“Then it’s just a present present,” he said, a smile in his voice. “A promise for the future. Our future.”

“Oh Nick,” she breathed, slipping the ring on, so happy she could scarcely contain herself. “I wasn’t sure you wanted a future.”

“I do, very much. I think about my life before you came into it, Mia. It sucked.” He met her gaze. “I need you. I want you to know that. I should have told you sooner, but I thought that made me weak. I was wrong about that. You’re the only thing I care about. You’re the only thing that matters to me. I turned down the job—”

“Nick,” she gasped. “No. You—”

“I took a different one, with the same company. Still restorative justice, but I’ll be staying within the state of New York.”

“But you wanted to travel.”

“Wanted. Past tense. I want to be with you, Mia. You’re it for me. You’re everything.” He paused and let his gaze touch her every feature. “You’re the best choice I ever made. You’re my only choice.”

She pressed her forehead to his, her words brushing against his lips. “I was just thinking the same thing about you.”