His throat bobs on a rough swallow. “I’d love to do that,” he says huskily, and my smile widens.
“You mean it?”
Dillon wraps an arm around my neck, tugging me into his body. “Fuckyes,” he breathes against the top of my head. “I know you haven’t been exactly happy living with Kayla, but I wasn’t going to push. Not until I knew you were ready.”
He’s not wrong. The dissent between me and my parents means that tension has spilled over into my relationship with my cousin, who is firmly in the camp of, “It’s been six months, and you’re with Dillon. Don’t you think it’s time to let it go? Seriously, Charlie. I’m sick of listening to it.”
It is interesting that she seems to have decided to blame me for not giving in to them, instead of expecting them to stop their horrible behavior. With the space I’ve had this last year, I’ve learned that without my parents in my life, I have peace.
Hard-earnedpeace, and I’m not about to risk it by cracking open a door and letting my mother’s bitterness poison the happiness I’ve found. Even to appease Kayla.
In fact, I thought it was shitty of her to ask, honestly.
Dillon pulls away from me, his eyes shining with excitement and…nerves?
I eye him with bemusement, and he looks away,pointing at a stall up ahead of us. “Hey, there are some owls over there. You’re probably due for a new one, huh?”
Distracted, I look over, a smile tugging at my lips. “I haven’t bought one since I moved out, actually,” I admit quietly. “And my other ones are still all packed in a box. It didn’t feel right to put them out in a place that wasn’t home.”
Dillon looks horrified. “They’ve been in a box for over ayear? Charlie, those poor animals.”
I shoot him a look, saying dryly, “Don’t worry, I put holes in the lid.”
He shakes his head. “Not such a great owl mama,” he murmurs. “We definitely need to find a home sooner rather than later, then.” He pauses, looking thoughtful. “I actually saw an owl last week that I know you’ll love. Maybe it’s time to start fresh. Buy a new one.”
I wrinkle my nose. “Or I could wait until we find a place. I don’t want to buy an owl just to put it in the box until we move.”
“Or it could stay with me,” he suggests. “Right next to my photo on our nightstand.”
“I don’t know,” I hesitate, and I don’t even know why. Just that it feels a little like bad luck to buy a new owl when we’re not actually living together yet, like I’m jinxing us or something.
“Tell you what,” Dillon tells me, giving me the gentlest smile. “I’llbuy it. It’ll be my owl, but when we do move, I’ll let you choose where it lives.”
Before I can argue, he’s gone, striding up ahead to the stall where I usually get all my ceramic owls from. He’s back within minutes, a paper bag in his hand that he holds out for me with a bright grin.
“Take a look.”
I let out a dramatic sigh, but pull it out without further protest, pulling off the tissue paper wrapped around it. I gasp as it appears, hand-painted in soft pastel watercolors. I lift it up to inspect it, already knowing it’s going to be my favorite—although it’s not technically mine. As I shift it around, it rattles.
“What…?” I frown, looking at his blank expression with suspicion.
I twist the owl upside down, finding a false bottom underneath. I pry the seal out, and something shiny falls into my palm.
I look at Dillon, but he’s dropped down to one knee in front of me, his eyes locked on mine, bright with emotion.
“Dillon?” I breathe out. I’m vaguely aware of people stopping around us, watching what’s happening. I’m struggling to process it until I open my fingers, staring down at the beautiful diamond ring sitting in the middle of my palm.
He reaches up, taking the ring from me and holding it up in his fingers. “Charlie,” he starts softly, his voice wavering, “I never thought that we’d end up here like this. I never thought this ring would ever see the light of day. Instead, I believed its fate was to live amongst my socks, a constant reminder of just how badly I screwed everything up.”
Dillon bows his head like he’s gathering his thoughts, his words, but then he’s looking back at me, eyes wet. “I’ll never be able to thank you for coming back to me that day, for choosing to give me another chance when you were so out of them. You are the strongest, kindest person I’ve ever met, and you make my life better just being in it.”
A wind sweeps through the market, and the icy touch against my cheeks makes me realize that tears have slipped from my eyes. The owl is still clutched in one hand, the tissue paper and bag lying forgotten on the ground by hisknee. I can’t look away, my breath stuttering in my throat. My pulse points all thump wildly as Dillon reaches up to take my left hand. He slides the ring onto my finger, the diamond glittering brilliantly in the sunlight.
“I’ll spend an eternity proving what you mean to me, Angel. I’ll spend even longer making up for what I did. I want to start us off right, giving you the promises you always deserved…forever.” He sucks in a deep breath and then lets it out, closing his eyes for a single second and then locking them back with mine.
“Will you marry me?”
A sob bursts out of me, right as the tears turn into a waterfall, pouring down my cheeks. The words feel like they’re trapped in my chest, but I don’t need them, jerking my chin up and down. There’s a loud cry from around us, strangers applauding, and then Dillon’s surging to his feet, sweeping me into his arms.
