King of My Heart

Chapter 26 - The Proposal

Claire Kinsley's POV

My relationship with Liam has been as sweet as candy could get ever since that night. We were magnetised to each other in hearts and mind, I couldn't envision a future with any other man other than Liam. So after two months of dating, I decided to propose to Liam.

Yes, it was an unconventional thing for a female to do, but that is truly what I want to do for Liam to profess my love for him.

So I devised a plan with my mother and Nicki behind Liam's back as I wanted this proposal to come off as a surprise for him.

There's no other place that I would want to propose to him other than the place where we first met, where he said he first fell in love with me. That would be my house's backyard, right when he first saw a little girl in pigtails with a smile smeared with chocolate.

After a week of discreet preparation, that night finally came. Surprisingly, I have got more guests who would like to be here to witness this event.

Rachel and Matt were one of the first to volunteer their help. Many things went on between both of them during my absence from work, and Matt finally got his childhood sweetheart, Rachel, to be his girlfriend. One of the most ridiculous things I have heard from him that really shows how much he loved her was that he had always faked his academic results to fall slightly behind Rachel all this while so that Rachel's competitive ego would not be hurt. I have always found Matt's taste in Rachel questionable until he told me why he fell in love with her. Rachel isn't exactly a tough cookie on the inside as what she portrayed on the outside. She was forced to be tough because she didn't have the most ideal family background when she was growing up. To Matt, Rachel was a kind heroine in his eyes when she first saved him from his bullies back in elementary school. So from that day forth, he fell in love with her and sworn to be a greater man to protect her for life. I can't help but give my blessings to them because what Matt has done for Rachel all these years reminds me of the great length that Liam has been through for me too.

Nicki and her fiancé were undoubtedly present too. Self-invited Dr Ryan McPartney wouldn't want to miss out the fun as well. The most surprising guest of all is to have Lisa here when she came along with Scott. Last I heard from them, they both made up to one another and are now the most supportive sibling to each other.

"Alright, everyone, he is coming!" Nicki whispered discreetly to everyone as we waited quietly in darkness for Liam to enter the backyard.

"Claire? Aunt Helen?" Liam shouted as he navigated through my house.

Then the moment he stepped into the backyard, that's when Nicki got the lights back on and the entire backyard sparked with all the twinkle lights that we have put up beforehand.

Everyone was still crouching behind the bushes while I stood right in the middle of my backyard in pigtails and a smile smeared with chocolate when Liam entered the backyard.

"Hi, Liam," I chirped with the chocolate-coated cookie in my hand as he walked towards me in bafflement initially.

His eyes glistened as he studied my look for the night. Then he started shaking his head with a wide smile that he couldn't contain before he pulled me into his embrace and laughed, "Hello there, my love at first sight..."

I can't help laughing at myself too after seeing his reaction. I know I looked ridiculous in my little girl outfit at this age, but I have to pull myself together and get this proposal done right!

"Just what are you up to, my sweetheart?" He wiped the smears of chocolate on my face gently as he continued to giggle in tears.

I have never seen him this happy and opened up before.

My eyes along with my life lit up upon the sight of his cheerful front that melts my heart.

I cleared my throat and said to him, "Liam... Even though we were not biologically related, I have looked up to you as a brother who has always looked out for me. But... it's exactly because of the comfort and love that you have given me wholeheartedly that I have taken it for granted all my life until I realised how foolish I was to have not looked into my feelings for you. I was in love with you, all this while. You were not just a family member to me. You were the man I wanted to walk down the aisle to and build a home with."

My voice quivered and my eyes were wet with emotions as I continued, "You had selflessly planned your whole life around me, just so you could keep me alive. That moment when the earthquake threatened to take you away from me, I sworn to god that I would rather leave with you too. There's no me, if not for you. Not only did you give me a "new heart" to live, but you own my heart too. You are truly the king of my heart."

"Claire..." Liam's eyes turned wet too as breathed out my name.

I snivelled as I turned around to pick up the box of cookies from the table and presented to him with one knee down, "Liam... So does this girl in pigtails have the honour to take care and love you till death do us apart?"

His eyes were glistened in tears upon seeing the box of cookies that has the lettering 'Will you marry me?" stencilled over the cookies.

I have never seen this much of emotions from Liam. He was in tears, but not tears of sadness, they were tears of joy. It truly moved my heart to see him this happy.

Everyone jumped out at this moment, they cheered, clapped and echoed, "Marry her! Marry here!"

He had his hands over his eyes briefly before he started laughing while still in tears as he said, "Are you kidding me?"

Everyone gasped and fall silent as they held their breath. I was stunned at his response when he held me up by my arms.

Is he going to reject my proposal? Was I rushing him into marriage?

Suddenly, he got down on one knee and pulled out a velvety box from his pocket. He looked up at me and opened the box to a beautiful sparkling ring as he said, "Claire... this is my mother's ring... you have no idea how many countless times I thought about this moment. I love you, will you marry me and make me the luckiest man ever?"

My jaw dropped and my heart lurched at what he said.

Everyone went into a state of awe by the sudden twist and they started clapping and cheering for us once more. This time round they were echoing with a different pronoun, "Marry him! Marry him!"

I nodded my head repeatedly while tears of joy poured down my face, "Of course I do, I would marry you in a heartbeat!"

A wide smile lit up across Liam's face as he slips the engagement ring onto my hand. The euphoria in us was clearly written all over our face. Liam picked me up and swirled me around like I was his prized possession.

"Hurray!!" The crowd cheered and congratulated us.

We leaned our forehead against each other, our hearts full of bliss for the matrimony to come.

"Thank you, Claire..." Liam smiled from ear to ear, beguiling as always.

"You're welcome, the pleasure is mine to be Mrs Craig," I smiled back at him as I gazed at him like a hopeless romantic.

With a heart full oflove, my life has never been more perfect than this moment.