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“Okay.” I cross my arms, more curious than ever about why he’s here.
“I heard you’re dating Steve Seaborn, and whatever, that’s your choice I guess, but you need to”
I cut him off. “Wait, you heard I’m dating Steve?”
“Aren’t you? You guys have been seen out a lot lately.”
I laugh. “Oh my God, that’s...actually not surprising that people would gossip like that, but no. We aren’t dating.”
He exhales hard, looking relieved. “You’re not? Are you dating anyone?”
“No.” I gesture at his snow-soaked shoes. “Take your shoes off and I’ll show you something. I just put in hardwood so I’m fanatical about my floors now.”
He kicks off his shoes and I lead the way to the smallest of the three bedrooms in the house. Ben’s eyes widen as he takes in the three long work tables I have set up there, two of them holding finished artistic lamps I’ve made recently and one holding parts and tools.
“I’ve been making lamps from salvaged building materials,” I explain. “Steve let me sell some in his stores and they’ve been selling so well that he’s helping me make the connections I need to start my own line and hire help building them.”
Ben’s jaw drops as he walks over to examine one of the lamps, which I built from a broken stained-glass window.
“I had to take a welding class. And also learn...well, everything about wiring a lamp.”
“These are incredible.” He looks at me, the awe in his expression making pride swell in my chest. “How long have you been doing this?”
“I started in July. After my mom died, I...I don’t know, I guess my inspiration for the first lamp I made was her. I got a wire angel figurine from someone as a gift at her visitation and I kept looking at it and thinking how cool it would be to make it into a lamp. I wanted light to shine down onto the angel. So...I did it.”
I point at the sitting by itself on a corner shelf. “It’s the only one that’s not for sale.”
Ben eyes soften as he looks at me. “You are incredible, Stella.”
I gesture toward the doorway. “Can we sit down in the living room?”
He follows me into the living room, where I sit down on one end of the couch and he sits on the other. We’re in the same positions we were six months ago, but I’ve changed since then.
“I want you to know that you were right,” I say, turning to look at him. “I did need time and space after my mom’s death. At first it was really hard. For my entire life, I’ve always had at least one other person to consider in every choice I’ve made. I considered Owen when I chose my college, Owen when I waited tables to help support him when he was in law school, my mom when I decided not to apply for jobs after grad school. Only having myself to consider was scary at first.”
His gaze is filled with longing. “I hope you know I didn’t want you to have that time for yourself because I don’t love you. It was because I love you. And when my mom told me you were dating Steve...” He shakes his head. “I kind of lost it. I mean, if you do want someone else, or no one...I’ll respect it. But not a day goes by that I don’t think of you and miss you.”
My pulse pounds as his words sink in. “I think I know what you’re saying, but maybe I don’t. I haven’t heard from you in six months, Ben. And now you’re here and...are you saying you want to be with me?”
He stands up and reaches into his pocket, taking out a small black box. My heart booms in my chest as he gets down on one knee in front of me.
“I’m saying I’ve been in love with you since I was fifteen, Stella. Maybe even longer. No woman will ever measure up to you for me. And our engagement can be as long as you want it to be, I don’t want to rush you into anything, but I’m not missing my shot a second time.” His eyes shine with tears. “I’ll love you every day of my life no matter what your answer is, but you’ll make me the happiest man in the world if you’ll be my wife. Will you marry me?”
I burst into tears, so stunned by his proposal that I can’t even speak.
“I’ll support you in everything, Stella. Everything. I’ll fund your business and help you make lamps and we can even stay based here if that’s important to you.”
I cup his face in my hands, smiling through my tears. “You don’t have to sell me on it, Ben. Yes. Yes, I’ll marry you.”
He takes my hand and pushes the ring onto my finger, tears escaping from his eyes.
