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“Well, that’ll make this part easier, then,” he says.
I’m excited when he stands up, thinking he’s about to lead me to the bedroom. But instead, he drops to one knee.
I gasp, my hands covering my open mouth.Is he...“Cole?”
“Last time I did this, it was fake. To be clear,thisis for real.” He stares at me pointedly, and I nod happily.
“Okay, okay... I’m ready... go ahead... WAIT!” I shriek, holding up my hands. I swipe under my eyes and look up at the ceiling for a second, wanting to make sure I can see clearly. “Get it together, girl. You’ve been waiting your whole life for this moment and it’s only happening once, so don’t blink, because this is gonna besogood.”
I finish off with a little squeal of giddiness to let loose the joy rushing through my bloodstream and then focus on Cole again.
“You ready?” he asks with a patient smile as he takes my hands in his once more.
I nod because if I say anything, I’m going to blurt out an answer before he asks the question.
“Janey Susannah Williams, you are the best and brightest thing in my life. You see good in the world and help me to see it too. You love with abandon, freely giving your whole heart. I vow to be worthy of that gift every single day. Thank you for showing me that love exists.”
The words are close to his first proposal, but tweaked for who we’ve become, to each other and in ourselves. Vaguely, I wonder if he remembered what he said so exactly or if he scouted around and found video online somewhere of Paisley’s ‘ruined’ reception and memorized what he said then so he could repeat it now. That seems more like him, and the effort that would take is endearing and makes my heart warm.
I’m vibrating, the ‘yes’ on the tip of my tongue, and if he doesn’t hurry up and get to the question, I won’t be able to hold it back. Actually, when my hair falls into my face, I realize I’m bobbing my head up and down, already silently answering.
Cole grins but doesn’t make me wait any longer. “Will you do me the honor of letting me be your husband so I can love, cherish, and worship you all the days of our lives?”
“YES!” I shout as I throw myself at him. He catches me solidly as I wrap my arms around his neck, the two of us tumbling to the carpet. “I love you so much! Like stupid amounts of scary, obsessive, want to hole up and be hermit-y with you kind of love, so don’t act like you don’t know what you’re getting into here later, okay?”
I feel his chuckle against my neck. “Same, woman.”
He kisses me, and I can feel the universe click into place for once.
We’re not a fairy tale story. He’s a little rough, kinda stalker-y, and with some damage. I’m no prize either, with more sunshine than sense sometimes. But somehow, our weirdo flags match. And that’s what matters.
“Come here, there’s something I want to show you,” Cole mumbles against my lips.
I let him help me up from the floor and guide me down the hallway to my bedroom,prettysure I know what he’s going to show me. I’ve seen it before... but that doesn’t mean I don’t want to see it again.
And again.
And again.
* * *
Cole
I’m approximately ninety-nine-point-eight percent sure I got this right. I had Louisa hack into Janey’s Pinterest boards, talked to Mason—who was zero help, talked to Kayla—who was some help, and ultimately, went with my gut.
Still, when I dig into the drawer Janey gave me in the dresser, I’m nervous.
I pull out the ring box, and Janey’s eyes widen. “Oh!” she says in genuine shock. “A ring!”
I think she forgot entirely that proposals usually come with one, which is adorable. Of course, I want everyone to know she’s mine, but most of all, I want Janey to look down at her hand every day and see that symbol of my love, right there with her, all the time.
I open the box and her eyes go glittery again. “Cole!”
“Do you like it?” I ask, staring at the ring I’ve spent hours already looking at and imagining on Janey’s finger. “I researched what the policy was at your work for rings, and what’s safest for the diamond, and...”
I did do all those things, plus, I shopped for a ridiculous amount of time until I found the one that felt right. Like Janey.
The ring is a thick gold band with an inlaid half-carat baguette diamond, smooth and almost flush-fitting to the gold band so it can be worn under gloves without tearing them, and as I slip it onto her finger, Janey’s tears overflow.
