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It was Nate’s idea to get her a gift. But the actual gift was mine.
I gesture toward the two stones, one pear shaped, one emerald cut, one green, one blue. They lean against each other. Connected, but not intertwined. Different, and yet the same. “It’s to represent us. To you. Together. In a way.”
Laney lifts her eyes and looks between us. “Because of your eye color, right?”
I blush. “I know it’s a bit simplistic, but–”
She grins. “I love it.”
My heart leaps into my mouth. Must…keep…going. “We want to show you how committed we are to you, Laney. And we can’t do that in only a night. We can only do that with time. But if this necklace can somehow represent us…how we’d like to be on your heart. Literally and metaphorically–”
Laney giggles. She’s wearing the biggest smile I’ve seen in a long time.
“Maybe it will inspire you to give us a chance to prove to you we can do this.”
She blinks back tears. Smiles at me. Then Nate.
“You don’t have to prove anything.”
Neither Nate nor I speak.
“It’s beautiful, don’t get me wrong. And I’ll wear it proudly…” Laney takes a measured breath. “But you already proved to me what you want. I just wasn’t willing to see it.” She touches the gems. “I was scared. I’m still scared.”
Nate pipes up, “We’re scared too.”
Laney shakes her head. “But you were so brave. Both of you. I just didn’t see it. I was a coward.”
“Lane, don’t be so hard on yourself.” I reach out my hand toward her.
To my delight, she takes it. Then reaches out for Nate’s hand.
Together, we are connected, the three of us, a chain.
The tears in her eyes spill over. “I love you both. I really do.” She turns to Nate. “I love you, Nate.” Then to me. “And I love you, Mason.”
I never thought it would be so powerful to hear her declare her love this way. In front of Nate.
I expected her to do it in a soft, private way. It would still overwhelm my senses. But here? Like this?
It’s like an explosion of so many things. Pride, delight, honor.
Iwant to cry too now.
Laney kisses each of our hands. Tears slide down her cheeks onto my knuckles. “I’m not going to claim to understand it. In fact, I don’t. What’s so special about me, you know?”
Nate wipes her cheek of tears. “Don’t talk like that. Everything about you is one of a kind, Laney.”
I cup my hand over our clasped ones, lean close. “You’re more compassionate than anyone I’ve ever met.”
I bring our hands to my chest where the necklace she gave me years ago still sits. “You have always loved out loud, with your whole heart. How can we not want to be a part of that?”
“You literally made me walk, Laney. I owe you my life,” Nate says.
Laney’s head rolls back in laughter, big laugh, contagious laugh. “You don’t owe me anything, Nate.”
“Okay, but what if I told you that seeing you every day for all those months, living with you, talking to you about my fears and dreams and everything…” Nate pauses thoughtfully, pinching her chin between his fingers. “What if I told you that I fell in love with you that way?”
It is still remarkable to me that Nate expressing his love for Laney doesn’t make me jealous. All it does is compound the way I’ve felt about her all these years. Affirms the goodness I see in her.
