Liam knelt down in the middle of the park, the spring sun filtering through the trees as he pulled out a velvet ring box. My heart skipped a beat. I should’ve seen it coming—he’d been acting oddly cheerful all morning—but nothing could’ve prepared me for the moment his eyes met mine and he said my name with that shaky smile.

“Lily,” he said, “we’ve spent six years proving we’re stronger together. I want that forever. Will you marry me?”Inside the box was a delicate diamond on a plain gold band. It was sweet, beautiful—but not what I had always pictured.“I wanted to propose with your mom’s ring,” he added, almost apologetically. “But I couldn’t find it in your jewelry box, so I got this one instead.”