She could barely take it all in, that right when she thought she’d never recover from her heart ripping in two, Ian was suddenly standing before her, staring down at her with pure love in his eyes. And yet, even as stunned as she was by the unexpected and beautiful words he was saying, how could she not smile at his equally unexpected joke?

He moved closer, then, reaching out to stroke the small dimple in her right cheek. “I never thought I’d find something, someone, I’d love more than my company, or would be able to count on the way I can count on it. But now I know just how wrong I was. You’ve proved to me again and again that I’ll forever be able to count on you. And even if I tried my whole life to stop loving you, I would never be able to do it. Because you are the love of my life, Tatiana. Can you ever forgive me for not recognizing true love when you were right there in front of me?”

Just then, someone coughed and Tatiana remembered, with no little shock, that they weren’t alone. The minute he’d walked back in the front door and started speaking, the world had shrunk down to just the two of them. But Ian hadn’t just told her that he loved her—he’d declared himself in front of everyone.

Of all the words he could have spoken to her tonight, it was how he said them that said the most about his true feelings for her. He wasn’t just opening himself up to let her into his heart tonight, he was breaking down the walls he’d put up around himself to let all of them back in.

“How could I not forgive a son who would do anything for his mother and father?” She reached for him and could have sworn sparks jumped when their hands touched. “How could I not fall for a brother who would protect his siblings with his dying breath?” He tugged her closer at the same time that she moved toward him. “And how could I not love a brilliant CEO who is excited by the work he does every single day...and who happens to wear a suit better than anyone else ever will?”

His mouth came down over hers, then, so warm and so full of love that the tears she’d barely been holding back all night long finally spilled down her cheeks from the sheer joy of being back where she was meant to be.

In Ian’s arms.

Too soon, he was drawing back, but before she could protest, he said, “When I told you life isn’t a fairy tale, it was because I’d never met anyone like you, and I honestly didn’t think you could exist. You’re everything I’ve ever wanted, needed, dreamed of.”

“So are you. I love you so much, Ian.”

“You said you needed to learn something from me, but I’m the one who’s learned everything from you. Everything, Tatiana. Especially,” he said with a heart-stopping grin that made her fall in love with him all over again, “the power of a well-timed question.”

He brought both her hands up to his lips and pressed a kiss to them before dropping to one knee. Thunder rumbled outside and rain poured down onto the roof above them as he spun every question she’d ever asked him into the most beautiful one possible.

“Tatiana, will you be my happily ever after?”

And as her yes was drowned out by the cheers from both of their families, Tatiana knew there had only been one answer all along.

Love.

Everyone surely thought they were crazy for heading hand in hand out into the rain, but she knew storms would always be special for them, taking them back to the days and nights on an island where everything but love had been stripped away.

Together, they’d danced on the grass to the beat of the rain, and soon everyone was out there with them, getting thoroughly soaked and laughing their heads off. Or—as she noticed when she looked over at Ian’s parents—kissing.

While they danced, he admitted he’d had plans to sweep her away in a helicopter to a romantic restaurant filled with roses and a band playing all her favorite songs, but that he hadn’t been able to wait another second to be with her again. And Tatiana knew that even if they never made it on a fantasy date like that, or if he had to miss some of her movie premieres because of his job, or if her filming schedule meant she couldn’t be there to celebrate every one of his new deals, that none of that was what really mattered.

“All I ever need is you, Ian. Just to be with you.”

And this time, when she looked up into his beautiful eyes and saw that pure love had replaced the shadows and ghosts, she knew for certain that he felt exactly the same way…and that love at first glance really had turned into forever.

A month later...

Dylan Sullivan made it off his sailboat and into his parents’ house just in time to hear Tatiana’s name announced as the winner for Best Actress. Everyone in the Sullivans’ living room cheered, clinked glasses and hugged, but Dylan knew there wasn’t a person on the planet who was happier for her than his oldest brother.

Ian had accompanied Tatiana to the awards ceremony and now the two of them embraced and kissed in the audience as if they were all alone, instead of surrounded by thousands of audience members, with millions more looking on from all over the world. Finally, after he whispered something to her that made her smile, with one more kiss, she headed up the stairs to the stage to accept the gold statuette.

For a moment, she simply stood at the microphone and looked down, stunned, at the award in her hands. But while she was obviously overwhelmed with emotion, when she spoke her voice was steady. “Thank you so much for this incredible honor. My parents always told me I could be and do anything I wanted to. I can never thank you enough for that, Mom. And Dad—” She looked up toward the ceiling. “—thank you for continuing to watch over me every day.” She stopped to compose herself again before continuing. “But the person who truly deserves to be standing up here tonight is my sister, Valentina.” Tatiana looked out into the audience where Valentina was sitting beside Smith wiping away happy tears. “Thank you for everything you’ve done, and keep doing, to help make my dreams come true. You’re the best sister anyone could ever have.” A moment later, her gaze moved back to Ian. “Ian, you’re the happily-ever-after I always dreamed of, and I love you more and more every single day.”

When the camera panned to Ian in time to show him saying I love you back to Tatiana in front of the entire world, Dylan had to admit that he hadn’t quite gotten over watching his brother be so open about his feelings.

Finally, Tatiana smiled into the camera, clearly speaking to the millions of people watching at home as she said, “Thank you to each and every one of you for letting me have the best job in the world!”

The crowd applauded and when the ceremony went to commercial, Mia asked Dylan, “Have you ever seen anything so wonderful or romantic? Tatiana and Ian are so amazing together.”

He handed his sister a tissue to wipe away her happy tears. “They were definitely meant to be together. And we’ll always owe her for giving us back our brother.”

“We will,” she said with another sniffly hug.

When Smith won for Best Actor a few minutes later, and they all saw and heard just how much his fiancée’s love meant to him, Dylan couldn’t have been happier for his cousin. For all of the Sullivans who had gotten engaged or married in the past few years.

Unlike Ian, love had never left Dylan fighting ghosts or guilt. He’d never loved and lost the way Mia and Ford had, either. And there wasn’t a close friend who was waiting in the wings with her heart in her hands like Brooke had with Rafe. Dylan wasn’t looking for love, but just as he’d told Ian, if he ever managed to find a woman who made his palms sweat and his heart race, he’d do whatever he needed to do to make her his.