“You’re always hungry.”
“We haven’t eaten in hours.”
“All right, I guess the sun is going down.”
“We’ll do more beach tomorrow.”
The nice thing about this trip is that we have a guide who has been taking care of us the entire time. He’s ready to move at the drop of a dime and now he’s whisking us off to another location farther around the island via boat.
When we arrive to our destination there is a beautiful white gazebo with a candlelight dinner for two waiting and an array of fresh plucked blooms are strewn about the floor and table.
“Happy Anniversary.”
A man dressed in all white is standing on the side of the gazebo with a rolling cart of food and beverages. He begins to bring things to the table as Coop pulls out my chair for me.
“Sit.”
I am grinning from ear to ear at this point because while Coop has been doing some sweet things for me since we’ve gotten together, this is hands down the most romantic.
He shocks me for a moment when he doesn’t go sit across me but instead drops to his knees in front of me.
“Owens, I thought we’d always be comfortably in each other’s lives, but when you said the wordsI quit,that’s when I realized that I could never let you go. That was the day that I realized, and fought at first, that from the very beginning you were the only one for me. I love you. Will you marry me?”
Under a strategically placed napkin on the table is a ring box. Coop pops it open and looks at me with a hopeful expression. The glare from the diamond almost blinds me. It’s gigantic. Honestly, it’s way too big, but I will never tell him that, because that’s just a testament to Coop’s heart.
Way too big.
“I’m not sure how you manage to still surprise me, but you do.”
“That’s not an answer.”
I start taking off my mother’s emerald ring, my good luck charm, and switch it to my other hand. I’ve got a new one now.
“I always knew that you were a fierce competitor, intelligent, and ridiculously funny. Now I know that you are also protective, serious, warm and loving. You are the only man I will ever love, Coop. Of course, the answer is yes.”
Coop slides my new, big, fat, gaudy diamond ring on my finger and the tears start to fall. I never imagined for one second that I’d be in love and now marrying my boss. The boy who saved me. The man who loves me.
Then we kiss.
Madly. Passionately.
And it’s even better than the first time we did it, because this time I was sober, but more importantly this time I know without a shadow of a doubt that the kiss means he will always come back for me.
Epilogue
Four Years Later
“Congratulations to the first graduating class of Brooklyn Summit Preparatory High School For Boys!”
The applause intensifies to a thunderous roar as a group of one hundred boys of all shapes and sizes stand in their solid blue uniforms, beaming with pride. They’ve completed four years of a rigorous program that we all hope has set them up for success. The proudest one of them all though is their benefactor and my loving husband.
“You’ve done a good thing with these boys, Coop.”
“Congratulations, Cooper.”
“You must be so proud, Mr. Barnes.”
Everyone is congratulating my husband for a job well done and he deserves every bit of the praise. He had a vision and a determination to make this school the gold standard for what he hopes will be many more schools to follow.
