May rubbed the horse down, roughly, ungently, and angrily in the stables beside her property. She could not help but be angry with Grace's Secret, with Grace, with Thomas Shelby, with all of it. He had left her down in the ring with the horse, the horse that symbolized that "someone else" Thomas had vaguely mentioned to her by the trough filled with goldfish to "keep the worms away." Nothing could be done to keep the worms away now, the ugly truth that she was playing second fiddle in Thomas's life. She had met the infamous Grace; blonde, beautiful, dolled up in her finery while she stood there in her riding clothes in the mud and dirt, but May hadn't outwardly let that woman get the best of her. May knew who she was, and she knew that she was not an inferior, competition maybe, but not an inferior. Her anger came from the fact that Thomas had lied to her face about coming back to find her and that Grace had stood there, acting superior. He hadn't watched Grace's Secret come in first place. He hadn't watched her or returned as he had promised. He had disappeared after May had confessed to Grace that Thomas made her feel alive.

It doesn't matter now.

A man who could not keep his promises was not a man worth having. A man who could make and break promises so easily, was not the kind of man for her at all.

"The damage isn't done."

That was all he cared about, saving face after stringing her along. She was a respectable woman, a respected woman who owned her own property, her own horses, her own life. She was in control of her own life and once she was finished rubbing this horse down, she was going to….

"May?"

May couldn't help it that her ears perked at the sound of his voice, that her eyes looked up of their own accord. She raised her head and saw him standing there with his long black coat and cap. His eyes were trained on her, intent and determined. May straightened her back to look him directly in the eyes. She wasn't one to shy away from looking a man in the eyes, especially one who owed her an apology. She prepared herself for what she was going to say next, that despite her fluttering heart, she stood behind everything she had thought before his sudden reappearance. He broke promises. He had led her along in a game. She deserved far better, especially after she had told Grace she would help him in his business, how she had almost given her heart to him, finally acknowledged that she could see him as a part of her life. The words died on her lips as she saw Thomas bend down on one knee in the dirt and mud and reach into his pocket.

"May…."

"Stop," May cut him off, finding her voice again. He paused, waiting for her to continue and May realized she didn't know exactly what to say. He looked at her with his unreadable gaze. Even though that gaze was unreadable, she knew Thomas was a proud man, a man who didn't want to show the world that he could be vulnerable.

"I know about Grace," she said, surprised by how gentle her voice sounded. She cleared her throat, trying to inject some anger into her next sentence.

"You said right after the races that you would come for me." There, that sounded accusatory and angry enough.

" I should have told you about Grace."

"You named your horse after her. You named her Grace's Secret." The name tasted like poison on her tongue. She loves you and you love her."

"I loved her once," he said, looking at her. "I won't lie and say I didn't or that a part of me won't still love her." Another pause. "But she isn't the one that I am choosing now."

May laughed bitterly. "I am your second choice then. You can't have her, so you choose me."

"I told you I would find you, that I would come back for you. I never said those words to her at the races and I never will. I chose you that night, not her, and and I will continue to choose you." His voice was low, but firm, and he never took his eyes off of her.

"You told me we had to put an end to our relationship because there was someone else," she pointed out. She could not overlook that glaring piece of information. She would have continued to make her point, but the words died on her lips as Thomas bent down on one knee in the dirt and mud in front of her and reached into his pocket.

"Will you have me, May?" She thought she heard his voice quaver. His face softened and the veil lifted from his eyes. Thomas Shelby wasn't a master wordsmith, but his eyes said everything he hadn't spoken. He loved her. He was sorry. He wanted to try with her. There were no reservations in his face or a shadow of a doubt that what he was doing was right for him. Deep down she wanted to try with him, to live a life with him. She wanted to choose him, but marriage, at this moment?"

All we have are moments.

Life was nothing but a series of moments. She wanted to feel alive. She wanted to seize life, live the fleeting moments she had with every fibre of her being. She wanted to do that with Tommy. This was their moment. What was perfect timing, but an excuse to let life pass her by, when all she really wanted was to experience the thrill of it, like she did down in the ring with the horses?

"Yes," she said, firmly, decisively. She saw the flash of a diamond and gold before he slid the ring on her finger. A thrill ran through her as the gold band slid on her finger, the metal cool against her skin.

Chosen. I've been chosen.

She met his eyes as he looked up at her and she laughed happily, the first time she had truly laughed since her husband died. His face lit up then, reflecting her own and his happiness. He rose to his feet and moved closer to her so that their foreheads were touching and their bodies were mere inches away from each other.

"Mr. Shelby, you've made the best choice of your life," she said, beaming at him.

"And I'll never forget it, Mrs. Shelby."

Mrs. Shelby. Mrs. Thomas Shelby. May's smile deepened and she kissed him, slowly, gently before breaking away to finish with the horse.

They walked out of the stables hand in hand and walked across the grounds all the way to the edge of the drive. Thomas kissed her hand before he slowly let it go and explained that he needed to leave. He would return tomorrow with a notary and they would be married. No frills, no ostentatious wedding, just the two of them, choosing to be with each other.