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I take a deep breath. I’ve been waiting for the right moment, and it feels like it’s here. She puts down her fork, her plate clear of pasta, and she smiles.
“This was so lovely. Thank you.”
“It’s not over yet, baby. I wanted to do this tonight because I wanted to make it special. I wanted it to be like a taster for the life we’re going to have together. I want to be the man that tends to you, makes you dinner, and makes you feel good. I don’t want this to feel like a one-off, because when we’re together these are the things I want to do for you. I’ve spent a long time only caring for myself, giving myself the things I need but now that I have you, your needs will always come first.”
Elle blushes. “You don’t need to do that for me.”
“I do,” I say roughly. “I want to, more than anything. Seeing you happy feeds my soul. And Elle…I know things have been tough lately, but seeing you smile tonight makes me so happy. And I want to give you something else that will make you smile.”
She blinks in surprise, not sure where I’m going with this. I can’t stop smiling as I reach inside my pocket and bring out the ring box. She gasps, finally understanding what all of this is about. I slide from my chair and kneel beside hers, opening the box to show her the ring.
She trembles, unable to comprehend what’s happening.
“Oh my God, Will.”
“Elle, I know how fast we’re moving. I know this might seem very soon to be doing this, but I don’t care,” I growl. “I want this more than anything in the world, and I know you want it too. I know you dream of a life where you’ve got a huge family, a loving husband, and a good place to call home. And I want to be the man who gives you that. I don’t want to wait a year, because I’m already certain. Certain we’re going to make this last. Certain we will be happy forever if we do this. The thought of being married to you…it’s all I want. So baby, please do me the honor of becoming my wife. Will you marry me?”
She’s still shaking as the smile spreads across her face. All she can do is nod as tears of joy fill in her eyes.
“Yes. Of course, I’ll marry you,” she whispers. “Will, I love you so much.”
“I love you too, baby. With my whole heart. I can’t wait to spend the rest of my life with you.”
She giggles as I slide the ring onto her finger. I know immediately that I chose the right one because it fits perfectly. And within moments, we’re kissing like our lives depend on it, caught in the moment, obsessed with one another. This is perfect. This is everything it should be. And this is only the start of our life together, forever.
I lift her into my arms and carry her to the bedroom, my lips on hers and her grip on me tight. We don’t need to hold back anymore. The rest of the world doesn’t matter.
Not when we have one another.
Chapter Nineteen
Elle
Happiness didn’t come to me slowly. It hit me all at once like a Mack truck. Before Will, I was living a life of normalcy and not much else. I guess I was happy, but not like this. And now he’s asked me to be his wife and of course, I said yes. How could I ever refuse an offer like that? How could I ever choose to be without him?
He’s turned my world upside down. Today, as I wake up next to him and snuggle into his chest, I count my blessings, and he’s every single one of them. He’s the perfect man and he’s all mine. I know he’ll never stray from me, and I sure as hell won’t stray from him. He’s everything I’ve ever wanted, and I feel unbelievably lucky to have him.
But there’s just one problem.
There’s a sourness that has tainted my perfect day. Knowing that my dad won’t be around to celebrate any of my special moments with me makes me ache. It hurts to know that because of his choices, he won’t be at my engagement party, at my wedding, at the birth of my first child. He won’t be around to see his grandchildren grow up or to celebrate their birthdays, or help them learn to ride a bike. He’s chosen to step away from it all and it makes me so sad, knowing that my children will grow up without their grandpa.
There are tears in my eyes, now. I can’t help it. Even though he’s let me down, hurt me so badly, I still want him to show up and make things right. I’m still kind of hoping that he’ll come around. I hope he heard us getting engaged last night and can congratulation us one day. Apologize for shutting us out completely.
