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“What is all of this?I thought we were just going to watch the sunrise.”
“We are.”I link my hand with hers, my pulse quickening with every step I take toward the blanket.
I’ve been in hundreds of dangerous situations.Yet I’ve never been more petrified than I am at this very moment.
Licking my lips, I face her, grabbing both her hands.“Do you know what today is?”
“Besides Sunday?”
“Yes.Besides Sunday.”
She pinches her lips together in contemplation.“Is it the one-month anniversary of the first time I popped a zit in front of you?”
I shake my head, my chuckles echoing in the air.Being with Esme fully and openly has helped me see her in a completely different light.Has shown me sides of her I never knew existed.Because I wasn’t allowed to know them before.
But now I’m able to see all the facets that make up this amazing, frustrating woman, and I love them all, even her imperfections.
Especiallyher imperfections.
“Not that, but you can feel free to pop your zits in front of me anytime.”
“Good to know.Is it the anniversary of the first time we got an invitation addressed to both of us, like a real couple?”
“Another good guess, but not quite.”
She takes a few moments, the wheels turning in her head.Then she inhales a sharp breath.“I’ve got it.And this time I know I’m right.It’s the six-month anniversary of when you made me your emergency contact on your passport.”
“Again… No.”
She huffs out a breath.“Well, I’m out of ideas here, so why don’t you just tell me.”
“Okay.”I adjust my stance, meeting her gaze that’s alight from the candles.“It’s the one-year anniversary of the night you asked me to kiss you, and I turned you down.”
“Oh.”Her shoulders fall as she frowns.“I didn’t… Well, it’s not a day I like to celebrate.”
“It’s not a day I’d typically celebrate, either.Which is why I want to replace that memory with a better one.I don’t always want to remember it as the day I almost lost you for good.That I chose my job over you.”I squeeze her hands, my heart rate kicking up.“I want to remember it as the day that I chose you.And I hope to god, you choose me,” I manage to say through the lump in my throat.
Before she can ask what I’m doing, I drop to one knee and reach into the pocket of my cargo shorts.When I pull out a tiny velvet box and flip it open, revealing a sparkling diamond ring, she gasps, hand flying to her mouth as tears well behind her eyelids.
“I don’t have a lot to offer you, Esme.I don’t come from a certain upbringing.Don’t have a trust fund.Hell, I’ve never even gone to college.But despite all of that, despite the fact that we are as opposite as two people can be, there’s no doubt in my mind that we belong together.
“For the longest time, I wasn’t sure if I’d ever get married.Wasn’t sure I deserved to be happy enough with someone to take that step.But I want that with you.I want to wake up next to you every morning.I want to fall asleep beside you every night.I want to celebrate ridiculous anniversaries, like farting and zit popping.”
She laughs through her tears, swiping at her cheeks.
“And I want to spend every day of the rest of my life loving you.In private.And in public.No matter where we go, I want people to physically feel the love we share.Because I fucking love you, Esme Louisa Victoria Grace Wellingston.And I’d be honored if you would marry me.Let me love you today.Tomorrow.And always.”
She blinks back her tears, struggling to get her emotions under control.After several seconds that feel like an eternity, she’s finally composed enough to nod her head and squeak out, “Yes.”
“Yes?”I repeat, taking the ring out of the box and bringing it up to her finger.
“Yes, Creed.I’ll marry you.Today, tomorrow, and always.”
I slide the ring on her finger, then jump to my feet, lips hovering over hers.“Always,” I murmur.
She cups my cheek, the diamond on her ring sparkling in the moonlight.“Always.”
