Chapter 5 - The Gift of the SkylineBy late spring, the cold winter snows over Manhattan had melted into warm, brilliant sunshine that painted the city in shades of gold and green.
The top-floor penthouse at Vance Tower had been completely transformed—adding a wide, sunlit playroom overlooking Central Park, a private nursery suite, and a lush rooftop garden filled with blooming white roses, jasmine, and fresh lavender.
On a warm, clear afternoon in late May, the rooftop garden hummed with a quiet, vibrant peace.
Four-month-old Lily and Mia lay in a double stroller, wearing tiny pink sundresses, happily cooing at the golden butterflies fluttering around the white hydrangeas.
I sat in a comfortable teak lounge chair wearing a simple cream silk dress, holding a cup of fresh chamomile tea, looking out over the panoramic skyline of Manhattan stretching before me.
Footsteps sounded softly on the wooden deck floorboards behind me.
Elias walked out into the warm sunlight wearing a dark linen shirt and trousers, his sleeves rolled up, carrying two fresh glasses of lemonade.
He set the glasses flat on the side table, stepping behind my lounge chair, gently wrapping his broad arms around my shoulders, pressing a soft, sweet kiss into my dark hair.
"How are the Q2 foundation reports looking, Director Miller?" Elias teased warmly, resting his sharp jaw against my cheek.
"Flawless, Mr. Vance," I smiled back, turning my head to look into his storm-gray eyes. "The Ava & Twin Daughters Shelter Foundation just opened its second emergency housing facility in Brooklyn this morning. We've rescued forty mothers and children this month alone."
Elias let out a low, genuine laugh—a sound that filled my entire heart with weightless, absolute joy—and ran his broad fingers gently through my hair.
"You're amazing, Ava," Elias whispered softly, his gray eyes shining with an intensity that made my breath catch in my throat.
He reached into his pocket, pulling out a small, blue velvet box, setting it gently in my lap.
I opened the box under the warm spring sunlight.
Inside rested a breathtaking seven-carat flawless emerald-cut diamond ring—a promise carved in liquid platinum and light.
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"No more hiding in the shadows, Ava," Elias promised, his voice thick with raw, unreserved devotion. "Marry me. Let me love you and our daughters for the rest of our lives."
Tears of pure, unadulterated happiness welling in my hazel eyes, I turned in my seat, wrapping my arms tightly around his broad neck, pulling his lips down to mine in a deep, sweet, consuming kiss that sealed our promise under the open sky.
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