My throat tightens at his words, and I squeeze his hand.
Two.
“I chose you before my heart even knew I was doing it,” I tell him softly. “Thank you for choosing me before I understood what it meant.”
One.
The final bell tolls, and the town erupts in a wave of cheers and “Happy New Year” across the entire downtown area. Glasses clink, hugs linger a second longer than usual, and laughter punctuates the crowd.
Fireworks bloom overhead, gold and white against the dark sky, reflected in the fountain water like a thousand wishes set loose at once.
Aiden steps out of my touch, then drops to one knee.
I could lie and say I didn’t need this gesture, but I’d be lying. Aiden asking about a dish-drying session was intimate and romantic, but still a touch too much for where we were in that moment.
But this is everything I know he wishes he could’ve given me the first time, when we talked about the life we’re living now.
Phoebe gasps. “That was fast! I only wished ten minutes ago!”
Aiden huffs a quiet laugh, then looks up at me, eyes steady and sure.
“I’ve got a question to ask you, Chloe.” He grins up at me, eyes crinkling at the corners.
I purse my lips and act in different, even though my pulse is thundering through my veins. “This feels a little redundant…”
His smile widens, displaying rows of perfect teeth. “You’re going to make me beg, aren’t you?”
“Maybe I just want you close when you ask,” I say.
He laughs under his breath, then pushes back to his feet before stepping into me.
“I don’t need a clause,” he says. “Or deadlines, or any other reason.”
My vision blurs.
“I chose you when I first saw you on our college campus. I chose you again when I thought it might kill me,” he continues. “To walk away and protect your happiness. And I’m choosing you now—knowing we could’ve gone about this differently. I’m choosing forever with you, Chloe. ”
He reaches into his coat pocket and pulls out a small velvet box.
“Marry me,” he says. “We can do it again with our families, or however you want. I don’t care about the mechanics, just you.”
I don’t hesitate.
“Yes,” I whisper. Then louder, laughing through tears, “Yes.”
He carefully slides his mom’s engagement ring off my finger, then opens the velvet box and lifts out a ring I know in my bones. The one he bought for me all those years ago.
Gently, he settles it back where it always should’ve been—right above the wedding band that’s already there.
A perfect blend of how we started, and how we’re moving forward.
He pulls me into his arms, then kisses me—zero hesitation or fear. Just certainty and steadiness.
Phoebe wraps her arms around our legs. “Does this mean we’re a forever family now?”
We both glance down at her, and Aiden bends, scooping her into his arms. No small feat, since he won’t let go of me, and she’s all legs, even at eight.
“We’ve always been family, but forever sounds good.”
