Chapter 994: This Is Perfect


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    As the guests streamed in, Tom and Lucy moved effortlessly between them, greeting each person with warmth and making everyone feel at ease.


    Tom made introductions when needed, and Lucy greeted everyone warmly, ying the perfect hostess as she exchanged hugs, handshakes, and holiday wishes.


    As the room filled withughter and chatter, Tom''s gaze was on Lucy majority of the time as


    he watched her with undisguised admiration, his heart swelling with pride.


    "Tom lookspletely smitten," Aurora said with a giggle as her and the otherdies watched Tom and Lucy.


    "Totally in love," Amy said with a grin.


    "They look so good together," Candace said with a wide smile.


    "I''m beginning to think their love story is my favorite in this series," Sonia said with a soft sigh.


    "Don''t let Bryan hear you say that," Jade joked, and they allughed.


    "I''m sure he will agree with me. You have to admit there is something about those two that pulls at the heartstrings. Tom just has a way of putting the focus on Lucy," Sonia said, and Jade nodded.


    "I get what you mean though. Tom eats out of Lucy''s hands, I tell you," Jade said and Andy raised a brow.


    "You mean like Harry eats out of yours," Andy said, and Jade giggled.


    "Our focus is on our hosts not on me," she said, but her gaze drifted around the hall until theynded on Harry who was standing with Lucas, Bryan, Matt, Philip and Alex.


    When he caught her gaze across the room, he winked at her, and she giggled. "You''ve lost focus," Amy teased and Jadeughed.


    "I''m so d you girls decided to stick together this way else I''d have been standing here alone without a partner," Sharon said, since she was the only single one amongst them now that even Andy hade with Alex.


    "I think you should reserve that statement untilter. I don''t know about the others but the moment the party begins, I''m going to sit beside my man," Aurora said, and the othersughed as a chorus of me toos filled the air.


    Sharon shook her head, but before she could say anything, a familiar voice calling out to Tom caught her attention and she smiled.


    "Tom, over here!"


    Turning, Tom saw another group of friends approaching- Hunter and Damon, his friends and business partners.


    His face broke into a wide grin as he led Lucy over, "I wasn''t sure you''d make it, Hunter. You alwayse up with the craziest excuses not to show up at public functions," Tom said, and Hunter chuckled.


    "Says Thomas Hank. I''m still amazed at how you revealed your identity," Hunter said, before turning his attention to Lucy.


    "There''s no need to introduce you to Damon. You already met him at Bryan''s wedding," Tom said to Lucy before introducing her to Hunter, "This is Lucy, the love of my life," Tom said proudly. "Lucy, this is Hunter Quinn, CEO of..."


    "  . None of that is necessary," Hunter cut in smoothly, and they allughed.


    "I can see why you revealed your identity for her sake. She is dazzling," Hunter said as he took Lucy''s hand, and Lucy smiled brightly.


    "Thanks for honoring our invitation. It''s nice to meet you," Lucy said, and Hunter grinned. "The pleasure is mine," Hunter assured her, "Hopefully I''d meet someone worthy enough to make me want to step out of the shadows too," Hunter said, and Lucy giggled.


    "I hope you do, and then we won''t have to work so hard to convince you to attend functions," Tom said and theyughed.


    "Once again, I see that Tom wasn''t exaggerating when he said you were the most charming woman alive," Damon said as he shook Lucy''s hand warmly.


    Lucyughed softly, her cheeks coloring slightly. "I''ll have to thank him for the glowing review. It''s lovely to meet you again, Damon."


    Hunter gave Tom a teasing nudge. "I don''t know how you managed to find someone so poised, Tom. Clearly, she''s the better half."


    "I''ve been hearing that a lot tonight," Tom quipped, winking at Lucy.


    "Everyone can''t be wrong," Lucy said, her eyes twinkling with humor and they turned as Sharon approached them.


    "What are my favorite men doing here?" Sharon asked as she walked up to Hunter and embraced him, and then did the same with Damon.


    "I should be asking you that. Where is Emily if you''re here?" Damon asked curiously.


    "Oh, she''s upstairs with the other kids," Sharon said and Damon raised a brow.


    Lucy looked from Sharon to Damon and then back again, but before she could ask, Damon did, "You two know each other?" Tom asked curiously.


    "Yeah. Damon is Emily''s Dad," Sharon said, and Tom''s eyes widened slightly.


    "For real? I had no idea," Tom said, and Sharonughed.


    "How could you have known? It''s not like I go about announcing it everywhere I go," she said, and they allughed as Harry joined them.


    "Hunter, Damon, it''s good to see you," Harry said, exchanging handshakes with both men. "Did you know Damon is Emily''s father?" Tom asked, since they were familiar with Emily. "Yes, I did," Harry said and Tom shook his head.


    "I should have known you will know. You always know everything. Why didn''t you tell me?" He asked, and Harry shrugged.


    "It never came up in the conversation," he said easily as he nced at his watch.


    "How did you know?" Sharon asked curiously.


    "I''ve seen her on Damon''s Instagram posts a couple of times, and I once saw him pick her up from your ce," Harry exined before ncing at Tom and Lucy.


    "It''s time for the party to begin," he said, and Tom gave him a nod to go ahead since he was


    e desig


    Emcee for the


    As they all settled down at their various tables, their parents sat on one table, "The party


    hasn''t even started but it is obvious that Lucy has outdone herself. I couldn''t have nned a better Christmas Eve party," Evelyn said as she looked around the beautifully decorated hall which was bubbling with activity.


    The waiters were all dressed in Santa costumes, adding an even more festive mood to the


    room.


    "She did, didn''t she?" J said, her voice ringing with quiet pride.


    "I wonder what the screens are meant for. Are we seeing a Christmas movie tonight?" Debbie, who had apanied Aaron as his plus one, asked curiously.


    "I was wondering the same," Aaron said thoughtfully.


    "Whatever the screens are there for, I''m sure we are going to be wowed tonight," Andrew said, and Desmond chuckled.


    "Absolutely. I''m looking forward to it," Desmond said, and Evelyn narrowed her eyes.


    "Do you two know something we don''t?" she asked, and they shook their heads. "What could we possibly know? Didn''t we alle here together? And haven''t we been together since we arrived?" Desmond asked, and Andrew chuckled as J eyed him with


    suspicion.


    As the evening unfolded, Lucy moved with practiced ease, ensuring the champagne never ran dry and theughter never faded.


    The evening reached its peak when the string quartet yed "Silent Night," and the guests gathered near the Christmas tree which was at the center of the room for a toast.


    After the toast, Lucy found herself standing next to Evelyn, J, and Debbie, who were still watching their men with suspicion.


    "They''re definitely up to something," Evelyn murmured, narrowing her eyes at Andrew and


    Desmond.


    "Why do you say so?" Debbie asked, amused at how suspicious Evelyn and J were of their


    husbands.


    "They''ve been grinning like schoolboys with a secret all day, and it has gotten even worse since the party began," J said, and Lucy smiled, holding back her ownughter. "Whatever it is, I''m sure it''ll be harmless. Probably just them being overly sentimental about


    Christmas," Lucy said, and Evelyn raised a skeptical brow but let the matter drop, her


    expression softening.


    "You''ve outdone yourself tonight, Lucy. This is beautiful."


    "Thank you," Lucy said, her voice warm. "And thanks once again for letting me do this," she


    said, and Evelyn waved it off.


    "I should be thanking you. It''s wonderful having my family all in one roof like this on


    Christmas Eve," Evelyn said as the men joined them again.


    "You''ve been glowing all night," Aaron observed as he moved closer to Lucy.


    Lucy''s smile widened for just a moment. "Have I?"


    "Yes, you have. It''s the holiday magic," Desmond said with a wink. "Or maybe it''s something


    else."


    Lucyughed. "Maybe."


    Across the room, Tom caught her eye. The moment stretched between them, unspoken words passing in the space of a nce as they gravitated towards each other.


    As they met in the middle, Lucy''s heart swelled with anticipation and she nced at the clock.n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om


    It was almost time.


    Lucy nced in Sonia''s direction, and when their gaze met, she signaled to Sonia that it was


    almost time.


    At that same moment, Tom did the same, ncing at Harry, who was at the center of the room and then Harry exchanged a look with Sonia, who subtly winked at him, making him chuckle as she headed out to signal to the team in charge of the screens.


    "At this point, I''m going to wee forward our gracious and elegant Hostess apanied by her bodyguard," Harry said, causing everyone tough, "I believe they both would like to share something special with us tonight," Harry said, and as the room filled with apuse, Tom nced at Lucy, his heart racing as he took her hand.


    At the same time, the lights dimmed slightly, and the guests quieted down in anticipation.


    The glow from the Christmas tree and the soft notes of the string quartet provided the perfect backdrop as Tom led Lucy to the center of the room, their hands intertwined, their breaths mingling in shared anticipation.


    This was it. This was the moment they had been waiting for months. They couldn''t wait any


    longer. "What are they sharing with us?" Jade asked Sonia who was grinning from ear to ear. "We will find out soon," Candace whispered, bubbling with excitement herself.


    A few feet from them, Evelyn and J exchanged a questioning look, both wondering if the


    other knew what was going on, but they both looked lost so they returned their attention to Tom and Lucy.


    As they all stood there, both screens flickered to life and everyone''s attention moved to the


    screen.


    Tom and Lucy looked up too, since Harry and Sonia had convinced each of them separately to make a disy of some of their special memories together before the proposal.


    Both their hearts raced as they watched the screens disyed a slideshow of Tom and Lucy''s memories together- candid shots of moments that defined their love.


    The guests sighed and chuckled softly at the intimate glimpses into their journey. Then, the


    images faded on both screens, reced by a video of Lucy on one screen, and another of Tom on the other screen.


    She was sitting on the balcony of their home, the city lights twinkling in the background. She looked radiant, her smile trembling with nervous energy.


    Tom frowned, ncing at Harry as he wondered what Lucy was doing on the screen when he


    should be the one disyed on the screen.


    Lucy frowned as well, wondering why there was a video of Tom up there when she was yet to


    propose or get a response from Tom.


    Lucy and Tom nced at Sonia and Harry, but they were both chuckling as they pointed to the


    screen asking them to focus. Tom and Lucy exchanged a look as they both turned to the opposite screens.


    Lucy looked at the screen where Tom was disyed, and Tom looking at the screen on which


    Lucy was disyed.


    The hall was quiet as everyone focused their attention on the screens, trying to keep up with


    both. "Ace," Lucy''s recorded voice began, "I know you''re surprised," she said with a nervousugh,


    "Don''t be. You should have seen thising. It''s all your fault. You made me fall so hard on my face for you, and I think I hit my head along the way, ''cause now I''ve gonepletely out of my mind with love for you. You''ve shown me a love I didn''t think I''d ever have. You''ve been


    my lover, my friend, my strength, my calm, my peace, myughter, and my home. You make


    life beautiful in ways I never dreamed possible, and I don''t want to live in a moment when you''re not mine. So tonight, I want to ask you: Will you marry me?"


    At the same time, on the other screen, Tom was seated at his desk, looking nervous but


    determined.


    "Jewel," his recorded voice said, filled with raw emotion, "you''ve turned my life into something extraordinary. You''re my favorite person in the world, and your body and mind are my favorite ces. Every day with you feels like the first snowfall-pure, magical, and unforgettable. I want to spend every Christmas, every New Year, every single meaningful and insignificant moment of my life with you. So, will you please be my wife and girlfriend


    forever?"


    Neither Tom nor Lucy paid any attention as the room erupted into soft gasps and murmurs.


    Tom''s jaw dropped and his heart raced as he turned from the screen to look at Lucy, unable to believe what he had just seen and heard.


    Lucy''s gaze was fixed on the other screen, her eyes wide with surprise as her hand flew to her


    mouth.


    Tears spilled over as she turned to Tom, and the room erupted into apuse, the guests delighted by the unexpected twist.


    Tom and Lucy looked at each other, their expressions identical- stunned, overjoyed, and


    filled with an overwhelming love.


    Tom blinked, momentarily stunned, before breaking into a wide grin. "Well," Tom said, his voice light with amusement and affection, "it looks like we''ve both been nning something special. But," he continued, his grin growing as he reached into his pocket, "now you have to let me do it the right way."


    Before Lucy could respond, Tom dropped to one knee, the murmurs in the crowd fading into


    silence. He opened the small velvet box, revealing a ring that sparkled as brightly as the lights on the tree behind them.


    "Jewel," he said, his voice steady but thick with emotion, "you are my everything. You''re the


    best part of my life. From the moment I first set my eyes on you, I knew it was you. I knew you were the missing piece I needed to make sense of my existence. I knew you were mine. We''ve


    had our ups and downs, but in all, my conviction has not once faltered. In a world that is full of uncertainties, my love for you is the only certainty I know. I love you more than words can ever express, and no action of mine would be enough to show you just how much you mean to


    me. I need you in my life everyday, like I need oxygen. Will you make me the happiest man alive and say yes?"


    Lucy''s eyes filled with tears, her hand trembling as she reached for his. "Tom," she whispered, her voice cracking slightly, "of course, yes," she cried, and Tom slid the ring down


    her finger.


    As the guests erupted into cheers and apuse, Lucy raised her hands to cover her face as she


    wept softly, overwhelmed by the turn of events. She had nned to make the night special for Tom, but as usual he had made it special for her.


    Tom rose and pulled her into a tight embrace, holding her fiercely as she wept, overwhelmed with emotion himself as he kissed her head and the tears from her face.


    As they stood, the guests gave them a standing ovation, the sound of pping, cheering, and


    sniffles filling the room.


    Lucy looked up at him with tears in her eyes and a wobbly smile, but before she could speak


    Tom kissed her softly, the moment charged with love and joy.


    Harry stepped back to the microphone, his voice filled with humor. "Well, I think we can all


    agree that this is two are a perfect pair."


    Tom and Lucy turned to Harry, shaking their heads in mock exasperation butughing all the


    same. As they looked out at the sea of smiling faces around them, Lucy whispered, "This is perfect."


    Tom kissed her temple and smiled. "Just like you."