“I won’t,” she promised. She saw the difference clear as day now. She felt it in his touch.
He’s moving to be with me. He’s choosing me.
“You can trust me,” he said firmly.
“Yes.”
His gaze drifted to her mouth, and he lowered his head. But this time he merely touched his lips to hers before he pulled back.
“You can love me,” he said.
“Yes.” Power resonated with that simple affirmation. It cast a spell over her—over them. That one word offered magic far more potent than anything the whimsical land around them could ever hope to conquer. “Yes, Jared, I love you.”
His blue eyes burned bright. He took a step back. And slowly, he lowered to one knee. “You can marry me.”
She laughed, feeling the joy of those words. Yes, she’d heard them before. But hearing them from him made all the difference in the world. “Is that a question?” she teased.
“I hope not.” He reached into this pocket and withdrew a small piece of plastic.
She studied the object for a second. It was a pink princess ring from one of the gift shops. She’d seen little girls wearing them when they arrived to have their picture taken with the princesses. They’d wore them hoping that one day they would find the person who would earn their trust, fight for their love, and move mountains to be with them—even if it made more sense to follow a different path.
Lucy laughed and held out her hand. “Yes. I’ll marry you, Jared Mitchell.”