For a moment, Bobby stared at me.His lips parted, but nothing came out.A second went past.And then another.And then he said, “You found the ring.”
“I might have done some light snooping.”
Another of those long seconds.The wind leaned into the house again, and then it dropped off into silence.
“I know I was rushing,” Bobby said.“I shouldn’t have tried to—to do that because it made me feel safe—”
“Bobby Mai—” The smile took me by surprise, big enough that it felt like my face was about to crack.“I love you.I want to spend the rest of my life with you.Will you marry me?”
Struggle showed in his face, and I wasn’t sure—not entirely—what it was.Fear, most likely.And that last-ditch effort to gain control.And then it was gone, and he looked tired, and strangely serene, like someone who had come through a battle and won a great victory.A hint of that goofy grin surfaced, and he said, “Yes.”
Chapter 24
There was kissing.There waslotsof kissing, if you want to get into it.(We arenotgoing to get into it.)
And, for a while, we sat together on the chesterfield, talking in little snippets, laughing, content with being together, holding and being held.
“I can’t believe you found the ring,” Bobby said at one point, and he followed this with a groan.
“I’m actually disappointed in myself fornotfinding it earlier.Where did you hide it?”
“The attic,” Bobby said.
“Okay, that makes sense.”The attic was spider-slash-ghost territory, and Keme and I had agreed it was best to go up there only in daylight, and only in pairs.
The look on Bobby’s face suggested he knew what I was thinking, and he was feeling incredibly smug about it.
“I’m sorry I ruined your proposal,” I said.
“You didn’t ruin it.I’m still going to propose.”His smile turned wry.“Idohave to come up with a new plan, though.”
“You can always take me to a fancy dinner,” I said.“I’ll never object.I’ll even pretend to be surprised.God, you could take me to a fancy dinner right now.”
Bobby kissed the side of my head and said, “Okay.”
And that was how we ended up in the kitchen, where Bobby proceeded to dish up the takeout from Mizzenmast: shrimp in some sort of sweet chili glaze, and a cold crab salad, and lobster mac and cheese (mac and cheese is basically one of the four food groups, and when you add lobster, it becomes a superfood like, um, blueberries?).We ate at the counter, standing.
It was—and I’m not kidding—the best meal I’d ever eaten.Part of that, I’m sure, was the hunger.And part was the emotional release of everything that had passed between us.And part was the simple fact that Mizzenmast was, hands down, the best restaurant on the Pacific Coast, and I would fight anyone who said otherwise.
(Except Bobby, who fights dirty—lots of tickling.And Keme; see above about how freakishly strong he is.)
“I didn’t have a speech,” I said between bites of lobster mac and cheese.(Bobby let me have all of it, which is a sign of real love.)
“What?”
“A proposal speech.”
“I didn’t realize there was a speech involved.”
“Well, there is.”I ate some more mac and cheese.“I’ll work on it and get back to you.”
For some reason, he laughed a long time about that.
Then I said a word that Keme says sometimes when he’s losing atFortnite.“Your ring.”
“What about it?”
“You don’t have one.”
