"Hey, can you pass me my laptop bag behind you, please?"
I sniffed as I bent down to grab his black bag. "There's nothing in here," I frowned, shaking it in my hands. I turned back to Harrison before gasping and promptly dropping his empty bag at my feet.
"That's why," he stated, staring at his hastily abandoned bag with amusement.
I lifted shaky hands to my mouth in frozen disbelief.
Harrison was currently down on one knee in front of me, a small black velvet box in his hands.
"Harrison," I whispered in awe.
He cleared his throat as he offered the closed box up to me. His hand shook slightly.
"Gracie Linwood, my biggest regret in life is not pulling my head out of my ass as a kid and going after what I wanted. When I think of all the time I've wasted, where we would be in life right now...I kick myself every day. I know what it's like to be apart from you. From your warmth and your love. So I don't want to leave here without securing my place by your side for good. You and me? We're soulmates, baby. Endgame. Forever."
I gave a watery giggle and nodded assuredly. He wasn't getting any arguments from me. He was my person, my everything. Spending these last few weeks together, just the two of us, cemented what I already knew.
"So marry me, baby," he stated. "I'm not leaving here until my ring is on your finger and I know without a shadow of a doubt that our story will end with my last name attached to yours and a couple of kids down the line."
My face lit up with unreserved happiness. "Yes, yes!" I shouted. I threw myself at him, causing us to crash to the ground. I didn't care. I was too busy covering his face with kisses.
He laughed at my antics before gently pulling me up to sit beside him. He flipped open the box, took out the ring, and slid it onto my finger without missing a beat. He kissed the ring and my finger reverently.
"When did you get this? It's so beautiful," I gushed, admiring the pear-shaped diamond halo ring.
"While you were at work." He smiled indulgently at me before checking his phone and swearing. "Fuck, he's now one minute away. I have to go, baby."
He cuddled me to his side, kissing me soundly, not wanting to let me go. "I'll FaceTime you as soon as I get home. I wanna see that ring on your finger again; make sure you're truly mine."
"Baby." I rubbed our noses together affectionately. "This ring is the only thing you're gonna see on me tonight," I promised with a saucy wink.
EPILOGUE
10 Years Later
Asmallsmiletouchedmy lips as I watched my husband, Teddy, Ryan, and a few of my uncles and cousins play football in my father-in-law's backyard. Since he had a huge farmhouse with the accompanying land to match, we usually gathered at his property—with my family and extended relatives included.
Our eight-year-old son, Caleb, and our five-year-old daughter, Sienna, were standing on the sidelines, cheering on their father.
I watched in amusement as my little mini-me's curly pigtails bounced up and down as she screamed at her father to run faster.
Her older brother was quiet, watching the game with contemplative eyes, soaking up each play, and inputting instructions every now and then. He was his Daddy's boy—in love with everything and anything to do with football. He was already showing great promise on his Saturday morning football team, and I was counting our pennies in anticipation of the cost of his uniform upkeep.
Pretty soon, he could join their annual Thanksgiving pre-lunch football game. The men just took it way too seriously for me to let him participate just yet.
We were back in Ashburton for Thanksgiving week. We always looked forward to returning home, and as much as we loved our life in California, we missed being closer to our family.
We knew we wanted to move back. Not exactly to Ashburton, but close enough that it didn't take almost a day of traveling to get here. So, we had kept our ears open for any position that would bring us back to Kentucky. Hell, I would've taken any nearby State if it meant that our commute back home wouldn't take so long.
And then, three years ago, it happened—a position as an assistant coach for the Kentucky Wildcats at the University of Kentucky opened up. It was a dream position by any coaching standard—one that would open further doors for Harrison, should he choose to.
But more importantly, we were only roughly three hours away by car from Ashburton. Our children would grow up being close to their grandparents and cousins, as well as Amelia and Liam's kids.
I had become a stay-at-home mom for a while, enjoying the break from studying and working. I loved being present for our kids, although it was tough for a while with only one income. But Harrison was making good money in his position, so with a few downgrades and sacrifices, we managed to make it work. It helped that he had sold his house in Ashburton for a pretty penny.
A year ago, my contacts informed me of a postdoctoral researcher post in their biomedical department at UKY. With my doctorate, research history, and work experience, I was snapped up fast and became a great asset to the department.
Leaving the men to it, I returned to the house, where the delicious smells of our upcoming feast greeted me. I stepped into the walk-in pantry to fetch the ingredients to make a potato salad.
