Love Rents A Room

Chapter 217: The Proposal

Chapter 217: The Proposal"Good..." Joanne whispered into his ear, pressing herself into his warmth, melting into him. She had tried to live without him. She didn’t like that version of her life.

"I already told my grandfather I want nothing to do with Winchester Logistics," Jeffrey said quietly, like a confession. "We’ll settle in Rockchapel, build that house you always dreamed about, raise our kids there, and make Shamrock a global brand. Just like we planned."

Joanne leaned back to look at him,

Her thumb stroked the sharp line of his jaw, rough with stubble, and she kissed the corner of his mouth—softly, tenderly, like she was memorizing the shape of it all over again.

"And now here you are... giving me everything I dreamed of when I thought I had nothing left. Jeffrey, you were always my home too. My fire. My peace. My ache. You are everything."

She pressed her forehead to his, their tears mingling where their cheeks touched. Her hands slid down to his chest, feeling the thunder of his heart beneath her palms.

"I want that life with you. All of it. The chaos. The quiet. The years. I want to dance in our kitchen at midnight. I want to scream at you over mixed laundry and kiss you breathless in the rain. I want to build our world with laughter and love that never breaks, even when we bend."

She took the ring then, not to admire the diamond, but to feel the warmth of it in her hand, as if it had already absorbed his promise.

"I want to be your wife, Jeffrey Winchester," she said, her voice low and sure. "I want to be your forever. Your always. Your last breath."

She slid the ring onto her finger. Her hands were trembling and Jeffrey helped her with it, where it fit like it had been waiting for her all along.

Then she kissed him—slowly, thoroughly, like a vow in and of itself.

It wasn’t just passion. It was years of longing, months of silence, the ache of almosts and the sweetness of finally.

When they pulled apart, she rested her hand on his chest, where her ring sparkled against his heartbeat.

"I love you," she whispered. "More than I have words for."

And then she smiled through her tears, radiant and whole.

"Now take me home."