“Oh,” I said.
“I wanted to bring you here, to the place where it all started. Where we started. To ask you a question.”
I stared at him in disbelief. Is he really...? Is this actually...? My heart pounded in my chest as butterflies burst into flight in my stomach.
He held fast to my hand while the other reached into his pocket and removed a small blue box. With careful dexterity, he opened the box and held it up. Inside was the most beautiful ring I had ever seen—a white gold claddagh ring, an Irish symbol with two hands holding a heart-shaped diamond topped with a crown.
“Lanie, I bought this ring the summer before our freshman year of college, and despite all that happened between us, I held on to it in the hope that one day, you might come back to me. Will you marry me?”
I nodded, unable to speak around the lump in my throat. He had bought that ring when we were first together and kept it the whole time?
“You have to say yes,” he prompted, his lips quirking up in an amused smile.
“Yes,” I finally managed to croak out. His smile widened, and he slid the ring onto my finger. I pulled his hand, and when he stood, I threw my arms around him.
“I can’t believe you’ve had this for so long.”
“You were worth the wait,” he murmured as he kissed me.
We stood on the stage for what seemed like forever but would never be long enough for me. I couldn’t stop smiling. Everything about the moment was perfect, from the ring to the location to Nate. I’d never been happier.
“We should probably get to your dad’s house,” Nate said, his voice reluctant. “I know some people who are dying to know your answer.”
“You told them?” I asked.
“I asked your father’s permission, and I assume he told Steven and Rose.”
I nodded, and we returned to the entrance. “What about all that?” I gestured at the candles on the stage.
“I’ll be back for those later,” he replied with a twinkle in his eye.
As we walked outside, a flash of red caught my attention. “Look!”
The cardinal perched on Nate’s car. In the dim light of the setting sun, it seemed to almost be smiling. Nate reached for my hand, and the cardinal spread its wings and bowed before taking flight. It circled over our heads once before soaring into the sky, beyond where we could see.
~*~
