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“Yes! Isn't it exciting?”
“It is. Charles is really happy. How about Jane?”
“We cried.”
“That figures.”
She pinched his thigh. “She's hormonal.”
“That's a scary word. And what's your excuse?”
“Happiness.” She sighed. “I'm thrilled for them.”
“Me too.” He smiled and kissed her. “I have a little something for you.”
“You weren't supposed to get me anything.” She grinned. “But I have something for you too.”
She rose and went down to the darkroom to retrieve his gift, and when she came back upstairs, she gazed at the Christmas tree. “Can we sit on the floor?”
“Sure.”
He gave her a small box wrapped in pretty silver paper, and she gave him a larger box, wrapped in red, green, and gold striped paper. They opened their gifts simultaneously, and she was the first to lay eyes on hers.
“Oh, Will! This is gorgeous.”
He stopped unwrapping his gift to watch her. He’d given her a bracelet to match the starfish earrings and necklace he’d bought her on the Vineyard over the summer. The starfish were all connected, as if they were holding hands, their surfaces encrusted with diamonds.
“I don't remember seeing a bracelet when we were there.”
“That's because there wasn't one. I had one made just for you.”
“Really?”
“Yes. A one-of-a-kind bracelet for a one-of-a-kind woman.”
She smiled and kissed him. “Thank you. I love it.”
“You're welcome.”
He finished unwrapping his gift, and was struck silent. It was a large collage frame made up of smaller connected frames, each holding various photos of different sizes. All of the images were black and white, and most were of the two of them, though there were a couple of Old Silver Beach and one small one of Fenway. There were photos from the Vineyard, and from their trips to New Hampshire and Vermont and California, but a lot were just of them hanging around on the Cape. Some were just of him, and some were just of her, but most were of the two of them. Together.
The one in the center, a larger portrait, was taken at the Bingley wedding. They faced the camera, with their arms wrapped around each other. The only way to describe their expressions was to say they were beaming. The emotion, the happiness radiating from them was so obvious, it was blinding.
He stared at each picture for a long time, reliving the memories associated with each.
“Lizzy... This is unbelievable. It's–I don't even have the words. Look at you…”
He swallowed thickly as he stared at one picture of her, wearing his thick cream-colored cable knit sweater, her hair loose and flowing down around her shoulders, her body curled up in one of the Adirondack chairs, a brilliant smile lighting her face. The black-and-white imagery did nothing to dampen the sparkle in her eyes.
“My God, you are beautiful...”
He turned to her, entranced by the joy clearly written in her expression, and soaked everything in, the love and the happiness bouncing madly between them, and knew then that he would ask her to marry him. He wouldn't do it now, not tonight, but... When the moment was right, he would know it. He would feel it, and would let his heart guide him.
“You'll have to help me find the perfect spot for this,” he said, his voice rough.
She took a moment to show him how the larger frame separated into three smaller ones, and again, he stared at the pictures before kissing her. “Thank you. It's a beautiful gift. I love it.”
Fenway zoomed into the room then and launched himself at the wrapping paper, tearing it up as he played.
