keeper of the lost cities one-shot collection

'The Proposal'

Sophie's hands shot up to her mouth, even before he knelt down on one knee and said the five words she'd least expected, "Sophie, will you marry me?"

Tears warped her vision as she nodded ferociously, saying "YES" over and over and over.

He stood, taking her in his arms and twirling her around.

He set her down, his eyes ice on fire.

"I love you," he told her, reaching up and wiping a tear from her cheek.

"Happy tears," she assured him, grinning.

He smiled back. It was a real Keefe smile and it made Sophie melt. He leaned down and kissed her softly.

"That does seem appropriate," he noted. "Now that I can hold you and kiss you even more!"

"You couldn't do that before?" Sophie asked, wiping tears away from her cheeks herself.

"I could," Keefe conceded. "But now I don't have to worry about leaving you all alone. I can actually see you all day every day for the first time."

Sophie laughed, and the sound seemed to make Keefe's bright eyes grow brighter. His eyes darted between her mouth and eyes as she told him, "I'm not alone, I have Grady and Edaline. And you're not going to be living with me immediately–"

"That doesn't change the fact that I'll be living with you eventually," He insisted, making a face.

"Awwwwwww," she said, taking his face in her hands. "you're so cute," she said.

"Oh, yeah, one last thing," Keefe said. He reached for her left hand. He slipped a small gold ring on her ring finger. It had diamond pieces sparkling all around it. The color reminded her of his eyes. And the gold reminded her of her eyes.

Sophie leaped into his arms, nearly knocking him over. "I love you so much," she practically shouted.