The world, for Remy, had narrowed to the small, velvet box in Theo's hand. The relentless jingle of slot machines, the shouts from the craps table, the general roar of the Bellagio casino – all faded into a distant hum. Her heart, which moments ago had been thrumming with the adrenaline of an impossible winning streak, now pounded a frantic, entirely different rhythm against her ribs. Her breath hitched, catching somewhere between her lungs and her throat.
Theo's dark eyes, usually so guarded, blazed with an intensity that pulled her in, warm and vulnerable and utterly devoted. He held the box open, and inside, nestled against dark velvet, a single, brilliant diamond glittered under the casino lights. It wasn't ostentatious or flashy, but classically elegant, reflecting the quiet strength she now knew was Theo.
"Remy," Theo's voice was a low, steady rumble, cutting through the surrounding chaos like a precisely aimed shot. He knelt, right there on the casino floor, amidst the gawking gamblers and the flashing lights, unconcerned by the spectacle they were drawing. He was Theo, utterly focused, utterly committed. "When I found you in my SUV, I thought you were the most irritating, chaotic, and completely unpredictable problem I'd ever encountered." He paused, a faint, genuine smile touching his lips. "I was right about all of it. But you also became the most extraordinary, vibrant, and essential part of my life."
Remy felt tears prick her eyes, hot and sudden. This wasn't happening. Not here. Not now. It was too perfect, too impossible.
Theo reached for her hand, his fingers surprisingly gentle as they laced with hers. "You taught me how to live again, Remy. To see the world not just as a threat, but as an adventure. You made me hope for a future I never thought I'd have." His gaze was unwavering, his love pouring from him, raw and undeniable. "My world is complicated. Dangerous. But it's nothing without you. I love you, Remy Henderson. More than I thought possible. More than anything."
He looked at the ring, then back at her, his eyes serious, profound. "Will you do me the honor, the absolute honor, of making my chaotic, unexpected life complete? Will you marry me?"
Remy stared. Marry him. Theo. The mafia boss. The man who she accidentally kidnapped, the man who had bought her an RV, who had cleared a path through a criminal organization, who had shattered her mistaken death sentence. The man who saw her, truly saw her, and loved her.
A choked sob, half-laugh, escaped her. It was so perfectly, wonderfully, ridiculously them. In the middle of a garish casino, surrounded by the clamor of a craps table, after an absurd winning streak. It was everything she hadn't known she wanted.
"Oh my god, Theo!" she finally managed to blurt out, her voice a mix of laughter, tears, and pure, unadulterated joy. "Are you serious?! Here?! In a casino?! After I nearly bought a narwhal factory with your money?!"
Theo's smile widened, a breathtaking display of genuine amusement and profound adoration. "Only you, Remy. Only you. And yes. Here. Now. Please."
Remy didn't hesitate. "Yes! A thousand times yes!" she shrieked, launching herself forward, throwing her arms around his neck, nearly toppling them both over. She peppered his face with kisses, hot and wet with her tears and his own. "Yes, you big, scary, wonderful lunatic! Yes!"
Theo laughed, a deep, full-bellied sound of sheer relief and boundless joy, pulling her tightly against him. He felt her fervent acceptance, the complete abandon of her hug. He pulled the ring from the box with one hand, sliding it onto her finger. It fit perfectly, the diamond gleaming, a beacon of their future.
A smattering of applause broke out from the bewildered, yet charmed, onlookers at the craps table. A few shouted congratulations. Remy, oblivious, pulled back just enough to look at the ring, then at Theo, her face streaked with tears and a wide, radiant smile.
"It's beautiful, Theo," she whispered, her voice thick with emotion. "Absolutely beautiful. And ridiculous. And perfect." She flung her arms around his neck again, holding him tighter. "We're going to be so wonderfully, ridiculously married, aren't we?"
Theo held her close, burying his face in her hair, breathing in her scent, feeling the warmth of her body against his. The casino, the crowds, the jingle of slot machines – all of it faded. There was only Remy, trembling in his arms, her laughter mingling with her tears, her promise echoing in his heart. His future, once a labyrinth of shadows, was now gloriously clear, bathed in the incandescent light of Remy's love. It was a beginning. Their beginning.