He opens the box, and I gasp. A massive, round diamond is nestled in the silk cushion, surrounded by a halo of smaller diamonds that continue along the length of the platinum band.

“Jace…”

He takes the stunning ring out of the box and slides it on my finger. I tilt my hand to the side, watching the gemstones glimmer in the early morning light.

“Do you like it?” he asks tentatively. “You can get something different.”

“I love it! But how…”

Jace grins. “Once my agent realized I was serious about leaving the league, he became remarkably amenable to helping me book as many advertisements as possible while he was still earning a commission. It was enough to pay off my contract, and a lot more.”

I’m completely overwhelmed. “I can’t believe this is happening,” I admit. “That we’re engaged!” I half-laugh as I exclaim the last word, glancing down at my left hand to assure myself the gorgeous ring is still there.

Jace grins. “Not what you expected to happen one day when you first tried to outrun me here?”

I laugh, thinking back to the moment I saw Jace for the second time in this very spot. “Definitely not. Although, I wasn’t actually trying to run away from you. If I had been, you wouldn’t have been able to catch up.”

“You’re probably right,” Jace admits. He drops a quick kiss on my lips and then starts to pull me along. “Come on, Michael only gave me fifteen minutes.”

I let him tug me back toward the car, surveying familiar pathways affectionately. I can see the outline of Kennedy Hall in the distance. Michael climbs out of the driver’s side as we approach.

“Everything go okay?” he asks, smiling.

I roll my eyes. “Like I was going to turn him down.”

Jace laughs, and Michael grins.

“Congratulations, you two.”

“Thank you, Michael,” Jace responds.

We drive back to the hotel to retrieve suitcases and the remainder of my security team before heading to the airport. I’m too keyed up to fall back asleep. The entire flight to Nebraska and drive to Fulton, I keep glancing down at my left hand.

Jace was wrong earlier; his proposal this morning was a surprise. He’s right that our relationship has been largely defined by the fact I have to get married. And I know we will, now. But I didn’t expect him to actually propose, to make it feel as though we’re getting married because we want to, not because I have to.

I bounce in my seat as we drive up the infamous dirt road that leads to Dawson Farm. This is the one place I never thought I’d be able to return to.

Michael stops the car in front of the faded white farmhouse. “We’ll head into town to get a hotel for the night.”

“You’ll have to go to the next town over,” Jace tells him.

Michael sighs dramatically. “All right. If either of you need to leave this farm—call me.”