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And then he drops to one knee.
Oh my god.
Miles
Amelia is staring at me in pure shock. While I’m thrilled we pulled off the surprise, I take a moment to study her face and make sure there’s no discomfort, but there’s not. Lots of disbelief, though, and then she raises her eyebrows slightly, just enough to urge me on.
“Amelia, when you walked into my life a little over a year ago, my entire world shifted. Without realizing it, you became my center. I had no idea what to expect, but I knew I needed you. You needed a little more convincing.” I smile up at her, and she smiles back. “I understand why. Your heart was broken and bruised, and you needed love. Unconditional, unyielding love.”
I take a breath, emotion bubbling in my chest, my voice hoarse as I continue. “I am not perfect—far from it—but I have always tried to love you in that way. To give you a safe space to heal while showing you what love can be. That’s easy for me. What I didn’t expect was how it would feel to have your love in return. You surround me, pull me in, and own my heart with every breath you take, every smile you give me, every brush of your hand against mine. You see me and you know me, and that means more to me than I could ever express.” Another shaky breath as I blink back tears. “We are two imperfect people, tangled up, creating a beautiful life together, and it’s what I want to spend the rest of my life doing. I swear, I knew it the moment I met you. You’re my future. My forever. My everything. And you always will be. I love you, Ames. Will you marry me?”
“Yes.” It’s a tiny high-pitched whisper, then her face blooms into a radiant smile. Tears well in her eyes, but she laughs and says it again, loudly this time, as if she’s announcing it for the entire town to hear. “Yes.”
She tugs on my arm, and I leap to my feet and grab her. I don’t daintily place the ring on her finger, I frantically shove it on, desperate to kiss her, to wrap her in my arms. Then my hand is tangled in her hair as I crush my lips against hers, pulling her tight to me. I lift her up as she rakes her hands through my hair.
The sound of clapping and cheering is the only thing that pulls me from the moment. I lift my lips off hers—but barely. Our foreheads are still touching, our eyes locked on each other.
“I love you.”
She laughs, eyes glassy. “I never would have guessed that.” She laughs and sniffs. “I love you too. But what exactly is happening here?”
Chuckling, I loosen my grip on her and lift my head from hers. “It’s our engagement party.”
“Seriously?”
“I want you to know how loved you are. Not just by me, but everyone in our lives. That’s why I did it like this. Here in front of the family you didn’t believe you’d have. I want you to have the celebration of your dreams. The celebration our love deserves.”
She slowly shakes her head, looking out at everyone before turning back to me and tugging on my shirt, pulling me closer again. “You know, you said you’re not perfect. I’m still not sure I believe that.”
“Only perfect for you, babe.” I give her another quick kiss, then turn back to all our smiling family and friends. “Where’s my other girl?”
My mom hurries over, Emmie wrapped in her arms. She hands Emmie to me, then squeezes my hand. Tearfully, she turns to Amelia and pulls her into her arms.
“I was going to keep you no matter what, but this is better.”
Amelia laughs and squeezes my mom tightly, whispering something I can’t hear, but that makes my mom hug her tighter. After a moment, they step apart, both wiping their eyes, and Amelia comes over to me, tickling Emmie’s belly, then taking her tiny hand.
“Did you hear the good news?” she whispers to Emmie.
I lean in and kiss Emmie’s head. “Mommy and Daddy are getting married.”
She smiles and wiggles in my arms, reaching for Amelia with a happy little screech and a tiny giggle. She’s started doing that giggle recently, and it melts me every time.
As Amelia takes Emmie from me, Amanda appears with a microphone. I wonder when she learned how to read minds. Mackie must’ve taught her.
“Hey, everyone. Thank you all so much for being here tonight. I know a lot of you were duped into believing this was a birthday party you just couldn’t miss, but I’m happy to announce that you’re at our very exclusive engagement party. So exclusive my bride-to-be didn’t know it was happening.” Everyone laughs at that. “So, please, join us in celebrating, eat good food, and enjoy yourselves. We’re so grateful to have you here with us.”
Everyone claps as I hand the microphone back to Amanda, then return my attention to my girls.
“I can’t believe you planned all this,” Amelia says softly.
“You said you wanted a big romantic proposal.”
“Nailed it,” she whispers, eyes filling with tears again. Shifting Emmie to her other arm, she looks down at the ring. “I spent so much time believing I’d never wear a ring on this finger. To wear this one now…”
I wrap my arms around her again. “I will forever feel like the luckiest man in the world that I got to put that ring on your finger. I can’t wait until you get to put one on mine.”
“Okay, you need to stop making me cry.” She laughs through her tears, wiping her cheeks. “No wonder Rae insisted on the ultra-waterproof mascara.”
