She reaches into the box and tugs. The snow globe comes free of all the tissue paper it's nestled in. She places it gently on the counter before she bends slightly to look at it directly.
I pick it up to wind up the music box. Silent Night plays softly from it. I start talking because I can't fucking keep quiet. I need to explain so she'll understand the true intention of the gift.
"That's me and you in there, baby. You're wearing that Christmas dress you like. You know the ugly one with the plaid pattern. I'm wearing my best suit. It's that black one you love."
She tilts her head, her eyes pinned to the globe.
"That's the tree in Rockefeller Centre. I know how much you love that tree."
She looks up and into my face, tears masking her beautiful eyes. "You're on your knee, Ryker. You're holding a tiny box with a..."
"It's small but that's a diamond ring."
"An engagement ring?" She looks at the globe before her gaze moves back to me. "Are you going to ask me to marry you?"
"On your birthday." I reach for her hands and feather kisses over the back of them. "When I told you on New Year's Eve that this was our year, I meant it. I know it's too soon to ask you to marry me today but your birthday is perfect. You'll wear the dress, and I'll wear the suit and we'll go to the tree."
"I'll say yes."
I swallow hard. "I want to ask now, Lark."
"I want you to do it on my birthday." She shakes the globe and snow falls over the scene. "I want this to be our engagement. I want you to ask me to be your wife on Christmas Day."
"It's a date." I kiss her softly. "You can open the envelope now."
She picks it up and studies it. Her fingers moving over the paper. "I don't have to open it. I feel keys. You put keys in here."
That's all I put in the envelope. Two keys, both to my place. "You're not supposed to guess the gift before you open it."
She laughs at my mock frustration. "Are you asking me to move in with you?"
"I want you to give up your place and live with me, Lark. I want every today and tomorrow to be with you."
"I want that too." She rests both her hands on my shoulders. "I love you, Ryker."
I break then. This is all too good. Life can't be this good. I feel the emotion fighting to come out so I let it. A tear falls from my eyes. "I love you, baby. Let's go home so I can make love to my soon-to-be fiancée."
Epilogue
6 Months Later
Lark
"Holy fuck, Ryker," I scream. "You can't scare me like that. What the hell?"
He's nude. So am I. I just had a shower, a cool shower to beat the heat that's been hanging over the city for the past two weeks. I had left work before he did today. He's been putting in longer hours since the holiday campaign is set to launch next month. Ryker's back at Matiz and I couldn't be happier.
He's happy too knowing that Cremza is running smoothly under the guidance of the manager he hired.
"I'm sorry, Lark." He fiddles with something behind his back. I can see the reflection of something in the mirror behind him. "I know I promised I'd wait but shit, baby, please."
He drops to his knee then. My beautiful lover, the man I gave my heart to drops to his knee in the middle of our bathroom as I stand in front of him with my hair dripping all over my shoulders and down my body.
"Ryker," I whisper. "Are you going to do it now?"
He leans forward to wrap one of his arms around my waist to nudge me closer. "Come here, Lark. Come close to me."
I do. I step toward him, my toes touching his knee. "I love you, Ryker."