Chapter 5 - The Sunrise and the Ring
Six months later, the world of concrete, mafia hits, and sterile hospital wards felt like a lifetime away.
The morning sun poured through the wide glass doors of our coastal home in Maine, painting the hardwood floors in warm, golden light. The salty breeze rolling off the Atlantic carried the scent of pine and ocean spray, clean and untainted by the ghosts of our past.
I stood by the kitchen island, nine months pregnant, wearing an oversized cotton sundress that barely contained my very prominent belly. I was stirring honey into my tea when strong, familiar arms wrapped around me from behind, a warm hand resting gently, protectively, over my stomach.
"You're up early," Raphael murmured, pressing a soft kiss to the side of my neck. He looked completely different from the intimidating mafia boss I had met on a New York sidewalk a year ago. Dressed in a simple linen shirt and jeans, his hair slightly rumpled by sleep, he looked like a man at absolute peace.
"I couldn't sleep," I smiled, leaning back into his solid chest. "The little one was doing gymnastics all night. I think we're going to have a soccer player."
"Or a brilliant surgeon," Raphael chuckled, his hand sliding up to cup my cheek. "Like her mother."
"Or a reformed criminal mastermind," I teased, turning in his arms to face him.
Raphael smiled, a rare, radiant smile that only I ever got to see, and slipped his arms securely around my waist. "My criminal days are officially behind me, Dr. Becker. I'm a full-time investor in legitimate maritime shipping now. Boring, legal, and thoroughly mundane."
"Mundane suits you," I whispered, resting my hands against his chest, feeling the steady, powerful thud of his heart.
"Everything about my life suits me now, as long as you're in it."
He stepped back slightly, reaching into his pocket. My breath caught, my heart doing a familiar little flip. He dropped down gracefully onto one knee on the hardwood floor, looking up at me with those intense, adoring gray eyes.
"We never got to finish our engagement properly," he said, his voice deep and steady. "Between ruined doorframes, hospital lockdowns, and moving vans, the timing was always a bit chaotic."
"A bit," I agreed, a smile breaking across my face as tears pricked the corners of my eyes.
Raphael pulled out the velvet box, popping open the lid to reveal the simple diamond ring he had shown me months ago. "Astrid, you saved me from a life built on ice and violence. You brought a miracle into my world when I thought it was impossible. You are my heart, my family, and my home. Will you finally marry me?"
"Yes," I whispered, the word thick with emotion. "Yes, Raphael. A thousand times, yes."
May you like
He slipped the ring onto my finger, stood up, and pulled me into a deep, tender kiss that tasted of morning coffee and forever.
Outside the window, the waves crashed gently against the shore, washing away the old wreckage, leaving behind only the golden promise of a brand-new day.
