‘I know.’ He released a nervous laugh. ‘I know. But please, hear me out, and then you can decide whether to throw me out into the snow or not.’

‘There is a wide range of options between… this and throwing you out into the snow.’

‘Yeah, but having spent six months considering other options, this is the only one I want.’

Oh, boy.

I tried to think of something rational and reasonable to say, but my head was spinning too fast to form a coherent thought. Instead, I stood there, muscles frozen, which Adam took as an invitation to carry on.

‘I love you, Bea. These last few months have been hell. Everything feels wrong when I don’t have you. All those things that I used to live for – making music, being on stage, all of it – are meaningless. And I know that I can’t keep putting you in second place. I’m choosing you, every time. Please forgive a total idiot who’s finally come to his senses, and choose me, too.’ He paused, took a deep breath and pulled a ring out of his top pocket. ‘Marry me, Bea. I’m nothing without you.’

‘I don’t know what to say…’ All the words were a jumbled mess, stuck in the back of my throat.

‘Say yes.’

‘We have a lot to talk about…’

‘Say yes and then we’ll talk. I’ll do whatever it takes to make this work.’

My phone suddenly rang in my clutch bag, adding to my fluster. I let it go to answerphone.

‘It’s not that simple. Can you… can we… can I have some time to think?’

I lowered myself back onto the blanket, and Adam topped up my glass and handed it back to me.

‘Is that enough time?’ he asked, eyes glinting to match his smile.

I gave him a stern look before taking a sip of wine. ‘What does “choosing me” mean?’

‘I’ve left the band.’

‘You’ve left bands before.’

‘This time I’m not looking for a new one to join. I can’t promise never to do the odd gig again. I definitely want to be part of the next Spectacular. But I’m retiring from professional music. Like I said, it’s not worth it. I’d rather have you.’

‘So what are you going to do instead?’

My insides were in knots. Adam had made a lot of promises before, but he’d never once talked about giving up his dream. I’d been waiting for a conversation like this for so long. Now that it was happening, I didn’t know what to think.