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Karina’s headon my chest with her arms wrapped around my waist is my favorite place to be. Here, I don’t worry about what Caleb’s doing. If he’s eating, if he’s sleeping, are his coaches and teammates giving him a hard time, is he screwing around with girls he shouldn’t be? I don’t worry about what’s going on in this town with the moonshine business. My brain isn’t traveling fifty thousand miles an hour trying to unravel the mystery of how the moonshine is in the school. For the brief moments she’s in my arms and I’m in hers, my brain is quiet, my thoughts are peaceful. The only thing I think about is how good it feels to have a partner. How warm and loved I feel with her beside me. It’s an emotion I’d never known until I’d met her.
“You’re quiet,” she comments as she runs her foot up my leg.
“Just thinking.” I roll over so that we’re now facing each other, holding her in my arms.
“What are you thinking?” She smiles, running her finger along my jawline. Those green eyes of her are inquisitive and as bright as they always are. If there’s one thing this woman has more than any other person I’ve ever met, it’s a love of life.
My thoughts are more than likely not what she’s assuming. In fact, I’m surprising myself with the direction my thoughts have taken. First and foremost, I’m wondering what it would be like to wake up with her next to me every morning. I’m trying to figure out why I’ve wasted so much of my life living one way, when I’ve always wanted to be the settled guy. I’ve always wanted to give Caleb the family he never had, always dreamed of having a partner. In the midst of this thing Karina and I have started, I’ve come to know what that actually means. How good it feels to have a partner, and I don’t want to give it up. I’ve not planned any of this, but I feel such an urge, I blurt out the words that are on an infinite repeating scroll in my mind.
Voice hoarse, hands shaking, stomach in knots, I ask the question that’s been rolling through my mind. “Marry me, Rina. Make me the happiest man in the world, and marry me.”
Her surprise is written across her face, evident in the way her eyes widen, and the shock. “Mason, we haven’t been together that long.” She shakes her head. For the first time I see fear from her.
“I’m not like that other guy.” I cup her face the palms of my hands, holding her steady, forcing her to look at me. “I’m not your ex-fiancé. I know what I would lose if I lost you, and I’m not planning on doing it.” I tilt my head back in frustration for a second. “I’m just a guy, totally in love with a woman, who’s waited more years than most to start that part of his life. I’ve never felt like this for anyone else, know deep down that I’ll never feel like this for anyone ever again. Why wait, Rina? Why wait when I know I’m never going to love anyone else as much as I love you. My job is dangerous, and tomorrow is not promised.” My voice is hoarse as I give her some reality. Every day when I leave the house, there’s a possibility I won’t come home. It’s always mattered, because of Caleb, but now it’s more acute. This woman has my heart; I don’t want to leave her alone, should it come to that. More than anything I’m desperately wanting to spend whatever time I have left on this earth with her, making memories that last a lifetime, telling our grandkids about how we met, and how the attraction was so fucking instantaneous that I knew in the moment she would be mine forever.
“I just love you, and I just want to make memories with you, Rina. Fuck that other guy; he didn’t know what he had. He let go of you so we could find each other. Don’t you believe that?”
Our eyes meet, I can see the fear in the depths of those green orbs, but I can also see her wanting to say yes. There’s a yearning I’ve never seen before.
“Let me give you everything I have. My love, my heart, my last name. It’s all yours. All you have to do is say yes. Even if you don’t say yes-,” I lean my forehead into hers, “-I’ll get it. It’s only been a few months, but this feeling isn’t going anywhere. You can guarantee that above everything else. This catch in my chest when I see you, the pounding of my heart, the smile that instantly spreads across my face? It’s going to be there every fucking time I see you, no matter if we’re together for a few months or a few dozen years.”
“Yes.” I faintly hear a whisper, feel wetness when I reach up with my thumbs. “Yes, I’ll marry you.”
“You will?” My stomach that’s been doing somersaults since I asked is now gurgling with joy. My heart which has been nervously pumping is now happily pounding with excitement.
She chokes out a laugh. “If you didn’t think I’d say yes, why did you ask?”
“I hoped you would.” I let go of her and reach over to the bedside table, opening the drawer and grabbing out the ring Caleb helped me pick out when we were together over the weekend. “This is for you.”
“You have a ring!!??” she squeals, sitting up, forgetting about being naked under the sheet.
“You think I’d ask without one? Caleb helped me pick it out. When he and I met for the afternoon, this is what we did.”
“Then I know it’s perfect.” Her voice shakes as I open the box and show her the oval diamond set in rose gold. It’s classic and timeless, everything she is wrapped up in a small trinket of my affection. The way she gasps when it comes into her view lets me know we’ve done a good job.
Sliding off the bed, in all my naked glory, I get down on one knee, holding out my hand for hers. “Karina Holland, will you share my life with me? Be my wife and come on this journey with me.”
“Yes,” she answers again, letting me slide the ring on her finger before she vaults off the bed, throwing her arms around my neck, kissing me, wrapping herself around me. “Yes, yes, yes!” She pulls back, and it’s there in those eyes, where there had been fear minutes ago, I see the promise of my future.
“I’ll make you happy, Rina, I swear.”
“You already do, big guy.” She plays with my hair, running the strands through her fingers. The goofy smile on her face, I know is mirrored in mine, and I’m not sure those will ever go away. “Nobody’s ever made me happier, and I can’t wait to do life with you.”
Life with her? Going to be the best ever.
Karina
Happiness was alwayssomething that seemed to elude me. Something that seemed like everyone else had. I’d thought I was happy in Philly, until I came to Laurel Springs and realized what happiness really was. Now that I’m with Mason, I know I was content, but I wasn’t happy. Every morning I wake up ready to face the day, ready to spend it with him, and to see what kind of trouble we can get into. Since the school year ended, there hasn’t been much on the moonshine front, so it’s allowed Mason to keep a regular schedule. It also affirms his thought that someone inside the school is the supplier. As I lie in bed this morning, all those thoughts are running through my head, but the one thing that outweighs all of it, is the new engagement ring sitting on my finger.
Lifting Mason’s arm from around my waist, I carefully crawl out from under the blanket. Once I get to the kitchen, I do everything I can to contain a squeal, the squeal I’d wanted to give into last night when he’d proposed. When I know I can’t, I quickly make my way out to the back deck, run through the freshly cut yard and do a little dance while squealing to my heart’s content. As I walk back to the house, I realize something else. I’m dying to share this momentous occasion with someone who will understand.
Grabbing my cell phone, I take a picture of my finger and attach it to a group message with Violet and Leigh.
K: So this happened last night.
I don’t expect them to answer quickly, considering it’s early in the morning. Earlier than I realized when I see it’s barely pushing seven. But I’m surprised as they respond.
V: OMG, Karina!!! Is that what I think it is?? Did you and Mason get engaged???
