I reached for her hand. She gave it to me without hesitation.
"You didn't need me to save you. You were already saving yourself. You've been saving yourself since you were seventeen years old, and you've been saving everyone around you, too. Your students, your daughter, a broken kid with a gasoline can who needed someone to see him."
My throat was tight. I pushed through.
"But I don't want you to fight alone anymore. I want to fight beside you. I want to choose you and Zoe every single day for the rest of my life. I want to be the person who stays."
I got down on one knee.
The auditorium held its breath.
"I love you." My voice broke. "I love making pancakes on Sunday mornings with you. I love listening to you argue with Zoe about homework. I love watching you fall asleep on my shoulder while grading papers. I love you even when you steal the covers and blame me for it."
I pulled out the ring.
Simple. Classic. A small diamond on a thin gold band. Nothing flashy, nothing overwhelming. Just real. Like her.
"Maya Cummins. Will you marry me?"
Four hundred people held their breath.
Maya was crying so hard she could barely see. Her hands were shaking. Zoe was gripping her arm like she was afraid her mother might float away.
"Mom." Zoe's voice was a fierce whisper. "Say something."
Maya laughed. Wet, broken, joyful. She looked at me kneeling in front of her, heart in my hands, and I watched something shift in her face. The fear that was always there, lurking underneath, the constant waiting for the other shoe to drop?—
It was gone.
"Yes."
The auditorium erupted.
Students cheering, teachers clapping, parents dabbing their eyes. Someone started a chant ofKiss! Kiss! Kiss!that sounded suspiciously like it was coming from Brian's direction.
I slid the ring onto Maya's finger. It fit perfectly. I'd stolen one of her rings two weeks ago to get the size, and Zoe had covered for me when Maya noticed it was missing. ‘I think it fell behind the dresser, Mom. You know how you are with jewelry.’
Then I stood, cupped her face, and kissed her.
In front of everyone.
I kissed her like she was the only person in the room.
When we broke apart, Maya was laughing through her tears. "You planned this. With my daughter."
"Guilty."
"I'm going to kill both of you."
"Worth it."
Behind us, Brian let out a whoop that echoed off the gymnasium walls. Zoe was doing some kind of victory dancewith two fourth-graders. Principal Hendricks was openly sobbing into a handkerchief.
And at the back of the auditorium, standing alone near the doors, Mrs. Patterson watched in silence.
For once, she had nothing to say.
Later.
