In my pocket is something that Virginia Reilly—correction—Gram gave me last night. Something that was supposed to be passed on to her son forty years ago.
I muster up all the courage I can, suddenly becoming more nervous than when I was in front of a hostile board of directors. I stand in front of Desirae and bend down on one knee, looking up into her gorgeous brown eyes still wet with tears.
“Desirae, the day you stormed into my office full of fire and passion, you changed my life. Little did I know, I was about to be enriched in so many ways. Because of you, I learned to appreciate things that I’d forgotten. I found a renewed sense of purpose. I found family. And I found love. I love you with everything I have and everything I am. Will you make me the happiest man on earth by marrying me?”
I pull out the ring and hold it up for her to see. Set in a vee-prong setting, the two carat princess-cut diamondis accompanied with glimmering round diamonds, pave-set on either side of a wide platinum band.
“This ring has been in the Reilly family for generations. A family heirloom for my lover of all things vintage.”
She holds out her hand for me to slip it on her finger, then my feisty Desirae orders me up off the floor, and gives me an enthusiasticyes.
The sounds of cheers and applause and the popping of champagne corks fade away in the background as I take her in my arms, basking in the joy of an intimate moment, as two people who once stood on opposing sides now stand united, proving that love truly does come in all sizes, and family is everything.
