He smirks.
“All right. Let’s go inside,” I say. “I’ll make us coffee that we can drink out here. It’s so beautiful, right? Maybe we should work from here today.”
“I’m off today.”
My smile widens. “Really? So then I guess we’ll do what? A helicopter ride over the falls?”
“Yeah, I booked a private boat tour. Gonna be wet.”
“That’ll be amazing. Thank you,” I say, throwing my arms around his neck to give him a kiss.
“Speaking of amazing,” he murmurs. He pulls my arms from around his neck, making my smile fade. He holds my hands in his for a moment, and my heart starts to pound. What’s happening?
Then he lowers himself to one knee and I freeze, the breath catching in my throat and refusing to move.
“Oh, my God,” I whisper.
He waits for a moment, and my head starts to feel light. Is this…? Or isn’t it?
“Zoe, there’s something I need to say. The truth is…a few weeks ago when you were excited about that collaboration offer with the prestigious theater company in the UK, you called it an honor. Like winning a Tony. But to take the opportunity you’d have had to move to London for at least six months.”
My mind’s jumping around. I don’t know why he’s bringing up something from weeks ago. These aren’t the words I’m waiting to hear right now, but I try to concentrate.
“The way the thought of a long distance relationship hit me told me a lot about the way I feel. The thought of your being gone again, even temporarily, felt like a kick in the gut. Then you smiled at your phone’s screen and sent an immediate reply. It surprised me how fast you sent a response, so I asked what you decided. Do you remember what you said?”
I open my mouth, but my mind’s blank. Shaking my head because I can’t speak prompts him to keep going.
“You said, ‘I said no, of course. In another life maybe, but I’d be miserable living in London without you. I just got back my happy life, C. Nothing in the world would make me leave it.’” He swallows and licks his lips, pausing. “No hesitation. No worry about regrets. You knew what you wanted. It’s for us to be in this life together. That’s what I want, too. And I want it for more than a year or two. I need you to know you’re the only woman I’ve ever loved. And the one I want as mine for the rest of my life.” He raises his fist up to his heart. “You don’t have to answer now. You just turned twenty-three, Z. It’s young.” He blows out a breath. “But it’s not too young to make this decision if you really feel ready to make it.”
“Please ask me,” I say, tears welling in my eyes. “Please.” I can’t catch my breath.
He extends his hand and turns his fist up, so I can see his curled fingers. When he opens them, there’s a diamond engagement ring resting on his palm.
“Will you marry me?”
I cover my face with my hands, unable to stop myself from bursting into tears. Because he’s waiting on my answer, I nod vigorously. I’m crying so hard I can’t speak.
He stands and pulls me against him, pressing his fist against my lower back and cupping the back of my head with his left hand. Great wrenching sobs take me over. I literally can’t stop crying.
“Hey,” he says softly, holding me tight. “Come on, baby.”
The crying goes on for so long that he picks me up and carries me to a chair. I sit on his lap with my arms around his neck and my head buried against him.
Finally,finally,I get control of myself. “I’m sorry. I’m so happy,” I say, my voice breaking.
“You sure?” he teases.
“Yes,” I say with a broken laugh. I rub my eyes and my cheeks, trying to fix the mess I’ve made of my face. “Let me see my ring.”
He takes my hand and slides the ring on my finger. It fits perfectly.
There’s a massive round domed diamond that’s set in a sort of crown circle of other diamonds. Below the crown, there are vertical rows of more diamonds that finally give way to a platinum band. It’s the most stunning engagement ring I’ve ever seen.
My lips press together, and I catch them between my teeth. Then I shake my head at myself because I start crying again.
C huffs out an amused breath and sits back in the wooden chair, holding me against him.
“It’s so incredible,” I manage to say.
