“Enjoy it,” he says.
“I will.”
“And enjoy him,” he adds pointing at Apollo over my shoulder, who focuses on me in all the chaos surrounding him. “He’s a good man. He loves you every bit as much as I loved my Nancy.”
With a tear streaking my cheek, I kiss Mr. Davis on his as I’ve always done.
“Hey, now. You edging in on my girl?” Apollo jokes as he spins me into his arms.
“It’s arguable, you stole her from me first,” Mr. Davis jokes back.
“Touché,” Apollo says then lets go of me with his right hand to shake the one Mr. Davis holds out to him.
“It was good doing business with you, son. I wish you both the very best and congratulations.”
“Congratulations?” I ask turning a questioning eye on Apollo.
“See… I had this whole thing planned out,” Apollo says holding me more tightly. “But the old man stole my thunder.”
“You had what all planned?”
Our friends are still talking up a storm as I lose my breath when Apollo backs up a step and drops to one knee.
“Oh, my God!” Haley shouts behind us and the room goes deathly quiet again.
“I’ve been wanting to do this since the second I knew I loved you,” Apollo says pulling a little white box out of his pants pocket. I know that box. It’s the kind they use at the pawnshop on the corner.
My heart flutters. I love that he doesn’t try to impress me. It shows how much he really does want this life. “That moment came when I woke up and you weren’t there beside me.
“Lilypop. I can’t imagine not waking up next to you or not falling asleep beside you every day, for the rest of my life. I’ve known for quite some time something was missing. That was when I knew, it was you I was missing. Cala Lily Carmichael. Will you marry me?”
I don’t even give him a chance to open the box before I fling myself at him with my answer. A resounding, “Yes,” as I hold him letting my happy tears soak his beard.
“I’m going to take such good care of you, Lilypop.”
“Nah,” I say playfully nudging his nose with my own. “We’re going to take good care of each other,” I say before he dips me over his knee and gives me a kiss full of dreams I know will come true.
* * *
