her eyes suddenly widened.

Not far away stood a crowd of familiar faces. Family, friends... even her globetrotting, free-spirited older sister, who never seemed to have time to see her, was there, watching her with a gentle smile.

Her grandfathers, her parents, her little brother, her childhood friends, as well as Ian Sterling’s family and his own childhood friends—they were all there.

Each person held a bouquet of flowers, their eyes—some gentle, some rimmed with red—fixed on the couple.

Ian Sterling took Lynn Winslow’s hand and slowly led her to the spot he had so carefully prepared.

While Lynn Winslow was still in a daze, he took a ring from his pocket, got down on one knee, and looked up at her earnestly.

His gaze had never been so sincere. His eyes were red-rimmed, and when Lynn Winslow looked down at him, he smiled as a tear slid from the corner of his eye.

Lynn Winslow chuckled softly and bent down to wipe away his tear. "Why are you crying again?" she said gently. "Don’t cry. I’m right here, aren’t I?"

Ian Sterling shook his head, his voice thick with emotion. "You know... whenever it comes to you, I can never hold it in."

Lynn Winslow hummed in agreement. "I know," she whispered.

Good-natured laughter rippled through the crowd. Ian Sterling took a deep breath, collecting himself.

"I was just eighteen when I met you, and only nineteen when we got together. Even back then, I wanted to marry you."

Lynn Winslow opened her mouth to speak, but Ian Sterling cut her off.

"Let me finish first."

"When I first had the idea, I even researched which countries we could get legally married in. I planned to drag you there whether you were willing or not. But that was just an impulsive thought. I knew you wouldn’t have wanted that."

"Later, on our anniversary, I called everyone over to set up the scene. I was going to propose to you then. You knew that, right?"

Lynn Winslow nodded, a single, clear tear tracing a path down her cheek. She bit her lip, trying to stop herself from sobbing aloud.

"Then you broke up with me. I felt like I was dying back then, so I did some things that made my parents and my older siblings worry. Oh, and Jasper Jennings and the guys, they were worried about me too."

Nina Norton, her own eyes red, rolled them. Spencer Sterling, however, watched his youngest son, feeling for the first time that he had truly grown up.

Jasper Jennings and his friends raised their bouquets, waving them in the air and letting out a chorus of "WOOOOOs!" The atmosphere instantly erupted. Passersby stopped in their tracks, crowding closer to get a look at the man and woman at the center of the gathering.

Ian Sterling lowered his gaze and smiled. He licked away a tear that had trickled to the corner of his mouth. It was salty, but he didn’t mind. To him, even this tear was explosively sweet.

He continued, "After you left, everyone thought I had forgotten you. But I knew I could never move on. Then you came back to me, and I was ecstatic. Even though I said a lot of hurtful things out of pride, I was so incredibly happy. Back then, I’d even secretly started thinking about where we should have our wedding."

"Actually, that’s not right." He shook his head, glancing at Jasper Jennings and Kenneth Keller, who looked ready to tease him. He gave a helpless tug at the corner of his lips and continued, "They knew I was happy. I don’t know if it was because I was being too obvious, or if they just know me too well."

"Of course you were too obvious!! Besides you two, who didn’t know you were about to go crazy with happiness?!"

Voices erupted from the crowd, heckling him. On any other day, Ian Sterling would have thrown a fit, but not today. He simply drew his gaze back and looked tenderly at Lynn Winslow, who stood before him.