The next second, I was up in the air and being spun around in a circle while Clyde barked next to us, and I screeched. Come on, suddenly being in the air with no warning was a scary thing, so of course I screamed.
Finally, he lowered me back down again after he’d staggered slightly. “Sorry, I got a bit dizzy.”
“Serves you right,” I breathed. “What made you so happy?”
Even though he was still swaying slightly, Garrett managed to hit the target when he leaned down to kiss me softly. “You did. No matter what you do, you don’t conform to any rules or regulations. I love that even though I need routines and for there to be uniformity in my life, you come in and establish your own ones that blow mine out of the water.”
That didn’t sound so great. “And that’s a good thing?”
“It’s perfection. When Raoul and Rose got together, I remember Hurst telling me at Ellis and Jose’s party that the most perfect matches were when people were complete opposites. He used Lars and Tony as the best example and said that Lars is more quiet and stern, whereas Tony was flamboyant and full of energy. When they got together, Tony gave Lars a bit more life and made him break his own rules, and Lars helped Tony quieten down a bit and establish them for once.”
I’d gotten to know the two men and their daughters since I’d moved here, and I had to admit that they were the definition of perfection together. Like Garrett said, they suited each other perfectly.
“And you think I do that to you?”
“No, I know that you do. I’d have lost my shit if you’d done what I did, but you’re just excited about it. I’d also have known exactly which model we chose, but you only care about us being inside it. My life has been regimented for years, and even without being active military, I keep it that way.”—he really did, including the rows of perfectly paired socks that he kept lined up in a drawer—“You’re not untidy in any way, but you don’t care if things get mixed around or messed up. You just want to enjoy your day as much as you can. Since I came into your life, you’re more organized, and I’m more relaxed.”
Now I saw why he was so happy. “We’re kind of the perfect match.”
The expression on his face changed slightly like something had just occurred to him. Just as he opened his mouth to say something, I yelled, “Oh God, if you’re going to say we can’t stay together because of my cheesy arm, I’ll brain you with Clyde.” Not that I could lift him, but I’d try.
When Garrett just stared at me, I decided fuck it and turned around and whistled for my boy, who came running up, tail wagging like always. Remembering to lift with the knees, I squatted and wrapped my arms around his waist and tried picking him up, but holy shit, he weighed more than I remembered, so I gave up and pointed behind me.
“Sit, Clyde. Sit on that big shithead.”
And he did, except he had to sit on Garrett’s thigh, seeing as how he was now kneeling on one knee on the ground, watching me with that damn smile still on his face.
“Tamsin Waite, I didn’t plan on doing this today, so I haven’t bought a ring.” He shrugged and mumbled, “Choosing one of those is harder than a house.” Then he looked seriously up at me. “Before I ask you the question, I need to address the elephant that’s been lingering over us since we met—actually, a couple of the elephants. The first being that I can’t find any anuses in the jellyfish scar on my ankle, and after all of the attempts you’ve given it, neither can you. I have zero ass holes in the scar, so we need to lay it to rest. The second is that, after hours of internet research, it’s doubtful that the box jellyfish has fifty, sixty, or heck even ten butt holes.”
Blowing out a breath, I nodded my head sadly. “I came to the same conclusion a while back.”
Squeezing my left hand, he winked. “Totally perfect for me.” Then, cocking his head to the side, he said, “Which leads me to the question I want to ask. Will you marry me? I don’t have a thousand flowery words or a long speech ready for all the reasons why you should and why I’d be so perfect for you—”
“I think you covered that when you likened us to Tony and Lars.”
“Probably, but you deserve more. I promise to give them to you every day for the rest of our lives, though. Words like that shouldn’t just exist once and then happen every now and then. They should be proven with actions and spoken regularly, and I promise to do that.”