AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“And no matter how you do it, I’m sure she’ll love it, but care to fill us in?”
***
In the end, only one way seems perfect. When we get back from dinner that evening, the summer sun is just starting to set, sending tendrils of blue and purple across a gorgeous orange and yellow sky. All of us go barefoot onto the beach; Izzy’s ina white dress and oversized sweater, her dark hair a tangle over her shoulders, my parents walk hand in hand, letting their feet get wet, Seb and Cooper skip rocks into the surf while the wind ruffles their hair. Bex looks stunning in a sleeveless cobalt blue sundress—something new she bought today, at Izzy’s urging, she told me as we got ready earlier—but she’s chilly, so she’s wearing my suit jacket, the sleeves rolled up as she snaps a picture of the sunset with her camera. She has a gold chain around her neck, matching the earrings I bought her for Christmas. I walk alongside her, patiently waiting as she gets her fill of the moment. As soon as we arrived at the house, she dashed upstairs for her camera, shouting down to me about the perfect, clear dusk.
She steadies herself to take a picture of my parents. My dad is saying something, but whatever it is gets lost on the wind.
I see my mother’s smile.
There are twenty-five years in that smile.
If someone could fast forward twenty-five years, where would they find me and Bex? I hope, more than anything, that they’d see love between us.
I hope we’re still standing shoulder to shoulder, no matter what we’ve had to endure. I hope we have children with Bex’s eyes and our shared determination. I hope we’re walking together on the beach, talking about everything and nothing. I hope I’m privileged enough to say that even my most ordinary moments are special because I get to share them with her.
My wife.
I just have to take the first step.
I signal to my sister, who runs over and tugs on our brothers’ sweater sleeves. I take the ring out of my pocket. In my palm, itlooks so small and delicate. It’s the strongest symbol I can think of to prove to Bex that our love is the forever kind.
“Hey, Bex.”
“Yeah, honey?”
I sink onto one knee, holding out the ring. “Take a picture of me.”
Chapter 12
Bex
For a moment, I just stare.
James. On one knee. Holding a ring.
I nearly drop my camera, but fortunately the strap saves it from hitting the sand. I clap a hand over my mouth, unable to look away from him. The pure love on his face makes my heart gallop. The reality of the moment hits me like a wave.
“Beckett,” he begins.
“Yes.” The word slips out before I can stop it. I fall to my knees on the sand, pulling him into a kiss, before he can get any further. “Yes, yes!”
He pulls away, laughing. “Wait. Let me ask the question.”
I nearly tell him there’s no need, but I stop myself. He brushes my hair behind my ear, his hand lingering, stroking my cheek. “Beckett. From the moment I first saw you, I wanted to know you. And when you kissed me—”
I can’t hold back a little sob, half amused at the memory of kissing him at that stupid frat party, half so overwhelmed by love I can’t stand it.
“—I knew where I wanted us to end up. It took a little while, but I wouldn’t change the path for anything. Not when it led me to you.”
“James,” I whisper.
“I want every moment with you, good and bad. When I think of my future, you come to mind before anything else. I mean it.”
“I know you do.”
He holds out the ring. I glance down at it, taking in the gleam of the diamond and what looks like sapphires, before settling my gaze back on his face. He could propose with a piece of seaweed and my answer wouldn’t change.
“Will you do me the honor of marrying me?”
