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The lyrics to the song flow out of my mouth as if I’m singing along in my car or the shower, and by the time I’ve hit the chorus, I forget that I’m even doing karaoke. I’m so lost in belting out the words like it’s my goddamn job, that I hadn't even realized that Joey is no longer standing near the bar where I left him.
When I’ve finished the bridge of the song before the key change, I hear an uproar of cheers. I know I’m not that good, so I look around me and turn to find Joey down on one knee with a ring box in his hands. I let the microphone drop from my hands in shock. Oh. My. God.
He mouths the words “Marry me,” along with the lyrics, and I’m too much of a sobbing mess to finish the song. The entire bar finishes the song for me — “Just say yes.”
“Yes, yes, a million times, yes!” I nod my head excitedly. Joey slides the ring on my finger before he stands up to spin me around and kiss me. When he sets me down, I feel more weight barreling into me from behind.
"Oh, my God! Oh, my God! Let me see!" Savannah grabs my hand to look at my ring. To be honest, I didn't even get a good look at it because my eyes were filled with tears. It's a round cut diamond with smaller diamonds shaped like four flower petals surrounding it. On each side, there are more diamonds shaped like an infinity symbol. "Oh, Kels, it's beautiful! And may I say, it's about fucking time!"
"What do you think, Angel? Do you like it?" Joey turns my attention back to him.
"I love it, Joey — it's absolutely perfect." I kiss him with every ounce of passion I possess before the DJ interrupts us once again.
"Let's give it up for the future Mr. and Mrs. Brooks, ladies and gentlemen!" The pub crowd bursts into more cheers for us, and I feel my face flush with heat. "Alright, Kelsey, I hate to steal your fiancé away, but he's up next."
I look up at Joey with wide and confused eyes. "You signed up for karaoke?"
"I couldn't leave you hanging, Kels." He kisses my left hand just below my newly placed engagement ring. "Stay right here, I'll be right back."
He picks up the microphone that I dropped and shoots me one last wink and a smile. "Alright, so, fair warning to y'all. I can't sing for shit, and I especially can't sing a country tune. But this is one of my fiancée's favorites, and on the occasion that I hear it, I think of her."
Savannah grabs a stool from the bar and brings it over to the stage so I can sit and watch Joey sing. When the intro to "Eyes on You" by Chase Rice starts up, I start to tear up all over again. I faintly remember him playing the song for me when I was in the hospital, but I couldn't bring my eyes to open. In true Joey fashion, it was listening to "Ride" and him telling me he'd happily ride me if I'd just wake up that did the trick.
It's so hard to believe that the cocky boy I tutored in high school turned out to be this sweet, passionate, selfless man who surprises me at every turn. I love him with all of my heart, and I can't wait to spend the rest of our lives with each other.
Chapter 54
As Kelsey and I drive home from the pub, I can’t help but to continue stealing glances at her. She’s had a permanent smile plastered on her face since I asked her to marry me. It’s a nice change from the worry that’s sat there for the past few weeks.
To an outsider who has no idea of our history, getting engaged after two months probably seems insane. But from the moment we realized that our feelings for each other were mutual, nothing seemed like it was too fast. If anything, it wasn’t fast enough.
“So, what’s your dream wedding?” I ask, figuring she has some ideas in mind — most women seem to plan their weddings from the time they’re ten.
“Is it weird that I never had one?” she winces.
I breathe out a sigh of relief at her question. “It’s not weird at all — but can I ask why you never did?”
“I’ve just never understood the mentality of spending tens of thousands of dollars on one day. I always said I’d much rather take that money and use it for a down payment on a house, or take a nice vacation.”
“Well, Angel. Since we already have a house, how about we do a small destination wedding? Just us, our parents, Savannah and Frankie?”
“I love that idea! Do you have any suggestions of where we should go? And when?”
“How about Christmas in Tuscany?” I offer casually. I’ve already been talking to a travel agent to book the trip before I even proposed, hoping that I could convince her to do this. She’s already got an itinerary drawn up for us — she’s just waiting for me to give her the green light.
Kelsey’s eyes widen so big that I swear they’re going to pop out of her head. “Tuscany?! As in Italy?!”
“Sure, why not? We can get married in Tuscany at sunset, and then take our honeymoon throughout the rest of the country — Rome, Venice, Milan, and so on. It’d be perfect since you’re on break from school that week. What do you think?”
“I think you’re fucking insane, Joey!” She yells incredulously. “For one, I don’t even have a passport —”
“An easy fix,” I interject. “And why am I insane? Because I love you more than life itself and I want to take you to one of the most romantic countries in the world?”
Kelsey stutters, trying to come up with an answer. “Christmas is a month away! How are we going to plan something like this on such short notice? And I can tell you for a fact my parents won’t travel to Italy — they’re the definition of homebodies.”
We pull into the driveway as she finishes her rant, and I turn to face her. “Listen — we have been through absolute hell the past couple of months. I want to give you an unforgettable wedding and honeymoon, Kels. Please let me do that for you.”
She purses her lips together in contemplation. “You’re far too good to me, you know that?”
