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I felt my throat start to close at his words, and the box on my thigh felt like it was burning a hole straight through my jeans.
“I spent the next year becoming the person that I wanted to be. Fixing what wasn’t broken. And knowing in my heart that the moment that I saw you again, I’d tell you that you were beautiful,” he said. “And then life happened. I moved on, growing into the man that I’d one day become. The man that you see in front of you right now. But not one second over the years did I stop thinking about you,” I said. “Then your sister moved in next door. You applied for the job where I happened to work. And I knew that, no matter what, I wasn’t going to be able to fight it any longer. You’re mine, and fate found a way to bring you back to me again.”
I swallowed hard, this time with tears steadily streaming down my cheeks.
I wasn’t a hundred percent sure when they started, but I was unable to control them at this point.
“I’m sure you’re thinking that it’s too soon,” he continued. “That we’ve only been together for a short time, and that I have too much on my plate.” He paused, this time his eyes coming directly to mine. “It’s not too soon. I’ve wanted you, needed you, for a very long time. And I know that you feel the same.”
That was true. I hadn’t been able to forget him at all over the years, even though I’d done my best to try.
Who falls in love with a person in just a few hours, and stays in love with him for years?
I did.
Before he could continue, I hopped down and then tackled him. “Are you asking me to marry you?”
He laughed as we hit the ground, me on top of him.
“Yes,” he answered swiftly. “That was what I was getting at.”
“I do.”
“You do?” he teased, his eyes shining. “I haven’t even told you that you’d be a perfect mother for Isa. I had this all planned out.”
I pressed my lips to his. “I will. I’ll be the best goddamn mother in the history of mothers.” I paused. “But you’re gonna have to discipline her if she does something really bad. I’m no good with tears.”
He snorted. “Neither am I.” He wiped the tears that were still streaming down my face. “Even when they’re happy tears like yours.”
I pressed my face to his, and then let my forehead rest on his bearded chin. “You also have to promise never to shave this off, or we’re going to have to file for divorce.”
His chest shook with laughter. “Promise, honey. I don’t plan on it.”
I breathed out a sigh of relief. Then started to freak out.
“Oh, shit,” I said as I backpedaled off of him and started to search the darkness for a little black box. “Do you have your phone on you? I dropped the box.”
He sat up on his butt in the grass, then pulled out his phone and turned the flashlight app on. It took a little time, but we finally found the hastily dropped box by the tire, and I scrambled for it.
With my ass in the air, I pulled the black box out and whipped around to hand it to him. “Now, put it on me.”
“You haven’t even seen it yet. What if you hate the ring?” he asked.
This time he actually did look nervous.
“Anything that you gave me, Bayou, I wouldn’t hate,” I told him bluntly.
“Fancy,” he breathed. “You undo me.”
Then he opened the box, and I saw the ring and dropped down to my knees at his side.
With the flashlight shining on it, I could make it all out and felt my throat once again tighten.
“Bayou,” I choked.
He pulled the ring out with large, fumbling fingers, and then reached for my hand.
“I saw this ring a couple of years ago,” he said. “I bought it while I was deployed. Cost me a shit ton of money that I didn’t have, but the moment that I saw it, I knew it’d look good on you.” He paused. “It’s not your typical engagement ring.”
I held my left hand out to him. “Put it on me!”
He did, and the moment that it slid into place, it felt like it was made to be there.
“In some cultures, the hummingbird is known as the messenger and stopper of time,” he said, voice rough. “It’s a symbol of love, joy, and beauty. The only bird species that can fly backward and that can stop dead while traveling at full speed.” He leaned forward and twisted the ring on my finger so that I could see the intricate details. “That hummingbird for me is you. You’re my Fancy. The girl that allows me to look upon my past and see that it was important but didn’t define me. You bring me love, joy, and beauty where I thought that there was only darkness. You’re one thing that can stop me in my tracks when my mind is traveling full speed ahead.”
