⭐⭐⭐⭐.5 stars. Y’all, I did not want this book to end, no joke I prolonged my reading time because I did not want to say goodbye to them. Wow, I was not prepared for the past and present chapters, nor was I prepared for the angst and tension. The one thing I was prepared for was another Windsor man falling head over heels in love with their woman and Zane Windsor did NOT disappoint. This man was OBSESSED with Celeste. He calls her CELESTIAL and had literally counted the days of how long she was gone, which was 5 years, two months and twelve days 😳. But not only that, he’s been in love with her since they were kids, teenagers, and they even gave each other their firsts 😭😭. This man practiced every day for a week perfecting a dish simply because he knew it was her favorite. Then as an apology for his driveway accidentally ruining her shoes, he got her custom made pumps adorned with DIAMONDS to look like a GALAXY. Then he got her flowers that represented a goddess which he thought was perfect for HIS GODDESS *swooning* 😩. And then one of the best parts in this story, in my opinion, is how close they got to each other's families. Like it only took them being together for nearly two years for Celeste’s parents and brother to accept Zane, but when they do it’s amazing. Celeste’s brother became Zane’s best friend and accompanied him to the Windsor poker night 🥲. They always went to her parents house on saturdays so they could spend the whole day with her family and that’s when he got really close to her parents. And then the Windsors have always treated her like family 🥹, and were willing to go above and beyond for her. BUT THEN, the past chapters had to come to and end 😑. I swear both Grandma Anne and Lily were on my hitlist, but later I forgave Lily because it truly wasn’t her fault.

And then like I said, I wasn’t really for the present chapters, especially because it hurts so much to know how in love Zane and Celeste were and how close their families were just to see them estranged now 😩. Not only that, but to learn what past Celeste did to Zane 😳😳. Like hello?? That was a FULL ON betrayal. And then of course Zane retaliated over the years. The only good thing about this was the fact that Celeste’s parents never faulted Zane for retaliating and only wanted their daughter to be happy and for their future son-in-law to be back in their lives. I ABSOLUTELY LOVED the scene where Zane and Celeste are at her parents house on a Saturday and Archer is on a video chat and he yells at Zane in disgust because he whispers in Celeste’s ear and Zane just muted him 🤣🤣. And then the father was like you could’ve muted him this whole time 🤣. And then unfortunately, the Windsor family wasn’t so forgiving other than Grandma Anne, sometimes Val, and Faye but she had never known Celeste before. And so it hurt to see Sierra, Raven, and Lex ignore Celeste’s existence and it took a long while for them to slowly mend their relationship with her. And then it’s just so sad it took Celeste in finding out the truth about Lily to believe Zane, but now wanted to rebuild their relationship whereas Zane just wanted to be amicable throughout the rest of their marriage. BUT it made me so happy to see that Sierra and the sister in laws are going to help Celeste win Zane over because they truly saw her trying to win Zane over. Plus, I like that it’s the FMC trying to redeem themselves rather than the MMC. AND THEN, she got him flowers just like his mother did to his father to convey various messages like sincerity, a fresh start, hopes for renewed love, etc. And the fact that they both kept memorabilia of each other over the years despite everything just shows they truly never stopped loving each other 😢. And y’all, the final chapters were perfection. Like when he proposes, he crafted her own bottles of nail polish and they’re named like “Celestial”, “Zane’s wife”, etc.Not only that, but each of their families were a part of the proposal somehow, and it made me so happy 😭😭.And then we find out they’ve gotten their vows renewed every year for the last ten years 😭.

Favorite quotes/scenes:

Past

“Celeste Harrison.” (Val)
“Haven’t seen her in a while. She went to college in London, didn’t she? How long was she away? Three years?” (Luca)
<i>5 years, two months, and twelve days, actually.</i>

“You’re wrong, you know? I might not own you, per se, but you belong with me.”

“She’s like a drug to me. I know I’m better off without her, but I can’t resist her either. I crave Celeste Harrison with every breath, every heartbeat. It’s no longer a matter of choice—she’s in my fucking veins, infecting my heart.”

“Celestial, I’m grateful to have a chance with you at all, even if it is because it makes you feel empowered. No one needs to know, my sweet goddess. This thing… it can just be ours, if that’s what you want. I’ll be whatever you want me to be, Celestial, so long as you let me be yours.”

“You took my first kiss and my first time, and now you’re my first girlfriend. How many more firsts will you take? I’ll give them all to you if you want them.”

“You’ve got the love bug, don’t you?” (Celeste’s mom)
“Yes, ma’am. I’m afraid it’s incurable.”

“Is this a dream?”
“No, boyfriend dearest. This is all very real, but I’ll admit you’re a dream come true.”
“I love you, Celeste.” He grabs my hand and places my palm on his chest. “I love you so much that it hurts here.”
“I’ll kiss it better.”
“You have to. My heart is yours now, so you have to take good care of it.”
“I will, my love.”
“Is that a vow?”
“I vow to take great care of your heart, Zane. It’s mine now, isn’t it? I’ll keep it always.”

“I can’t tell what’s real anymore, because when I’m with you, it feels like all my dreams have come true.”

Present

“It’ll be a cold day in hell if I ever sleep with you again, Zane Windsor.”
“It does seem rather chilly today, doesn’t it?”

“Hey! Step the fuck away from my sister, asshole. Don’t do that shit in my house.” (Archer)
Zane pulls away and reaches over to press the mute button, making Mom laugh.
“Zane. Unmute your brother-in-law, will you?” (Celeste’s mom)
“I could’ve just muted him all this time?” (Celeste’s dad)

“You are it for me, Celeste. I fell in love with you when I was fifteen, and I’ve been in love with you ever since. I vow to love you, and only you, forever and always. Through the ups and downs, I’ll be faithful, compassionate, and patient. I’ve loved you through all the seasons in life, Celeste, and I’ll continue to do so. Day after day, I will choose you, no matter what. That, my beautiful Celestial, is a vow.”

“See? Moments like these make everything worth it. We could argue like crazy, and just one single smile from you would still make it the best day of my life.”

“I love you. The good, the bad, and everything in between. I love all of it, Celeste, every single part of you.”
“Zane. I love you more.”
“Impossible.”

“I never seduced you!”
“No? Then what do you call this thing you’re doing that’s making your chest rise and fall against me so seductively?” “It’s called breathing, Zane.”
“Seduction, that’s what it is.”
“Okay, In-Zane. Just wait till you catch a glimpse of my ankles. That’ll really blow your mind.”
“Yeah? You’ll have to show me.”

“You’re so beautiful, Celeste. Do you have any idea how crazy it is that I get to call you my wife? Fuck, I might well be the luckiest man alive.”
“I don’t know about that. But I definitely am the luckiest woman in the world, because I still get to call you mine.”
“I’ll always be yours.”

“Celeste. My entire world has revolved around you ever since we were three years old, and you walked into class with those adorable braids of yours. I thought you were an actual princess, but as it turns out, you were an enchantress, because I’ve been under your spell ever since.”

“I love you. I’m going to make you so happy, Celeste. I can’t wait to show you what our engagement and marriage should’ve been like.”
“I love you more, Zane. You already make me so incredibly happy, you know? I don’t need any of this. You’re all I need, all I’ll ever need.”

“We made it. Despite the odds. Despite the heartache and pain, we made it.”