She moves closer, tightening her grip. “You? Nervous? I don’t believe it.”
“I am,” I tell her. “It’s… it’s you, Penny. It’s the life I know we’re going to share. But that doesn’t mean I’m presuming anything. That doesn’t mean I’m certain you’re going to feel the same.”
“I bet you I do.” There are tears in her eyes, making them shine like diamonds but they don’t slide down her cheeks just yet. “I bet you I’ve been waiting to say it this whole time and waiting for you to say it.”
I grin, as we move even closer.
We can’t help it. Like everything with us, instinct shows us the way, nudging us closer and closer.
“Maybe we should say it at the same, then,” I suggest.
She bites her lip, almost shattering my resolve. She makes it so hard to focus on the affection, my mind straying to the carnal intimacy instead. But then I think of how she’ll look on the birthing bed, our child in her arms and my ring on her finger.
My mind conjures up countless possibilities for the future, countless scenarios, each more vivid and compelling than the last.
“What if I’m wrong?” she whimpers.
“You’re not,” I growl fiercely. “One, two—”
“I love you,” she interrupts, her voice rising. “I’m sorry. I couldn’t wait. Oh, no, have I got it wrong—”
“I love you too,” I cut in, and then my lips are on hers.
She returns the kiss and we sink even closer, my hands sliding down to her hips. My grip is gentle, conscious of the people nearby. Breaking off the kiss is difficult, but it’s necessary when I’m in public with my woman. I remember all too well what happened at the restaurant, how difficult it was to fight away the craving.
“Do you mean it?” She wraps her arms around me, clinging to my neck.
“Of course I do,” I say. “I loved you from the second I saw you. I’ve been waiting my whole life for you. I love you, Penny, more than I can ever explain. That’s why I have to ask you something. That’s why I feel like I’ll die if I don’t.”
I take a step back, my hand straying to my pocket.
She gasps and her hands fly up to cover her mouth as if she knows what’s coming next.
Shaking her head, her mouth falls open.
“Before I met you, I thought maybe something was broken in me,” I tell her, as I grip the ring box in a tight fist. “All that hell I saw growing up, all that horrible treatment of women, it made me wary about what to expect. It made me wait. It had made me cold. It had shattered me. I thought the lives other people had, took for granted, weren't for me.”
I pause, taking a moment to memorize every detail of her face.
I’ll always remember the way Penny’s hands slowly lower to her sides, the tears glistening in her eyes, the stunning flush of her cheeks. I’ll always remember the sun shining down on her, making her hair sparkle, making my soul sing.
“When you walked into my life I knew I’d done the right thing, to wait. I knew I’d been waiting for you. You’re the best person I’ve ever met, Penny. You’re smart and kind and beautiful and generous and caring and sassy and shy and, and…”
I choke back the emotion in my throat, taking me by surprise.
“You’re everything. More than I could have dreamed of. You’ve already made me the happiest man in the world. And I want to be with you forever.”
When I hold up the ring box, she clasps her hands together and whimpers.
“Penny Harris,” I say, as I fall to one knee, opening the box in the same motion. “Will you marry me?”
She stares down at the ring, a large diamond set within a silver band. It catches the sunlight, making it shine just like her eyes.
For what feels like forever, she gazes down, first at the ring then at me.
Is she going to say no?
But then I realize why she isn’t speaking. She’s crying quietly, the sobs cracking at the base of her throat, tears sliding down her cheeks.
“I…” She finally finds her voice while wiping at her eyes. “Yes, yes. Yes, Preston. Of course, it’s yes!”
I’m grinning like a madman as I take the ring from its box, guiding it to her finger. She beams as I slide it on, and then I leap to my feet, drawing her into my arms.
We both turn with a start when everyone claps, Freddie puts his fingers in his mouth and whistles in celebration.
“I didn’t even realize they were listening,” I whisper, hugging my woman tightly. “But then, you’re all I can think about. All the time.”
“I love you,” she whispers, turning to me. “So, so much.”
“I love you too.”
We kiss deeply, the clapping and the cheering drifting into the background so that all that matters is the feel of my woman’s lips on mine.