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It’s all I can think about when I go to bed. Living with Alden. I’m sure I’m romanticizing it in my head some, but I can’t help it. Alden is everything to me. I’ve never felt like this for anyone else and I don’t think I ever could.
He loves me in ways other men lack. He’s always there when I need him, when I have a bad day or just need help with something. He cooks dinner for me often and the happy blush he gets when I compliment his food is adorable. He takes me out on romantic dates.
More than anything though, we have fun. We enjoy being together so much that it doesn’t matter what we’re doing, we can make it fun. He had me laughing until I thought I might pee myself while we were waiting in line at the post office, then laughed so loud everyone looked when I had to rush away to find a bathroom.
Odd as it sounds, that’s love. Those everyday moments that make you realize you’d never want to do any of these mundane things with anyone else. Whether the experiences are silly or hard, weird or sad, nothing would be the same without them there.
Somebody help me, I’ve fallen too far.
I peek at my phone to make sure I don’t have a text before turning over to try to sleep. My last text was Alden telling me good night over two hours ago. I’ve finally started to doze off when I hear a thump.
Tori and Paul must be going at it. I reach for my earbuds on my nightstand and nearly jump out of my skin when my gaze reaches across to the window.
A figure moves, outlined in moonlight. All I can see is a human shaped shadow. Alden is out of town. Besides, there’s no trellis to climb out there. There’s a tree but it’s not close enough by a long shot. I must be mistaken. It’s probably a shadow from the tree leaves.
It moves again and I hear, “Well, fuck. Ella, can you open up?”
What the hell is Alden doing? This window is rarely open because it gets caught and it’s a pain to open or close. Guess I forgot to mention that to him, but he hasn’t had to crawl in my window since my parents’ house.
“What are you doing?” I laugh, helping him shove the window up.
“Well, I almost plunged to my death but that’s not why I’m here.”
He clambers inside and my heart beats faster, the same way it has since he crawled in when I was thirteen.
I start toward him with the intention of kissing the hell out of him, but I stop short. He stands in front of me in a dark suit and tie. His slight grin is brushed with anxiety. “I thought and thought about it. I couldn’t imagine any more fitting way to do this but the same way we started.”
He bends down on one knee and holds up an opened ring box. “Ella, if I’ve ever done anything right in my life, it was climbing in your window to kiss you. I love you and you’re the only woman I ever want to love. Will you be my wife?”
Words stick in my throat. Not an ounce of me expected this. He looks up at me with a mixture of adoration and expectation.
My brain finally leaps back into gear. “Yes,” I practically shout. He gets to his feet in time for me to tackle him and nearly knock him back to the floor. “Yes, yes, yes.” I slam my lips to his and he grabs my jaw with one hand while he kisses me back.
Grinning, he pulls back. “So, that’s a yes?”
Tears run down my face while I nod with a giggle. He plucks the ring out of the box and slides it on my finger.
“It’s beautiful,” I choke out. It is, but it could’ve been made of candy for all I’d care. All I want is Alden, and he wants me. For the rest of our lives.
Alden kisses me again before calling out, “She said yes!”
My bedroom door pops open. Tori rushes over to hug me with a squeal while Paul lingers in the doorway, a bottle of champagne in his hands.
“You knew!” I accuse Tori.
“It’s killed me for the last two days!”
Alden grins and nods at Paul. “Thanks for bringing the ladder.”
“Anytime.”
“I can’t believe you were all in on this.” A realization strikes me, and I point at Tori. “And you let me go on about asking him to move in with me.”
Tori cracks up and looks at Alden. “She was worried over whether you’d say no. Like legitimately concerned.” She takes Paul’s hand, and they start for the door. “We’ll meet you downstairs for a glass of champagne.”
As soon as they’re gone, Alden pulls me into his arms. “You were going to ask me to move in?”
“Yes. I spent the last few hours tossing and turning and agonizing over it.” It seems ridiculous now.
