"Warren," she rasps before the tears take over.

I rush to her side, hating that I've made my girl bawl. I know they're supposed to shed a couple tears and all, but she's got them pouring down her cheeks like the rain that falls from the clouds that tend to constantly hang over Vancouver. "Baby," I say once she's in my arms. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to make you cry like this."

Nova shakes her head against my chest, and when I look down I see that she's clutching the ring in her left fist like she's afraid to let go of it. "No," she sobs. "This – this is perfect. You've just caught me so off guard that I don't know what to do. You know I'm not good in emotional situations like this."

I laugh and hug her tighter. "I'd rather you be laughing uncontrollably right now, but, hey, we can't have everything we want, right?"

She nods, and then says, "Perhaps not. But we can get pretty damn close."

For the next couple minutes, all we do is stand here in each other's arms, waiting for her tears to calm down. And, when they do, I push her away and cup her face, wiping away the remaining tears. "We good now?" I ask.

She smiles and nods her head.

And that's all it take for me to become nervous as fuck about what I'm going to do in the middle of this park. I'm more nervous than I was when I had to meet her parents, which is saying a lot because I was scared shitless back then. This, though? This is completely different.

Clearing my throat, I reach for the ring and begin to get down on one knee. But Nova stops me, shaking her head as she grips my biceps and tugs me back up.

I frown at her. "What are you doing?"

"I don't want some cliché speech from you, Warren. Yes. A million times yes. I will marry you."

I blink in surprise. Usually, Nova is very particular about the decisions she makes, meaning she thinks for hours upon hours before coming out with a suitable solution.

"Oh," I say, blinking again. "Well, then. In that case..."

I hold out my hand so she can give me the ring. Yeah, I'll allow her to take away the option of giving the big speech I had planned about how things changed and all that kind of shit, but I'm the one that's putting the ring on her hand. No one, not even Nova Elliot herself, can take that option away from me.

With a big smile on her tear-streaked face, she lets go of the ring, and then holds out her left hand.

"So," I smirk as I begin to slide it onto her finger. "Because you don't want some big speech about how things have changed and all that shit, let's cut right to the chase: Nova Jane Elliot, will you marry me?"

"Yes!" she squeals, throwing her arms around my neck.

When she does that, I can't stop myself from wrapping my arms around her waist and lifting her up so her legs are around my own waist.

I meet her big brown eyes, and when I see that she's looking at me with awe, I can't help but let it get to my ego.

"I love you, Warren," she whispers, taking my face in her hands.

"Love you too, Novs," I smile, closing the remaining space between us.

Here's why I love kissing her so much: each one is different. Just think about it: the setting, the taste, the feelings, and all that kind of shit. But this one? This is the best one I've ever experienced. Her lips are softer than silk and she tastes like lemonade. Throw the happiness I'm feeling into the equation, and you've got a kiss like no other.

I gotta say, I never thought this moment would come with any girl I've ever met. Not because I repel them or anything, but because of what I used to do. I had always been planning on being the one-night-stand type of guy. Until I met Nova Elliot, that is. I may not have known it at the beginning, but I sure as hell do now.

To my dismay, she pulls away faster than I anticipated.

"C'mon, Novs," I pout. "You can leave me hanging like that."

She laughs, but doesn't look at me. She's still focused on the ring. Watching her closely, I see a look of guilt pass over her face. "Warren," she whispers. "How much was this ring?"

I want to laugh at her. Oh God, I want to laugh so hard. But I don't because that's just who Nova is – she hates it when I spend too much money on her. While I think it's sexy as hell that she feels that way, she's gotta understand that when it comes to something like this, I don't give a shit about how much I spend on her.

Tipping her chin up, I say, "Baby, it doesn't matter. You're worth a hundred times more than a ring." All she does is stare at me in shock, and I know there are more questions about where I got the money from and stuff like that coming up. So, before she can say another word, I kiss her again. "Trust me, Novs. You are worth it. You deserve to be happy after all the shit you've been through. And if I get the honour of doing that, then I'm happy too."

A tear slips down her cheek. "Where did you get this idea?" she asks.

"Nope," I grin. "A mastermind never reveals his deepest, darkest secrets and tricks. No way am I telling you where I got it from."

"Warren! You have to tell me!" she insists.

"Would you believe me if I said I actually came up with this one all on my own?" I ask.

Nova's forehead creases as she weighs the options. "Yes. I do believe you. Every time a proposal was brought up, you kept saying that when the time came, it was going to be absolutely perfect."

"And?" I ask, praying that she loved this idea.

"I think it's the best idea anyone has ever come up with, Warren."

I think my cheeks heat up a little bit.

"You're so cute when you blush," Nova giggles, running a hand through my hair.

"Don't get used to it," I mutter.

She giggles again, and then sighs like this is the best day of her life (which I hope it is). "You know what's great about this?"

"The fact that you just agreed to spend the rest of your life with me and create a bunch of mini Warrens and Novas?"

"Well, I guess that counts. But that's not what I was getting at. What I was going to say is that we already know how to deal with each other. You know what I mean? We've been sharing a dorm room for over a year now."

"Huh," I say. "Never thought about it like that. But yeah, I see what you're saying. We're basically a step ahead."

"Exactly," she nods.

For a single moment, I stand here with her in my arms, taking in the beautiful face I now get to wake up to every morning for the rest of my life. She's going to be the one that comes to the family reunions and Christmas parties with me. And the best part? My family already loves her.

"Haze is gonna lose her mind when she hears about this," I mutter.

Nova laughs. "Oh, don't worry – I already thought about that one. I'll be prepared for the big congratulations I'll be getting from her."

Glancing at my watch, I see that it's only noon. "So what do you want to do? Head right over to the house or take our sweet time like we did the first time?"

Nova shrugs. "Why don't we just see where the day takes us? I mean, that's what we did with the first trip here, right? And look where that got us."

The muscles in my cheeks are starting to get sore I'm smiling so much. "Whatever you want to do, Nova Jane Ashford. As long as we're together, right?"

Nova nods in agreement, smiling like she's standing on top of the world right now. "Yes. You and me – together."

And with that simple agreement, all I can do is think, Wow, how the fuck did I manage to win her over?

But I guess that's what I've learned from this whole thing: Love comes at the weirdest of times from the person you're least expecting it to come from.

"You know what," I say.

"What's that?" she asks.

"You and me. Us. I like the idea of us together. We were two independent souls who crossed paths at a time neither of us were expecting to find someone who understood each other so well. We're like a cosmic collision that was arranged just so we could meet."

Kissing me on the lips one more time, Nova says, "I don't know where you fit into that, Warren – my name is the only one that correlates with such a comparison."

"Baby," I say, "you know me. I'm one of a kind – the rules of correlation and shit like that don't apply to me."

"Right," Nova laughs. "What am I doing pointing out these facts?"

"Baby – "

"Warren?" she asks, cutting me off.

"Yeah?"

"I know you well enough to know that you were just about to say some type of smart ass comment, so please just shut up and kiss me again."

Grinning, I shrug my shoulders. "Well, if that's what you want..."

And that's exactly what I do.