Page 108 of Overkill

Another laugh from the peanut gallery. Damn kids.

“I still don’t understand what you want.” I did. But he had to ask. I couldn’t say yes until he asked.

“I want to help fix up this house, take care of the kids, and take care of the farm. I am never gonna be rich. Not smart enough for it, honestly. I’m a simple guy. But I don’t cheat, lie or steal, and I honor my commitments.”

“Okay…”

Just say it, damn it!

“I just…” He took a shuddering breath. “Do you want to?”

“Want to…what?”

Ask the damn question, Greg.

He dug around his pockets until he found what he was looking for.

Greg dropped to one knee and pulled out a diamond ring so big, it was flashier than anything the Grays had. Gaudier than anything I’d ever seen in a celebrity magazine.

The rock was going to blind me.

It was an iceberg. The one that took down the Titanic.

And I kind of liked it.

“You have to be shitting me.” I covered my mouth to stifle a giggle.

“I shit you not, baby. I’m here. And I’m asking.” He shook his head a little, still looking up at me from one knee. “Will you marry me?”

After all my internal bitching for him to get on with it, I had nothing to say. Words were not a thing anymore. What were words, again? I’d completely forgotten.

“I…I don’t want your money or your benefits. The carpentry’s nice, but…” I was breathless, my mouth was dry. I did not want to fuck this up.

But how could this be real? How could he be here right now, after all this time? He just shows up out of nowhere to propose? That was absolutely insane.

I heard several squeals of “What the hell, Mel?” from behind the kitchen threshold, and you know what? They had a point.

“I come with baggage—”

“I told you before,” he said with a teasing smirk on his lips. “That’s not a nice way to talk about your brother.”

I snorted, then covered my nose, because that was one hell of a way to ruin the mood.

“Marc and Miriam are going to be my priority until they’re done with college and can stand on their own two feet.”

“As they should be.”

“I need more than finances as a reason to be with someone.” My voice lifted at the end, because the truth was, I wanted to marry for love. And I was already in love. The kids loved him, too. But the question was…did he love us back?

“Tell me what you want, and I will do it. Bigger ring? A grander fucking gesture? Want me to skydive from a C-130 and land at the exact spot at the end of the aisle so we can get married? I’ll do it. Just name it.”

I suspected a bigger ring might actually cause permanent injury to my hand.

“We’ll put a pin on that skydiving thing, because I’m pretty sure that’d outdo the massive event that was Valerie Gray’s wedding,” I snickered. “But no. I just want…someone who…who lov—”

“I love you, Melody. I love your brother and sister, too. I want to be a part of this. A part of you.” He took my hand in his, letting the ring hover over my finger. “I’ll change my last name to yours, if you’d like. Just so I can share that part of my identity with you guys.”

“No,” I snorted, then covered my nose with embarrassment. “At this point, I’m pretty sure we’d rather become Vedders than stay Grays.”