“I want us to be a family,” I murmur against her mouth. “If you’ll still have me.”
She nods quickly and fiercely, like these are the words she’s been waiting to hear her whole life.
“Of course I will,” she says through tears.
I pull her into my arms, pressing my forehead to hers. A long silence stretches between us, but it isn’t uncomfortable. It’s warm and full of all the love we have for each other and all the words we aren’t sure how to say. She wipes her tears on the back of her wrist, and I kiss the spot gently before she can hide the gesture.
“So what happens now?” she whispers after several moments.
I can’t hold back my smile.
“Now we get married,” I say simply.
Her eyes shoot up in shock. “Married? When?”
“Today,” I tell her, because suddenly I can’t wait another fucking second. “If that’s all right with you.”
She blinks fast. A laugh bubbles out of her, watery but genuine. “Are you trying to make an honest woman out of me?” she teases.
“Yes,” I say excitedly. “And I’ll marry you anywhere, at any time. So why not today?”
She bites her lip. “We would need a ring.”
I stand up, grab my phone, and text a man who owes me.
“I know a jeweler.”
She laughs, wiping her eyes again. “Of course you do.”
“Come on,” I tell her, checking my phone and texting said jeweler. “If we get ready now, we can be there within the hour.”
She smiles softly.
“I should probably call Kelly.” She laughs. “I’ll need a bridesmaid, especially if I’m picking a wedding dress this morning.”
I kiss her again, slow and deliberate.
“So we’re doing this?” I confirm happily.
“We’re doing this,” she echoes.
Later that morning, we’re standing hand in hand in front of a glass case of rings. The jeweler is a tiny man with a massive mustache and a thicker accent than mine. When he sees me and realizes what I’m buying, he nearly falls over in surprise.
“Samuil Volkov getting married,” he says reverently. “I never thought I’d see the day. She must be a very special girl.”
Molly blushes at his words.
“She is,” I agree.
She tries on several rings. They’re all beautiful, but it’s an oval diamond set in a platinum band that makes her breath catch.
“That’s the one,” I say instantly.
She looks at me. “No, this is way too much,” she says. “I just wanted to try it.”
“Molly,” I say sternly. “Does this ring make you happy? Do you think you could wear it every day for the rest of your life?”
Her face flushes and she smiles brightly. “I could,” she finally admits.
