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“Um, I've had this for a little while now, and I told myself I was waiting for the perfect moment.”
He lifted her left hand and gently slid the ring onto her finger, and was immediately overwhelmed as he performed the simple but deeply meaningful act. Her tears flowed freely now, while he fought valiantly to keep his own in check.
“But then I realized,everymoment with you is perfect. Yes, Lizzy, I will marry you.” He lifted her left hand to kiss the ring he’d just placed there. “Will you marry me?”
She launched herself into his arms, holding him tightly. “Yes, I'll marry you. Yes.” She rained kisses over his cheeks, lips, and eyes. “I love you, Will.”
He caught her face in his hands, and pulled her lips to his for a long, sweet kiss. “I love you, Elizabeth. My Elizabeth.”
She nodded, her forehead pressed to his, and smiled through her tears. “Your Elizabeth. My Will. Always.”
* * *
The ferry ridehome on Sunday was quiet, the boat nearly empty. Will and Elizabeth sat toward the rear of the large passenger cabin, caught up in their own little world. Her head rested on his shoulder, and his fingers traced her ring over and over.
“Lizzy?”
“Mm-hmm?”
“When did you decide to ask me to marry you?”
She chuckled softly. “About three seconds before I did it.”
“How long had you been thinking about it, though? Us getting married, I mean.”
She shrugged. “A while, I guess. At least since we moved in together. Then at Christmas, when I found out Jane was pregnant… I felt like I was ready, but I wanted to make sure you were too. How long have you had the ring?”
“About a month.”
“What were you waiting for?”
He sighed. “I don't know. I guess I had it in my head that there had to be this picture-perfect moment. I'd get hit by the proverbial bolt of lightning, and wham—I’d ask. Straight out of a movie, you know? Funny thing is, that'sexactlywhat happened, but you were already in the middle of telling me you wanted to marry me.”
She lifted her head and grinned, her eyes sparkling. “Great minds think alike.”
He chuckled. “I guess they do.” His gaze dropped to the ring again. “Are you sure you like it? Choosing one was more difficult than I thought it would be. If you're not sure, we can—”
“It's perfect, and I love it. Iloveit. It's beautiful and looks fabulous, if I do say so myself.”
She held her hand up in front of them, admiring the square, cushion-cut diamond and the surrounding smaller stones. The center stone was large, but not garishly so, and more diamonds were set into the platinum band.
“Oh, and I know we’re not really in a hurry to plan, but I had an idea for a wedding date,” she said. “How about the Saturday of Memorial Day weekend?”
“I thought we were trying to avoid the craziness of the holiday?”
“Well…it's kind of a significant day. That’s when Charles had his cookout last year. I was finally starting to realize you weren't an arrogant jerk, and you were beginning to lust after me.”
He chuckled softly. “I'm pretty sure I was lusting before that.”
She grinned. “Probably. Anyway, I thought it would be nice to have our wedding on the same day. Does that sound okay?”
“Lizzy, you could tell me you wanted to get married on the coldest day of the year, in the coldest place on earth, and I would say it sounded perfect. Whatever you decide is fine with me.”
“How about having the reception at the Seaside Inn? It has a wonderful view, and I love that we had our first real date there.”
“I'll say it again; whatever you want, love.” He paused, and his gaze dropped to their joined hands. “I can't believe I get to marry you. I get to be your husband, and you’ll be my wife.” His throat tightened. “Sometimes I can't–I can't believe you're here and that you've chosen me—me—as the person you want to spend the rest of your life with. After everything that happened, after—”
She covered his lips with her fingers. “Hey, no… Where is this coming from?”
He shook his head. “It's just…sometimes I think back to how close I came to losing you. I can't help it. But it’s okay, because it reminds me of how lucky I am to have younow, how fortunate I am to have such an amazing woman in my life, and to never take you for granted.”
“I think about it too…but I think about what would have happened if I’d denied my feelings and played it safe, if I’d chosen a life without you. It scares me, how close I came to that. But we’re so far beyond it now. We have to let it go.” She smiled softly. “I’ve said it before; we’ll remember the past only as it gives us pleasure.”
He nodded and gently held her face in his hands. “I love you so much. But sometimes it doesn't seem like enough.”
“I love you too, and itisenough.” She kissed him. “It's enough, and it's all I need. You're all I need.”
