"Oh my God," she whispers the words through instant tears.
"Jessica." I look up into her face. "My beautiful, beautiful Jessica."
She nods over and over again.
I feel my own tears start. "That night at the club when you walked through the door, my entire life changed."
"Mine too," she says quietly. "Mine too."
"I told you once that the earth stopped that night so I could get on."
"I remember you saying that."
"It's the truth. I was wandering before that. I had no direction. Nothing in my life had any meaning. My heart was completely closed." My hand leaps to my chest. "I couldn't feel anything. I had no idea what love was."
She pulls the arm of her sweater over her small hand before she swipes it across her face. Her mascara paints a path across her cheek.
"You were made for me." I take in a deep, measured breath. "You were put here, on this earth, just for me. I don't doubt that. I've never doubted that."
"I know that too."
"I can't live my life without you. Half of my heart is in here." I pound my fist against my chest. "The other half is in there." I point at her chest. "You carry it with you always. Wherever you are, I'm right there within you."
"You are, Nathan." Her hand holds tightly to her chest. "You're in here with me."
"You taught me how to love you." I skim my finger over her cheek scooping up a tear. "You taught me how to love myself."
"I love you so much." She pushes her cheek into my hand.
"Jessica Roth." I reach into my suit jacket, pulling out the small blue box. "I love you more than there are stars in the sky. You are my life. You are my future. Please let me be your husband. Will you marry me?" I open the box to reveal a beautiful, emerald cut diamond ring.
Her eyes jump from mine to the ring. "Yes. I want to. Yes."
I fall into her kiss.
She pulls back slightly as her gaze darts down to the ring box. "It's the most beautiful ring in the world."
"It's your ring," I say softly. "It means you belong to me."
"I want that forever."
"Promise me it's forever, Jessica."
"Forever and always, Nathan," she whispers into my lips. "I'll never let you go."
Epilogue
A year later
"I think he looks like me." I push the blanket down to reveal his tiny chin. "He looks exactly like me."
"Nathan," Jessica reaches past me to cover Aiden back up. "You're going to wake him up."
"He's been sleeping for hours." I don't budge from my spot next to where he's resting on our bed. "He wants to play with his dad."
"He's three days old." She giggles. "He doesn’t even know what playing is."
"I'll teach him." I run my hand along the small amount of black hair covering his tiny head. "I'll teach him everything."