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“Goodnight, Gray,” I said, hugging him tightly and then kissing the top of his head.
“Night,” he replied, repeating the process with Zac before heading off to bed.
It was Christmas Eve, more than two weeks since his allergic reaction, and we were both finally doing a lot better. Well, okay, to be fair, Gray had seemed better within the first few days. It was me who took longer to get over the whole thing. I still wasn’t sure if I’d ever forget how scary it had been, and Zac felt the same way, but progress was progress.
A few seconds after his door closed behind him, I leaned over and whispered in Zac’s ear, “How long should we wait to start wrapping presents?”
“I don’t want him to come out for eighteen glasses of water and as many potty breaks, so let’s give him time to fall asleep. Wanna watch a Christmas movie?”
I skipped over to the couch and picked up the remote. “Yes. Let’s do it. Wait, do you still watchDie Hardevery year like it’s a Christmas movie?”
“Uh, duh. It is a Christmas movie. And a great one, too.”
Laughing, I searched for it on his smart TV, cuing it up while he made popcorn without me even having to ask. When we were settled, I hit play, snuggling against his side and happily snacking on the popcorn.
Grayson only came out a handful of times during the first half of the movie for water and bathroom breaks, but it made us laugh every time. Finally, we made it through the second half of the movie without hearing a peep, and decided it was safe to wrap presents.
We gathered the supplies and sat on the floor in front of the Christmas tree, piles of presents and bows and wrapping paper scattered around us. I took it all in with wide eyes. “Why do you wait until the night before to wrap presents?”
“I don’t know. It makes me feel like Santa, I guess.”
I grinned. “That’s adorable.”
He wrinkled his nose at me. “Shh.”
We fell into companionable silence while we wrapped, taking turns with the scissors and tape because we only had one of each. There were toys and books for Grayson, as well as three tickets to the circus that was coming to town in the spring. Zac had wrapped those in a box about a hundred times too big for it, thinking it would be funny to see Grayson’s confusion when he opened it.
I went to wrap a set of earrings I’d helped him pick out for Jo, then realized I didn’t have the scissors. I held out my hand. “Scissors, please.”
Zac reached behind him, placing a plain white sheet of notebook paper on my open palm. “Here you go.”
Frowning down at the paper, I chuckled. “Uh, I said scissors.”
“Oh? Scissors. I thought you said paper.”
“Nope,” I said, laughing again. What in the world?
He plucked the paper from my hand with a wag of his brows, putting it behind his back again. “Hmm, I can’t seem to find the scissors. And you didn’t want paper … so, how about … a rock.”
My eyes bulged when he dropped a diamond ring into my hand, then leaned back, looking pleased with himself. I let out a burst of air that quickly turned into hysterical laughter. “Are you serious?”
“What? You don’t want it? Fine.” He made a move for the ring, but I closed my fist around it and held it to my chest. He grinned. “That’s what I thought.”
Slowly, I brought my hand forward again and opened it, staring through tear-soaked eyes at the shining diamond. I felt Zac shift in front of me, and when I looked up, he was on one knee. This time, when he reached for the ring, I let him take it.
“Layla Robinson,” he started, holding the ring between his thumb and forefinger, “I’ve had this ring for more than three years.”
I gasped, covering my mouth with my hands.
He looked down, taking a deep breath before meeting my eyes again. “And in that time, I’ve learned so much about life … and love. I’ve learned what it means to love someone unconditionally and without fear, and I know that’s where I went wrong with you before. I was afraid, and I messed up. I own it.”
I dropped my hands, wanting to reassure him, but stopped myself just in time. I had to hear the rest.
“But at the end of the day, I wouldn’t take back what I did, even if a time machine dropped in my lap right this minute,” he said, then held up his other hand when my brow furrowed in confusion. “Hang on, go with me on this.”
His familiar words from the night of Aria’s wedding sailed through me, and I smiled, waiting for more.
