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the pushchair and saw Drake down on the ground. What I didn’t notice was that he was on one knee. I only came to notice this when he cleared his throat and drew my attention to him.
    “Annalise Elizabeth Duncan, would you do me the honour of becoming my wife?” he asked me, his voice a little more timid than normal.
    I watched as he produced a ring box from his pocket and opened the lid. Nestled inside was the most beautiful ring—I couldn’t take my eyes off it. My throat seemed to close up and I was finding it increasingly difficult to draw a breath.
    “Y…yes.” I stumbled over the one word as I tried to regulate my breathing, trying my hardest not to hyperventilate.
    Drake removed the ring from the box and placed it on my finger. My hand was shaking so much that it was a wonder he managed to get it in place. He stood up and wrapped his arms around me, lifting me in the air. The people surrounding us burst into a round of applause and cheers. Drake placed me back on the ground and kissed me deeply, which garnered a round of catcalls from the passers-by. As we parted, I brought my hand up for a closer inspection of the ring. It was a beautiful white gold band with a stunning tanzanite stone nestled in between two slightly smaller diamonds. I couldn’t have chosen better myself. Drake knew that I didn’t do over-the-top, flashy jewellery. I’d always been drawn towards classy, elegant pieces.
    Drake cleared his throat, drawing my attention from my ring to his face. The smile he wore could’ve split his face. His green eyes were sparkling and he looked happier than I had ever seen him.
    “Annalise Elizabeth Anderson, I like the sound of that,” I said as I cupped the side of his face in my palm.
    “Glad to hear it,” came a voice from behind Drake. I’d recognise that voice anywhere. It was Dennis.
    “Dad!” I exclaimed in surprise, turning towards him.
    “Come and give the old man a hug,” he replied.
    I went willingly to him. The family weren’t all that big on hugging, so I took my hugs where I could get them.
    “Don’t forget me, missy,” came Lynne’s voice.
    “Mom, hi. What are you guys doing here?” I asked as I embraced her.
    “Look around you, honey,” she replied cryptically.
    I looked around me and saw Meghan with her boyfriend Andrew and Jack with his wife Leanne.
    “How did you guys get here?” I asked, shock evident in my voice.
    “We wouldn’t have missed this for the world,” Lynne said.
    “You mean you knew and you came all the way for this? What if I’d said no?”
    Everyone laughed at that. As I took in their faces, they all looked genuinely pleased for us.
    “You love that boy too much to say no,” Dennis said.
    “Very true,” I replied as I smiled at Drake.
    I couldn’t believe they’d driven all the way to Devon just to witness this moment.
    I was amazed that Drake wanted me to be his wife after what he had gone through with Beth. He’d always told me, even when we chatted as friends before getting together, that he would never get married again. He said he didn’t want to go through the heartache again if another marriage ended in disaster. I hadn’t blamed him, but when we got together, a small part of me mourned the fact that I would never get married. But I loved Drake enough that being with him was enough. I didn’t mind compromising because it was him that I wanted. From when we’d first met, I had really enjoyed his company and when I became single and was told by somebody in our office that he liked me, I was secretly pleased but thought nothing would ever happen because I was pregnant with somebody else’s child. How wrong I was. We’d gone on our first date shortly afterwards and had been inseparable since.
    Pulling myself from my thoughts, I looked at the family surrounding me. Accepting me with open arms had been their style—except for Meghan, who took a dislike to me for some reason—I smiled at them and took Drake’s outstretched hand.