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“I think you could help a lot,” I said, swinging him into my arms while he laughed. “You can be my wingman.” “Wingman?”
“I’ll explain later,” I dodged the question carefully. I spent the day thinking of ways to surprise Roseline and how I could include Ciro. When she got home, I was certain she was suspicious of how fidgety I was and how excited Ciro was, but neither of us spilled the beans.
Instead, we all sat down for dinner and continued discussing moving, which Ciro was against because this was home, but Roseline and I knew we needed a larger place. Buying a property made the most sense, we had been scanning the ‘for sale’ section. Yet, we hadn’t found the right place. We had looked at several houses, but none hit that feeling of coming home. I had talked about building a house. In the end, that had been the correct decision, even though Roseline had opposed it initially.
All this had been discussed, yet Roseline hadn’t once hinted at the thought of wanting to marry. I didn’t even find bridal magazines left out for me, which was not her style, but at least it would be something. It was probably why I still questioned if she wanted this.
That night as she was in the shower and I had just finished mine, my fingers found the velvet box holding the tiny circle that could change even more of my life. I rubbed it with my thumb thoughtfully before finding a good place to hide it for the next several days. It disappeared just in time, the sound of the shower turned off, and I was still rubbing a towel across my hair, trying to appear as calm as possible.
It wasn’t until nearly a month later that I could coordinate everything.
The evening started with getting Ciro ready for the dinner I had planned. He wanted to look just as handsome for the occasion as I did.
He wore a dress shirt and slacks, and I had to say he looked quite handsome; he reminded me of my younger self. The green eyes told me he wasn’t just a clone.
Roseline came out looking stunning. She was in a beautiful A-line dress with an off-the-shoulder sleeve design. For a moment, I became speechless, reminded once again of the day I first saw her at the party. “You look gorgeous,” I murmured, lightly kissing her lips.
“Mommy, you look pretty!” Ciro cheered from beside my legs. “Well, don’t you two look handsome,” she said with a gentle tilt of her head, obviously recognizing something was going on, and her beautiful mind was probably quick at work trying to figure out what.
Ciro jumped happily after the compliment while I nervously placed my hands in my pockets to check on the ring for the third time in the last hour. It was about time to head out, so I made sure everyone had their coats on while trying not to lose my cool.
The restaurant we were going to specialized in Mediterranean cuisine, which we had learned Ciro had a taste for naturally, just another thing he seemed to get from me. I had rented out the entire garden space for us and hired a small band to set the tone for the evening.
The air was filled with crickets as we walked through the lavish dining room and out into their garden, where fairy lights decorated the bushes and tea lights lit the table.
A rare orchid I’d bought for this occasion sat in the middle of the table, and I watched Roseline’s face light up. The music was soft violins and guitars perfectly timed to play an instrumental version of “Become My Wife” and “All of Me.” Did she notice no one else was there or what music was playing? “Oh, it’s beautiful!” she exclaimed, forgetting all sense of decorum to hurry to the special plant that had one bloom on it.
“But seriously, you guys are acting funny.” Her eyes skipped from our son to me, and I laughed, shaking my head, “I have no idea what you’re talking about; we just wanted a special night out.” She looked at me through narrowed eyes but sat down for dinner anyway. It went smoothly, and the question wasn’t supposed to be popped until around dessert.
We were nearing the time that dessert would be served, and my fingers could not stay out of my pocket. Thankfully, because of the table setup, I think she didn’t notice. Roseline was completely enveloped in trying to keep Ciro mildly clean since his dress shirt was pure white, and she hadn’t gotten a picture yet.
When dessert came out, chocolate orange crème brulé and Roseline’s attention got diverted. I handed Ciro the ring box with nerves running high. This was all a part of the plan, and it was going well; now, it was just up to him. Not that I couldn’t fix anything that might go wrong at this point, adding him into the mix seemed right. He was what brought us together in the end. “Oh, this looks so delightful,” Roseline cooed, taking time to enjoy the sparkle of the scorched sugar in the candlelight before she picked up her spoon.
“Mommy, wait!” Ciro cried out as he left his chair. She looked up in surprise and patiently waited for the rest of his sentence. Like she always did, she was constantly patient with our son. “Um…I want to ask,” he paused, trying to recall what we had practiced.
I watched silently, my breath catching in my chest as my son pulled out the black velvet box that held what felt like my entire life and all my pride inside it. Roseline watched with confusion and surprise. Ciro’s little hands slowly opened the lid, exposing the blush pink diamond ring, and she gasped. Her eyes darted towards me, as I left my chair to get on one knee.
“What’s going on here?” she asked.
“We’re asking if you will marry me.” I finally said, working around the lump in my throat and feeling my heart ramp up to a speed that I thought might have a heart attack. I took the ring from the box and slipped it onto her finger.
She stayed frozen for a second, her eyes moved back and forth between Ciro and me for several seconds. It’s like she expected this to be a joke, but instead, her body began to relax, and she slowly, silently nodded once. Then again and one more time until it became continuous. “Yes, yes,” she whispered hoarsely. “I will. God, I’ve been waiting. You took so long, Aldric.”
She burst into tears, and I quickly stood up to hug her. “Of course, I will marry you, my beautiful man,” she said amidst sobs. I barked out a laugh; that’s just like her. She was waiting for me to take the first step to push our relationship to the next level, guarding her heart carefully from pain. But now her eyes sparkled as I walked beside Ciro and lifted him off the floor. I then assumed the position before her, so I could confirm the ring was securely on her finger and accept the brunt of her near-violent embrace. I hummed to the tune playing in the background. I was pleased with Roseline’s giddiness while she giggled in my ear, my arms wrapped around her waist, and I hugged her. With Ciro beside us, I couldn’t stop the chuckle that rolled through my entire body. As I held Roseline and Ciro for a bit longer, I was aware of the smell of orange blossoms, and I was transported back to Greece like I always was when I was near her.
I realized right then that I wanted to have the wedding in Greece. And share my new family with my extended family in Greece. I had found a home, no matter where we were in the world, which would make me feel as good as I did in my childhood home.
With Ciro and Roseline with me I would never feel lonely again, I would feel love, and I would never feel lost.
Chapter 24
Roseline
Itallfelllikeperfectly laid dominoes after that. After Aldric asked me to marry him it was easy to agree to have the wedding celebration in Greece.
I met his family, which were loving and open as they welcomed me, a stranger into their home. They were thrilled to see Ciro and eagerly cooed over a perfect little clone of Aldric, with the exception of my green eyes.
He fit in rather quickly and found a group of friends near his age in the village just a few streets down. We stayed there for weeks, arriving nearly eight days early just to enjoy the sun and fresh sea air. I was amazed at how much better the oranges were here.
