Derek's lips curled into a slight smile at my words. He looked straight at me as he spoke softly but clearly, his voice rising slightly at the end, "Yes, you are Lia, my fiancée."

It was a confirmation, a declaration.

"Derek..." My thoughts were complicated, but I felt a sense of relief. "Thank you for never, ever giving up on me."

He always showed up when I needed him. Even when someone else took my place, he found a way. Everyone else gave up on me, but he ...