“Yes! The Caganer.” I held it up for the girls. “It literally means the crapper.”
They frowned, clearly confused.
“It’s used in Nativity scenes in various parts of Spain. Its meaning changes depending on who you ask, but my favorite one is that he’s fertilizing the earth.” I laughed at their bewildered expressions and closed the distance between me and Harrison. “I love it. It is the perfect Christmas gift.”
“You are my favorite person.” He picked me up and kissed me—not too passionately with the girls watching—and set me down. “Only you would love a figurine of a shitting man.”
“If you wanted normal, pick someone out of a magazine,” I teased.
His eyes warmed, and he gave me my favorite smile of his—the one showing off his dimple on one side. “I made that pot holder for you.”
“The square thing? That’s what it was? A pot holder?”
“Yes. I knitted it. It took me forever.” He pressed his lips together in a frown as he eyed the pot holder. He was a perfectionist, so it meant a lot that he’d tried something he was horrible at.
“The fact you knitted is amazing. I’ll use it every day, along with my bull with balls mug.”
His eyes danced with humor, and he cleared his throat. “Okay. This is it.”
“What are you talking about?”
He took a step back and retrieved something from his sweater pocket. Then, crouching down on one knee, he revealed another small box.
“Oh, damn.”
“I’m going to pretend you didn’t just cuss during my proposal.” He wiped his forehead with the back of his hand before popping open the box. There wasn’t just a single diamond on the ring. Instead, there was one centered in the middle, but it was surrounded by colorful gems. It looked like a flower, and all the moisture in my mouth went to my eyes. My vision blurred entirely when he spoke.
“Did you know I told your dad last year on New Year’s Eve that I was going to marry you?” He paused and took a big breath before continuing. “I told him I’d prove I was worthy of you, and I asked his permission in May.”
“May?” I croaked out.
“Yes. He and your mom were thrilled, and I’m shocked they kept it quiet.” He smiled, clearing his throat and staring me in the eye. “I love how you sing all the time, even though you can’t carry a tune. I love how you live life to the absolute fullest and get joy from the little things. I’m beyond proud of you for going back to school to become a guidance counselor, even though it’ll be hard. I never imagined having a family of my own until I met you. So, Becca, will you marry me? I promise we’ll travel anywhere you want and I’ll buy weird figurines for you. There’s a place in Belgium that’s famous for a statue of a kid peeing—if you want to go there next, I’m in.”
Time seemed to stop for me. The squeals of the girls and the sound of cars on the street disappeared. The familiar smell of the sorority house was overpowered by Harrison, and I took in the moment.
His declaration. His promises. His words. The fact he’d looked up the famous statue Manneken Pis.
It wasn’t a choice, not really. I wanted to be his forever. “Yes,duh.”
His grin had become my favorite thing in the entire world. He picked me up and swirled me around like in the rom-coms I loved watching. “We can have a long engagement. It’s your choice. If you want to wait until you move out of here, or after you graduate in a couple years, it’s all up to you.”
“I’m thinking… a summer wedding would be nice. I think I know a couple people who would like to help plan it.” I glanced over at the girls, and it turned into a mob of hugs and congratulations.
They hugged me, I hugged them. Even Harrison had his arms wide open as various girls embraced him. Our celebration lasted ten minutes before Marissa cleared her throat and motioned us into the great room.
“The final part of the night has arrived, so if you could please head in there, Future Mrs. Cooper, it would be appreciated.” She grinned so wide and shared a scheming glance with Harrison. My heart almost burst. The fact he’d included the girls in his proposal told me all I needed to know.
He knew me. The good, bad, odd, and quirks.
He held out a hand. “Well, Becca, want to see what’s next?”
I bit my lip to prevent my grin from hurting my face, and I practically floated toward him. “Hell yeah.”
He led me into the great room where we were greeted by Blair and her family, along with my parents. Blair didn’t wait a second before running up to me. “Let me see the ring!”
We laughed as I was passed around between Blair, my mom, and my dad. A hushed silence filled the room when someone I hadn’t met cleared his throat. He was a younger, less handsome version of Harrison, and I went into protective mode. Since the blowup last Christmas, things were slowly getting better with Harrison’s parents. They weren’t amazing, but there was slow progress. But after Dexter’s accident, things had changed with his brother. Harrison’s perspective on football, competition, and teammates had changed. He had chosen to have a relationship with his brother. They were trying, and that meant I had to, too.
“Hank.”
