Chapter 9 - THE PROPOSAL ON THE RIDGESpring had arrived in full bloom at the Starks estate on Long Island.
The ocean was a brilliant turquoise blue, waves breaking gently against the golden sands of the private cove below the cliffside.
A high wooden pavilion had been built at the edge of the cliff, decorated with blooming white jasmine and soft silk drapes that fluttered in the sea breeze.
It was Maya’s twenty-ninth birthday.
A private family dinner had been set up inside the pavilion—just Rory, Maya, eight-year-old Lily, eight-year-old Rose, and Maya’s brother Toby, who was now fully recovered and walking comfortably with a cane, working as a junior software engineer for Starks Logistics.
As the sun began to dip below the horizon, painting the sky in glorious shades of pink, violet, and gold, Lily and Rose ran down to the beach with Toby to collect sea glass.
Maya stood at the railing of the pavilion, sipping champagne, watching her brother laugh with the girls.
Rory walked up behind her, wrapping his arms around her waist, pulling her back against his chest. He rested his chin on her shoulder, breathing in the scent of lavender and salt air from her hair.
"Happy birthday, Maya," Rory whispered into her ear.
Maya smiled, leaning back against him, covering his hands with her own. "This is the best birthday I’ve ever had, Rory."
"It’s about to get better," Rory murmured.
He gently turned her around in his arms.
Rory Starks—the billionaire shipping tycoon, the former harbor boss, the man who had once ruled New York’s docks through sheer fear—slowly lowered himself onto one knee on the wooden floorboards of the pavilion.
Maya gasped, her hands flying to her mouth.
Rory pulled a small, velvet box from his coat pocket. He opened it.
Inside sat a breathtaking three-carat canary yellow diamond ring, surrounded by a halo of micro-pave white diamonds that caught the last golden rays of the setting sun.
"Maya Vance," Rory said, his voice raw with deep, overwhelming emotion. "Three years ago, you walked into my broken home as a maid. You saw the nightmare my children were living, and you fought for them when no one else knew how. You healed my daughters, you saved my life, and you showed me what it truly means to love."
Tears spilled over Maya’s eyelashes, glowing like diamonds in the sunset.
"Lily and Rose asked me this morning if I could make you their real mommy forever," Rory continued, his own eyes shining with unshed tears. "And I realized my life would be completely dark without you in it. Will you marry me, Maya? Will you be my wife, and help me raise our daughters?"
Before Maya could even answer, a loud cheer erupted from the bottom of the cliff stairs.
Lily and Rose came running up the steps, holding hands, their faces beaming with ecstatic joy.
"SAY YES, MAYA! SAY YES!" Rose yelled, jumping up and down.
"PLEASE BE OUR MOMMY FOREVER!" Lily cheered, throwing her arms around Maya’s waist.
Maya laughed through her tears, dropping to her knees on the wooden floor, pulling Lily, Rose, and Rory into a massive, warm embrace.
May you like
"YES!" Maya wept happily, kissing Rory deeply as the girls cheered and Toby clapped from the stairs. "Yes, a thousand times yes!"
Rory slipped the golden ring onto her finger, holding her close as the entire ocean sky lit up with the brilliant colors of the twilight.
