I described all of this to Declan once, way back when he asked me what my ideal day would be like the first night we met. He’s been recreating every single place and moment I shared with him, and it took me until now to realize it.

“You’ve been recreating my perfect day, haven’t you?” I ask, and he grins at me from across the table, his amber-flecked eyes sparkling in the flickering light coming from the candle on the table.

“Have I gotten it right so far?”

“Perfectly,” I tell him, my heart swelling at the thought that he both remembered all of this stuff and went through all the effort to make it happen. We order main courses and a bottle of champagne to share, but neither of us speaks while we wait for the food to arrive. It’s been a perfect day, and I’m enjoying just spending time with Declan. He smiles at me over the rim of his champagne flute and raises it to me.

“How about a toast?”

“I won’t say no.” I raise my glass too and wait, and Declan clears his throat.

“Here’s to chance meetings that change lives. And here’s to us.”

“To us,” I agree and clink my glass against his before we each take a sip of the crisp, bubbling champagne. The food comes quickly, and it’s absolutely perfect. We make some casual conversation over dinner, but the food is so good that it’s difficult to focus on anything else. And neither of us wants to ruin the ambiance, with the quiet vibe in the restaurant and the lights of Denver’s buildings twinkling in the distance.

But as dinner winds down, Declan’s demeanor shifts. There’s something in his eyes that I can’t quite figure out, almost like he’s nervous—which almost never happens to him. And he’s looking right past me, like he’s expecting a gaggle of singers to waltz into the restaurant at any second or something. I follow his gaze and glance over my shoulder and gasp.

Every single table around us is occupied by people I know.

My family and friends are all here, and so is the entirety of the Aces team. All their tables were facing away from us so I didn’t realize it until now, but as if they’ve coordinated ahead of time, they all turn to face us nearly in unison. Butterflies erupt in my stomach as my jaw falls open. I turn back to Declan to ask him if he planned this—then freeze.

He’s kneeling in front of me. A soft, strangled sound spills from my lips as he reaches into his back pocket and pulls out a little jewelry box, and I instantly start crying. I couldn’t stop it even if I wanted to.