Rob didn’t answer. He wiped his hands on his tux, shoulders tense and breath shallow. Confused, I kept walking beyond the fountain to the dozens, if not hundreds, of red roses arranged in front of the metal fencing. When I turned around, Rob was on one knee.
“Astrid.”
I sucked in a breath, my mind racing to catch up. “What are you doing, Rob?”
He held the box that held his Super Bowl ring, flipping it open to reveal a new ring in its place. “Astrid Grace Evans, marry me.”
“Marry you?” I echoed, pressing my fist to my chest.
“Marry me. Let’s have a couple of kids together and find out what our life looks like after football.” He cleared his throat. His voice wavered as his eyes dipped to the ground. “I love you so much it physically hurts, and I can’t imagine my life without you. I kept playing football because I didn’t know what my life looked like if I wasn’t Rob Grant, the football player. I still don’t know what my life will look like, but if you’re there, I know it’s gonna be fine. Better than fine. Amazing.”
“What does Mila think?” I asked, biting back tears.
“That I should have proposed a year and a half ago.”
“She’s a pretty smart kid.”
“Is that a yes?”
I crashed into him, knocking the box out of his hands and nearly tackling him to the ground as my lips searched out his.
“I’m going to take that as a yes?” he asked when I finally gave him some breathing room.
“Absolutely.”
