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“You’ve seen this place a million times before.”
“I think I can add some necessary context, for Betty’s sake,” she said with a grin.
“Then, by all means,” I said, sweeping my hand to let her take the lead.
“Over here, Betty, is where your father turned down my proposal.” Thea gestured to a clearing between two pens.
“Don’t listen to her, Bet,” I said, pretending to cover her ears. “I didn’t ‘turn down’ your mother’s proposal. I just delayed it.”
Thea laughed, “You said absolutely not!”
“I said we’d wait for your dream wedding: Grace Kelly inspired wedding dress, lilies in the bouquets, full formal reception.”
“Maybe Mommy was a little over ambitious before you came along. I would have been fine with a simple courthouse ceremony.”
I shrugged, unsure if she was lying to me or herself. “We can sign the marriage certificate, if you want, but I think we should just wait until next summer and have a big wedding.”
She frowned, worrying her bottom lip. I wrapped an arm around her and pulled her close. “I’m not going anywhere.”
She pressed her hand to Betty’s back, dropping her head onto my shoulder with a sigh. “You say that, but I almost lost you once by waiting.”
I shook my head. “Nope. Not even a little. Besides, you left out the most important part about that proposal.”
Thea’s head bolted up. “Excuse me?”
“You’re leaving off part of the story.” I moved my gaze to Betty, moving her hat back onto her head and off of her eyes. “I hate to say this about your mom, but that proposal? Not great.”
“Not great?” Thea bristled.
I shook my head. “Nope. Sort of awful, actually. Your mom is great at a lot of things, but proposals aren’t one of them. We were walking past this enclosure.”
“Shuffling. You could barely walk.”
“Shuffling past this enclosure, talking about what would happen once you were born. Your mom was scared that something might happen to her, and we were discussing drawing up some paperwork for both of us.” I chucked Betty’s pudgy chin, lifting her baby blue eyes to meet mine. “And your mom said, ‘wouldn’t it just be easier to get married? We can go into town tomorrow for that license.’”
“Right, and then I wouldn’t have had to draw up a living will and a power of attorney.” Thea rolled her eyes.
Betty whined, a high-pitched screech that grabbed Thea’s attention.
“See, even she thinks that’s a terrible way to propose.” I said. “And I didn’t even mention the lack of a ring.”
“You don’t wear jewelry,” she argued.
“But that’s just how it’s done. No decent proposal happens without a ring.”
“Oh, please, tell me exactly what you know about decent proposals,” Thea said, the edge of her lips tipped up in a smile.
I cupped Betty’s head and swooped down onto one knee. Thea’s eyes widened, reaching out to stop me as if I were still a fall risk.
“Theodora Charlotte Dawson, I loved you from the moment I saw you.”
Her cheeks burned red, eyes fluttering away. “We met in the hospital. I don’t even think we had depth perception then.”
“And it only took me another twenty-seven years to realize you are the only person I want to spend my life with. You held my hand on our first day in school, helped me through my first broken heart, and stood by me when a moose mauled me. You sewed half my wardrobe and had my baby. You’re the kindest, most generous, most wonderful person I know and I can only hope that I make you half as happy as you make me. Thea, will you marry me?” Tears misted her eyes as I reached for my pocket. “Wait. I almost forgot the most important part.”
I moved the carrier to the right, shifting Betty until I had room to pull the ring out of my pocket. Thea’s mom’s ring didn’t have a fancy box. Before her dad left town, he’d gifted my mom a small box of mementos, things to give Thea as she got older. The square-cut diamond ring had a gold band and a single garnet stone on the opposite side, placed after Thea’s birth. I added a topaz stone for our little Elizabeth Martha Clark.
“See, Betty, this is what makes a good proposal great. An actual ring.” I slipped the ring onto Thea’s finger. Her other hand covered her mouth as she looked down at us in shock.
“What would have happened if I had just taken a nap?” she finally managed.
I laughed. “I don’t know. Maybe I would have proposed without Betty strapped to my stomach?”
“I don’t think a proposal like that would have been nearly as good,” she whispered, dropping her hand to touch the ring. She drew her fingertips over the two stones embedded in the band.
“So…is that a yes?”
She nodded, sinking down next to me. Her warm palm snaked around my neck, pressing her forehead to mine. “Yes. Absolutely yes.”
