Her face is pure shock as if she’s piecing things together. “Wait. LH. My dad? Larry Hayes? That’s who you were texting and calling?!”
Taken back, I cross my arms but keep my tone steady. “Were you on my phone?”
Her face turns red and she sucks in a breath.
“Ella.”
“You were being really secretive with it, I was worried.”
“When?”
“The other week, you left it on the table while you showered and I—”
“Do you think I would cheat on you?”
“No.”
“Then what were you looking for?”
She shakes her head, rubbing her temples. “I don’t know. I just felt—”
“Like I was cheating?”
“No. I don’t know. I guess a little part of me was worried, yeah.”
She tucks her hair back and shifts her footing. Her gaze drops to her fingers.
“I hate that.”
“It’s not you. It’s just a universal thing. Boyfriend hiding his phone, wonder what it is. You know?”
“Why didn’t you just ask me?”
“I don’t know.” She shakes her head. “What would you have said?”
“I would’ve told you the truth.”
“You would’ve come out and said it was my dad, that you were asking for my hand in marriage?” She crosses her arms.
“No. I would’ve just said it was your dad,” I take another breath. “And you can go on my phone, babe. I have nothing to hide, but that’s not the point. The point is, I’m never going to lie to you.Ever.”
“Okay. Well then, I’m sorry.”
“Just promise me that next time, if there’s a next time, you’ll just talk to me?”
“I promise.”
“Good.” I peck her cheek with a kiss.
When we get outside, I open my truck door for her. The smile she wears puts me on such a high, feeling every bit of happiness as this new chapter of our lives starts to unfold. Achapter we used to dream about is finally going to play out.
As I slide into the driver’s seat, her hand finds mine. Feeling the ring in our grasp will take me a second to get used to, but I squeeze it before bringing it up to my lips to kiss.
“I love you,” I remind her.
She smiles. “I loveyou.”
Today, I thank God for second chances, for the grace to find our way back to each other, and for the future that’s now ours to create together.
