“What’s this?” O’Connell asked, hearing the tail end of our conversation as we reached the table. He pulled me onto his lap by the belt loops of my jeans and listened intently as Nikki recanted the whole conversation.

“Who the fuck does she think she is?” O’Connell roared and tried to move me to stand up. Winding my arms around his neck, I kissed him hard and forced him back down.

“Are you with me because you feel trapped?” I asked.

“No, baby, you know I’m not,” he pouted.

“Are you going to get bored of me in a few years?”

“No, I...” I cut him off again with a kiss.

“And are you going to be sleeping around with anyone else when I’m not there?”

“Fuck, no. You know it’s me and you for life,” he replied, angrily.

“Then what difference does it make what she says about us. I’m yours and your mine...”

“And fuck everyone else, right?” he finished with a smile.

“Exactly,” I replied.

“I fucking love you,” he mumbled, kissing me.

“Shit. I’m shocked that Danny lets you anywhere near Con on fight day. You kiss the fight right out of him,” chuckled Mac. He and Albie seemed to be getting on really well, and I liked seeing the guys bonding.

O’Connell was getting impatient, and I could feel the evidence of his desire growing beneath me.

“Okay, baby, let’s go,” I told him with a kiss. He practically jumped out of his seat in his eagerness to get me home. After an emotional goodbye to everyone, and a promise to see them all at the wedding, we left.

“I am so sick of being cold,” O’Connell moaned, as we walked into the freezing cold apartment. “Why don’t you jump in the shower, love, and get warm, and I’ll warm up the bed,” he suggested, waggling his eyebrows. I laughed at his playfulness, pleased that he hadn’t let Katrina sour our good mood.

“Are you sure you don’t want the shower first?” I asked.

“Nah, I’m good,” he replied.

I grabbed one of his t-shirts off the chair, some clean underwear from the drawer, and headed to the bathroom. The shower was tiny, but the blistering heat of the pounding water felt almost luxurious. I tied back my hair to avoid washing it, knowing that there was no way it would be dry before I fell asleep. The t-shirt came to mid-thigh and held the slight scent that was purely O’Connell. I marvelled at how lucky I felt, knowing he belonged to me. I was secure and happy and looking forward to a future that was worlds away from the life I had led a year ago. It felt like a gift that I would happily spend the rest of my life earning.

Knocking off the bathroom light, I opened the door to a runway of candles. Nightlights lined the hallway on either side, leading to the main room, which was all lit up. On every available surface were pillar church candles of different sizes, burning their pure white wax. Every space between was filled with tea lights. They made my crappy apartment beautiful and romantic. In the middle of the room, O’Connell stood in only a pair of half-unbuttoned jeans and holding the biggest bouquet of sunflowers that I’d ever seen. Where he got sunflowers at Christmas I’ll never know. Gone was the self-assured cocky fighter, and in his place was a scared little boy, opening his heart to me.

“This is amazing,” I whispered and covered my mouth with my hands in shock. I walked toward him, and he handed me the bouquet, which was almost bigger than me.

“How...?” I asked.

“I paid one of the kids at the gym to drop off the flowers and candles while we were out.”

He tucked a wayward curl behind my ear, pulled out a small wooden box from his pocket, and sank to one knee.

“I wish I knew the words to tell you how much I love you and how much you’ve changed my life. Meeting you was like seeing the sun for the first time, after a lifetime of living in the dark. I know you can do so much better than me, but if you’ll have me, I promise to spend the rest of our lives fighting to deserve you. Emily Maria McCarthy, will you marry me?”

He opened the box and inside was the most amazing ring that I had ever seen. Instead of the traditional solitaire diamond, he held a beautiful antique looking sapphire surrounded by smaller diamonds.

“Blue,” I whispered to myself. “My favourite colour is blue.”

I was rooted to the spot, wondering if this was all some cruel dream where I’d wake to find I’d imagined the whole thing. I’d already agreed to marry him, so I had no idea why he looked so nervous. Dropping to my knees in front of him, I held his strong, handsome face between my hands.

“I didn’t know that it was possible to love or trust a person as much as I do you. You make me happier than I have any right to be, but now that I’ve found you, I’m not letting you go. I’d be honoured to be your wife.”

“Thank fuck for that,” he replied, in the way that was so typically him. He grabbed me by the waist and kissed me hard, pulling us to the floor and almost catching my hair on fire. I yelped and giggled at the same time, giddy with happiness. Taking the ring from the box, he slid it onto my finger, and it was a perfect fit.

“How could you possibly afford this? I asked, in awe.

“I sold my car,” he admitted sheepishly.

“O’Connell, no,” I cried, feeling horribly guilty.

“It’s okay,” he reassured me, “there’ll be other cars, but I’ll only have one wife. Besides, we can put what I’ve got left towards the deposit on our own place someday.”

“Thank you,” I told him with tears in my eyes, admiring how the ring sparkled in the candlelight.

“You’re welcome,” he beamed, and his huge grin was infectious.

“Now get to bed, wench,” he yelled, throwing me over his shoulder and carrying me effortlessly to bed. “I’ve got plans for this gorgeous body.”

THE MORNING OF MY WEDDING, I woke up completely disorientated. It didn’t help that my fiancé, whose great hulking presence took up most of the room in my bed, wasn’t with me. I’d grown used to waking up next to him so quickly, that I’d almost forgotten that immediate sense of panic when he wasn’t there. O’Connell was so concerned about my safety, that I just didn’t worry about it as much when he was around. The front door slammed shut with a loud bang, just as I remembered that I’d spent the night at Nikki’s. Loudly and proudly, the sound of her voice filled the room as she la, la, la’d her way though, “Here Comes the Bride”.