Tuesday evening, one day after they returned from the beach.
Emma had been feeling melancholic. Melancholic about leaving the beach. Melancholic about going back to the normal routine. Melancholic about reality creeping back in.
Emma decided to go to the beach alone. There was a small public beach not far from their home. Emma needed quiet time to process her feelings.
Marcus understood. Marcus didn't ask Emma to stay. Marcus just said, "Take the time that you need. But please come back before it gets dark."
Emma sat in the sand while watching the waves. The sky was turning orange with the approach of sunset.
Emma thought about how her life had changed dramatically in a few months.
A few months ago, Emma was a struggling single parent. Emma was working multiple jobs in her mind, trying to keep her head above water. Emma didn't have a support system. Emma didn't have a person to lean on.
Now, Emma had Marcus. Emma had stability. Emma had security.
But with stability came something unexpected. With security came expectations. With love came vulnerability.
Emma had started wondering whether she was ready for all of this. Whether she was prepared to be a real partner to Marcus. Whether she was good enough for him.
"Mind if I join you?"
Emma turned. Marcus was standing there with bare feet, having removed his shoes.
"I thought you'd stay home," said Emma.
"I was," explained Marcus while sitting beside Emma. "But I realized that I didn't want you sitting alone with heavy thoughts. I want to be part of whatever you're thinking about."
"How did you know I had heavy thoughts?" asked Emma with a slight smile.
"Because I know you," answered Marcus simply. "I know that leaving the beach was hard for you. I know that the transition back to reality is difficult. I know that something is bothering you."
Emma sighed. Emma leaned on Marcus's shoulder.
"I've been thinking," said Emma with careful words, "about whether I deserve all of this. Whether I'm good enough for you. Whether our relationship is real or just circumstance that happened to be favorable."
Marcus took Emma's hand.
"Do you doubt my love for you?" asked Marcus with a serious tone.
"No," answered Emma with firmness. "I'm completely sure about your feelings. But I'm questioning my own feelings. I'm questioning whether I'm in love with you or if I'm just grateful."
"Are those two different things?" asked Marcus with curiosity.
"Aren't they?" answered Emma with a question of her own. "I'm grateful to you for everything. For helping Lily. For supporting me. For giving us stability. But gratitude is not the same as love. I need to make sure that I actually love you, not just grateful for you."
Marcus sat in silence for a moment. Marcus processed what Emma had said.
"Okay," said Marcus finally. "Let me ask you something. If I suddenly lost everything. If the lawsuit won and I lost the company. If I lost money. If I lost status. Would you still want to be with me?"
Emma thought about that question seriously.
"Yes," answered Emma after a few moments. "Without hesitation. Yes."
"Why?" asked Marcus.
"Because," explained Emma, "it's not about what you have or what you provide. It's about who you are. It's about how you make me feel. It's about how you treat Lily. It's about your kindness. Your patience. Your willingness to grow. Those things don't change if you lose money or status."
"Then that is love," said Marcus with a confident tone. "Not gratitude. Love. Gratitude is a by-product of love, but it's not a substitution for love. And what you're describing is love."
Emma felt tears in her eyes.
"How are you so sure?" whispered Emma.
"Because," answered Marcus, "I've been asking myself the same question. I've been wondering if what I feel for you is real or just a reaction to having someone in my life. But then I realized that every single day, I choose you. Every single morning, I wake up and choose to invest in our relationship. Every challenge, I choose to stay and work through it instead of running away. That is love. That is a deliberate choice."
Marcus turned to face Emma fully.
"Emma, love is not just a feeling," continued Marcus. "Love is action. Love is commitment. Love is showing up every day even when it's difficult. And that is what I do for you. Every single day."
Emma started crying now. Emma didn't realize that she needed to hear exactly those words.
"I'm so scared," confessed Emma with a shaking voice. "I'm scared that I'm not good enough. I'm scared that you will eventually realize that you could have someone better. Someone from a better background. Someone who doesn't come with complicated family situations."
"Emma," said Marcus with a firm tone, "stop that thought right now. There is no one better for me than you. Not in this world. You are exactly what I need. You are perfectly imperfect for me."
"How can you be so sure?" asked Emma.
"Because," explained Marcus, "I've been around perfectly polished people my entire life. I've been around people from perfect backgrounds. But none of them make me feel the way that you do. None of them inspire me to be a better person. None of them taught me that real success is having people you love beside you."
Marcus wiped the tears from Emma's face with a gentle touch.
"Lily is not a complication for me," continued Marcus. "Lily is the reason for me to want to be a better father figure. To want to be a better man. Your background is not an obstacle for me. Your background is a testament to your strength. To your resilience. To your determination. Those are qualities that make me love you more every single day."
Emma cuddled close to Marcus.
"Thank you," whispered Emma. "Thank you for not letting me disappear into my own doubt."
"That's my job," said Marcus with a tender voice. "When you doubt yourself, I'm here to remind you about your worth. When you're scared, I'm here to hold you. When you struggle, I'm here to support you. That is partnership. That is marriage."
They sat in silence for a long time, watching waves crash against the shore.
"I want to tell you something," said Emma after a few minutes. "Something that I haven't told you yet."
"What?" asked Marcus.
"I love you," said Emma with complete certainty. "Not because of gratitude. Not because of obligation. But because of who you are. Because of your kindness. Because of your growth. Because of the way you treat Lily. Because of the way you make me feel valued and seen. I love you with my whole heart."
Marcus kissed Emma with overwhelming tenderness.
"I love you too," said Marcus. "With my whole heart."
They watched the sunset turn into dusk. The sky began to darken as stars began to appear.
"I want to ask you something else," said Emma.
"What?" asked Marcus.
"Do you want to marry me?" asked Emma with sudden boldness. "Real marriage. Not a contract. But real marriage in every way. With vows that mean something. With commitment that is intentional."
Marcus felt surprised for a moment.
"Are you proposing to me?" asked Marcus with an amused tone.
"Maybe," said Emma with a smile. "I've realized that tradition says the man is supposed to propose. But I'm not a traditional woman. And I don't want to wait for you to propose if maybe you're already thinking about it."
Marcus laughed. A real laugh that came from deep within his chest.
"Emma, I've been thinking about it," admitted Marcus. "I've been planning to propose properly. But I like it more that you asked me first. It makes it more real. More equal. More us."
"So is that a yes?" asked Emma with a hopeful voice.
"Yes," answered Marcus with absolute certainty. "Yes, I want to marry you for real. For always. Until death do us part. All of it."
Emma kissed Marcus. A kiss that contained all of the emotions that she had been feeling.
They sat in their embrace while the ocean witnessed their commitment.
Later, as they walked back home, Emma felt a lightness in her heart that she hadn't felt for a very long time.
Doubt was gone. Fear was fading. What remained was pure certainty. Certainty that she was exactly where she was supposed to be. Certainty that Marcus was exactly the person she was supposed to be with.
When they arrived home, Lily was already asleep.
Marcus and Emma went to their balcony.
"So we're engaged now?" asked Emma with a slight laugh.
"I suppose we are," answered Marcus. "Even if we are technically already married from a legal perspective."
"We should have a proper engagement," suggested Emma. "A real ring. A real proposal ceremony to make it official in front of the people that matter to us."
"Okay," agreed Marcus. "Let's plan it. Let's make it special. Let's make it a celebration of not just a marriage contract, but of real, deep, genuine love."
"I like that," said Emma.
They planned on the balcony. Planning for a real proposal. Planning for a meaningful wedding. Planning for a future that they were both fully committed to.
The beach trip had brought a transformation in their relationship. From a business arrangement that slowly turned into love, now it had become a real partnership built upon a solid foundation.
From doubt and insecurity, Emma emerged with clarity. Clarity that she was truly in love with Marcus. Clarity that Marcus was truly in love with her.
And with clarity came freedom. Freedom to love fully. Freedom to commit completely. Freedom to imagine a future together without fear or hesitation.