“I guess it’s good to know we can be so many different people at once. That you aren’tjusta movie star and I’m notjusta doctor. We’re so much more than that.”
I think back over all the things I’ve learned over this year and a half, and I realize that I don’t have to be one thing. I can be reliable, dependable, sensibleandfun and spontaneous. I can be a doctor and a painter.
Caleb can be scared of some things and brave about others. He can be an actor, songwriter, and a chef.
In the past, I’ve limited myself with labels. Painted myself into boxes so small they felt like prison cells. It’s been terrifying to pry open those doors and explore something new. There’s so much fear of failure, but if I can be brave enough, if I can hear my lion’s heart beating, then I can do it. The freedom on the other side has been worth it.
Stepping closer, Caleb cradles my face in his hands, interrupting my thoughts. He looks at me with a depth of tenderness beyond anything I’ve seen before.
“I’m wondering,” he says with that sexy, husky voice, “if you want to add one more title to that list.”
My forehead wrinkles, confused. “What do you mean?”
“I mean the title of wife.” Right there, in the middle of the crowded sidewalk, in the middle of Tokyo, Japan, Caleb Freaking Lawson drops to one knee and pulls a tiny square box out of his pocket.
My heart skyrockets, and my vision tunnels down to focus only on the Tiffany blue box and Caleb’s face as he asks, “Will you marry me, Gwen? Will you be my best friend forever? My wife? My love? My life?”
I’ve never been so happy. Couldn’t even imagine this level of happiness was possible. Love is a balloon, inflating my chest, filling up every cell, until I’m nothing but lightness and joy. “Yes! Yes, I’ll marry you!” I choke out, overcome by emotion.
For the second time today, Caleb sweeps me up in his arms and spins me around, while my family applauds, cheering us on.
I take this memory and lock it away in a special room in my heart. Next to rooms already full of Caleb and empty rooms that wait to be filled with the future we will build together.
He gently lowers me to the ground, whispering in my ear, “I love you, Gwen.”
Round G. Flat N.
“You’re the best Christmas gift I’ve ever gotten.”
The End
