Chapter 10 - The Flight HomeSix months later.
The private jet climbed smoothly through the golden clouds, cutting a clean path across the afternoon sky.
I sat by the window, watching the fluffy white blanket of clouds roll past below us. On my lap, a now-fifteen-month-old Annie laughed happily, clutching a small stuffed airplane in her chubby hands.
Beside me sat Marcus.
He wasn't reading financial reports. He wasn't barking orders into a phone. He was simply watching Annie and me with a soft, profound smile that reached all the way to his eyes.
“Penny for your thoughts, billionaire,” I teased softly, leaning my head gently against his shoulder—right back where it all started.
Marcus wrapped a strong, warm arm around my waist, pulling me closer against his chest. He pressed a gentle, lingering kiss into my hair.
“I was just thinking,” Marcus murmured softly, his voice thick with emotion, “about how glad I am that my flight was delayed that day in Cedar Falls.”
I smiled, turning my head to look up at him. “You never told me, Marcus. Why were you even on that commercial flight in the first place? You own a fleet of private jets.”
Marcus let out a quiet, genuine laugh.
“My private jet had a mechanical failure that morning,” he confessed, his eyes twinkling with amusement. “My pilot told me I had to wait four hours for a backup. But something... call it fate, call it luck... told me to grab a ticket on that commercial flight instead.”
He reached into his pocket, pulling out a small, elegant velvet box. My breath hitched.
Marcus opened it slowly. Inside rested a breathtaking, unique diamond ring that caught the cabin light like a falling star.
“Emily Carter,” Marcus whispered, his voice trembling with a vulnerability that was entirely his own, “you didn't know my name when we met. You didn't care about my money, my empire, or my titles. You just saw a tired man who needed a shoulder to lean on.”
He took my hand, sliding the ring onto my finger.
“Spend the rest of your life not knowing my name as a stranger, but knowing my heart as your husband?”
May you like
Tears welled up in my eyes, blurring the golden clouds outside the window. I looked into the eyes of the quiet millionaire who had waited his whole life for someone who didn't care about his wealth, but simply loved the man inside.
“Yes,” I whispered, kissing his lips as Annie cheered and clapped her little hands beside us. “Always.”
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