“Go big or go home, babe,” he whispers into my hair with a chuckle.
I swallow down my nerves and let him lead me down the sidewalk of Wharf Street. It’s not too busy this evening, but there’s Harold, who mans the gangplank at the ferry terminal; he looks at us closely and I can see the surprise register on his face when he notices how Mac’s holding me.
We walk in to Seas the Day and Mac’s arm falls off my shoulders while he grabs two menus and we head to a booth.So far so good. Deep breaths, Tawny.
“Doing okay, babe?” Mac asks, and I’m touched that he’s so worried about me, and annoyed at myself that he even has a reason to worry. I paste a smile on my face and hope I look convincing when I reply,
“Totally fine!” Yeah, because that didn’t sound hystericalat all.
Mac chuckles and reaches across the table to cover my hands with his. He leans down and kisses my knuckles, just in time for Lois, one of the diner’s owners, to appear and take our order. Her jaw drops, and it’s so comical I actually laugh. Mac takes it all in stride and is able to maintain a straight face.
“Hey there, Lois. Good to see you,” he says amiably.
“Shawn Macdonald, nice to have you home,” she stammers out as her eyes dart over to me. “And Tawny Michaels. Well. You’re here. Together.” She looks down at our hands, still entwined together on the tabletop. “Really together?”
Mac lifts his eyes to me and I melt at the happiness he’s projecting. “Yeah, Lois. Really together.”
“Well, I’ll be,” Lois says. Then she turns to the rest of the diner and surprises the crap out of us both by shouting out loud, “Shawn Macdonald and Tawny Michaels are here,together!”
“Oh my God,” I mutter and drop my head to the table in embarrassment as everyone turns to look at us. A few people even cheer.
“Sorry, kids, you have no idea how long we’ve all waited for y’all to get your heads out of the sand and realize you were made for each other! This day has been a long time comin’,” she proclaims loudly.
I lift my head to see Mac nodding and trying to hold back his laughter.
“Well, thanks for that, Lois. We’re pretty happy to be here together.” He motions to her notepad, trying to move the focus off of us and onto dinner. “Could we order two salmon burgers with spicy fries, please?”
“Oh sure, sure. On the house for you two. This is a big day!” Lois gives us one more gigantic smile before walking away.
“Did that really happen?” I ask in a low voice. Mac snorts under his breath.
“Sure did, babe. No changing your mind now,”
That makes me smile. “I wouldn’t dream of it.”
By the time we’re finished eating, I’m pretty sure the entire town has been by our table to tell us how happy they are. It still baffles me that none of them seem to know about our teenage romance, but everyone certainly is vocal about their approval of us dating now.
We head back to my place eventually and I’m equal parts exhausted from being on display all evening, and relieved that it went so well.
“See? Nothing to be afraid of,” Mac says as he comes around to my door once we’re parked at my house. He helps me down and clasps my hand as we walk up to the front door.
“Oh really? Nothing? You know the town is planning our wedding already, right?” I say, meaning it teasingly. But Mac stops, tugging my back into his chest.
“Would that be so bad?” he murmurs.
I shrug my shoulders, because no — it wouldn’t be that bad. It would be everything I’ve dreamed of ever since I was a teenager.
“Tawny,” Mac says, and something in his voice makes me turn around. He’s looking at me with such love, such adoration in his eyes, it takes my breath away. But it comes rushing back in a gasp of surprise when he drops to one knee in front of me. Reaching into his pocket, Mac pulls out a small black box.
My vision is going blurry with tears and I can hardly believe he’s doing this now. But when he opens that box and I see the stunning ring nestled inside, I know it’s really happening.
“I wasn’t planning on doing this so soon, but now that everyone knows about us, I just can’t wait. Mom gave me this ring yesterday and I’m dying to put it on your finger. I’ve loved you since we were kids, Tawny Michaels. Even when we were apart, I never stopped loving you. My body has always craved your touch and my soul has always yearned for yours. I was lucky enough to get a second chance with you and I can’t let another second go by without making you mine forever. Will you promise to be my best friend for life, my partner for always, and my lover for eternity?”
Tears are streaming down my face and I’m grinning wildly, my eyes darting between the beautiful ring and his beautiful face.
“Got an answer for me, babe?” his voice cracks, and I can see he’s crying, too.
“Yes, of course, I’ll marry you!” I throw my arms around his neck and we tumble to the ground in front of my house. We’re laughing and crying and kissing and everything feels wonderful. Suddenly I pull back with a gasp.
