Page 92 of Read With Your Heart

I keep the ball, shoot and rebound my own shot. I shoot again and again.

“She’s cheating,” Leon teases, but he nods at the girls to flip the final three cards, and I read them altogether.

M -A - R - R - Y - M - E - ?

The girls bounce around, and the letters jiggle while they cheer. Lys stands with the girls wearing the largest smile I’ve ever seen on her. I turn back to Leon who stands at the top of the key. With parents and family friends as witnesses, he drops to his knee, and I slowly walk to him.

“There are many things I don’t know to be true, but this I give to you. My heart, my soul, my body. My essential being belongs with you.”

“I don’t know that one,” I say, focused on the box in his hand as it blurs from the tears in my eyes.

“It’s a Leon original,” he says, popping open the box to show me a square cut diamond with an emerald on either side of it.

“I love Leon originals,” I whisper, staring down at the ring.

“This next line isn’t so original, but I’ve been waiting to use it on you for a while. Will you marry me, pretty lady?”

My eyes see his sparkling, just like the ring before him.

“Yes, honey. I would love to marry you.” I cup his cheek as I give him my answer, my entire body trembling. Leon slips the ring on my finger as my head continues to nod. Once finished, I kiss him before our audience. The small crowd erupts. The team screams and hollers, but I don’t hear any of it over the beating of my heart.

“I have a line for you, too, honey,” I say as he rises from his knee, his hands on my hips. “I’m pregnant.”

Leon stares at me, his eyes widening while the crowd around us still cheers a bit.

“That’s it. Not very original. I’m preg—”

Leon lets out a whoop, wraps his arms around me, and hoists me into the air by my waist. His mouth crushes mine, and more cheers follow along with some ews and a couple of gags.

“Quit kissing,” someone calls out.

“You’re frightening the children,” Jess says somewhere to the side of us. Leon sets me down, puts his hand over my belly, and looks up at my brother. Lys has made it to center court, and I reach out an arm for her, drawing her into our moment with a side hug.

“She’s having my baby.”

Jess’s brows lift. “That happened fast. Did you hear that, Katie bug? He asked her to marry him, kissed her, and now she’s pregnant, so no kissing allowed and no marriage proposals until fifty.” Katie stands next to Jess and giggles into her hand.

“Who’s not allowed to kiss?” Emily asks, making her way to us and slipping a hand across Jess’s back.

“Leon got Tricia pregnant because he kissed her,” Jess explains incorrectly.

Emily’s eyes widen, and she looks at me for confirmation. When I nod, she nearly leaps for me, hugging me and screaming in my ear about how excited she is.

“Take it easy. Precious cargo,” Leon says, freeing me from Emily’s clasp and bringing me back to his side.

“If kissing makes you pregnant, does that mean Emily’s having a baby because Daddy’s always kissing her?” Katie asks. Her voice is still low after years of disuse, but her observations are as sharp as ever. She giggles again, the sweetest sound, and we all laugh while Emily shakes her head. Her twisted smile tells me they’ve been trying as well, but they have a wedding to plan. They’re getting married this coming summer.

+ + +

After the congratulations are received and the crowd thins, only Leon and I remain in the middle school gym. Lys went out for pizza with Jess, Emily, and Katie, and we’ll be meeting them at the pizza place.

“I know I’ve only just asked, but I don’t really want to wait, so when can we get married?” Leon says as we stand in the center of the court once again. His arms are wrapped around me, and I lean into him.

“With Emily and Jess getting married next summer, could we wait until next winter?”

“Winter? Do you know how cold it gets up here?” He shivers against me.

“You grew up in Chicago. Think it’s any warmer there?”