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My stomach settles. Of course. We saw Anita over Christmas, both when we first arrived in Atlanta, and again after our failed visit to Alabama to try to see my dad. He hadn’t opened the door to his bedroom, which was his usual response. Gabe still enjoyed seeing our old house, the pictures on the walls, and what few keepsakes we had from our childhood.
But as far as Anita, both of those visits went remarkably well, and the two of them have exchanged several emails since.
But it’s different having her here. It must be hard for her, too. She hasn’t been to the island since she took off twenty-nine years ago.
Maybe Gabe’s worried about what his friends and the other islanders might say about her when they figure out who she is. The rumors didn’t die in all that time, and her presence will most certainly stoke the fire again.
Yeah, that totally explains his anxiety.
He waves to the crowd. “Hello, everyone, and thanks for coming. I’m going to ask you all to indulge me in a little personal business.”
Personal business? Surely he won’t bring Anita up here.
Actually, maybe that’s perfect. If he shows huge support for her, they can’t talk badly about her.
But he takes my hand and turns me to face him.
The minute I meet his nervous gaze, I understand what this is all about. My throat goes completely tight, and my belly flips.
When he gets down on one knee, the crowd goes crazy, the whole beach erupting in cheers and screams.
Gabe tries to say something into the mike, but there’s no way to hear him.
We wait for a moment, surrounded by noise, smiling sheepishly at each other, until Anya grabs the mike and wolf whistles into it. The sound is so piercing that it quiets the crowd.
She passes the mike to Gabe.
He draws in a deep breath, but he looks significantly less nervous now that the moment is here. “A lot of you know how I met Tillie. She was a tourist.”
The crowd gives a long “Awww,” before Anya slices her arm through the air to cut them off.
“She was only supposed to be here for two weeks. But in those two weeks, we figured out something important. We couldn’t live without each other.”
Someone in the crowd yells, “And sex on the beach!”
Gabe laughs. “She definitely knew all about those.” But before they can get rowdy again, he adds, “Because she is a bartender like me.”
His hand is warm in mine. I watch the breeze lift his sandy hair, the pale lines around his eyes revealed when his face gets serious.
“We decided that separating was not something we could do, and after Hurricane Calinda took down my bar, we decided to both go work in the heart of the resorts. Our boss, Clay, was good enough to sponsor Tillie for a work permit.”
He turns to look at the building behind him. “I knew that if I was going to open another beach bar, the only way I wanted to do it would be with her by my side. So today I am sealing the deal with a question and a promise.”
He pulls a tiny velvet box out of the pocket of his blue shorts.
“Tillie, I promise to always keep you interested. To always have fun. To always honor the traditions you bring to this island as well asthe ones we will create together. And I promise to love you. Whether we live here, in the States, or wherever life might take us, my home is where you are.”
The crowd is so quiet that I can hear the waves pounding the sand behind them.
Gabe draws in another breath. “Now for my question.” He keeps his gaze on me, but when he asks, everyone knows what he’s going to say, so it’s not just Gabe who says the words. It’s everyone.
“Will you marry me?”
The words fade out as everyone quickly quiets again to hear my answer.
I lean into his mike. “Yes, Gabe. Yes, I will.”
I hold my hand out as the cheers of the crowd crescendo to their loudest yet. He slips the ring, a perfect clear diamond on a silver band, on my finger.
