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He looks down at me, his cheeks slightly flushed.
“Will you marry me, Emerald?” he asks shyly. “You don’t have to change your name if you don’t want to,” he goes on in a rush. “I was just joking about that. But I really want to marry you. I would do it right now, in fact, if I possibly could.”
He looks around the room as if there might possibly be a vicar hanging around somewhere, just waiting to perform a deathbed wedding ceremony.
There probably is, actually.
God, I hate hospitals.
“You know you’ve already asked me that, right?” I say softly. “And I know I’ve had a bump on the head, but I’m pretty sure I said yes.”
“Will you say it again, though?” he asks. “After everything that’s happened, I mean?”
“Jack,” I say, looking him straight in the eye. “I would say it every single day. Over and over. Until you get absolutely sick of hearing it.”
Smiling, he reaches into his pocket and pulls out a familiar-looking emerald ring. I gasp and look at my hand, realizing the ring finger is bare.
“Oh my God,” I breathe, astonished. “How did youdothat? Is it a magic trick? Am I still concussed?”
Jack laughs softly.
“They took it off you when you were brought in,” he said. “Procedure, apparently. Mary gave it to me for safe-keeping. I must admit, I was relieved you were still wearing it. I thought you might have pulled it off in a temper, and, I don’t know, thrown it into the loch or something.”
“Of course not,” I say immediately, even though this does sound like something I might do, then immediately regret. “I haven’t taken it off since you gave me it. Well, other than to wash my hands, obviously. And that time Brian made me workout with a punch bag.”
Jack takes my hand and slides the ring back onto my finger, where it belongs, and I look down at it for a few seconds, trying not to ruin the moment by crying.
“That’stwoperfect proposals,” I say at last, looking up at him. “You’re getting pretty good at this.”
Jack takes my face gently in his hands and kisses me. It’s another perfect kiss, too — so much so, that, for a few long, delicious moments, I’m able to completely forget where I am, and what brought for me, and think only about who I’m with, and how lucky I am to be here.
“There’s just one thing,” I say cautiously, when we finally pull apart.
“Tell me,” Jack replies softly, looking down at me.
“I don’t think I want to work at Emerald View,” I admit, blushing. “Or in the restaurant, really. I don’t think I want to work for youat all, to be honest.”
Jack laughs.
“Is that it?” he says, sounding relieved. “You had me worried there for a second.”
He pulls me towards him again.
“Emerald, you don’t have to do anything you don’t want,” he says seriously. “When I suggested you help out at the restaurant, I didn’t mean for it to be forever. I always knew you’d want to do your own thing, and that’s absolutely fine by me. Whatever you want to do, I’ll support you. Emotionally, I mean,” he adds hurriedly, seeing the look on my face. “Financially, too, if you want, obviously, but—”
“I don’t,” I interrupt him, firmly. “I want to have something for myself; something that’s just mine, and that I don’t have to rely on you, or anyone else, for.”
“Okay,” he says, nodding. “I get that. What’s it going to be, though, this thing of yours?”
I look down at my hands, admiring the way the ring sparkles, even in the dim hospital light.
“I haven’t got quite that far yet,” I admit, looking back up at him again. “But I thought I might like to write a book. For real, I mean.”
Jack’s brow creases. “I thought you’d already started writing a… oh.” His face clears. “You just said that to shut up Mum, when she was hounding you about what you did, didn’t you? It’s okay,” he adds. “I’m not angry. I thought it was a great idea when you said it, though, and I think it’s a great idea now.”
He leans forward and kisses me again, and I allow myself to relax into his arms at last.
“Maybe Emerald Taylor-Buchanan?” I say, when he releases me for the second time. “That would sound very posh. Mum would be pleased. I don’t know if I want to totally change my name, though. I’m not sure I’d feel likemeif I did.”
