I’m still looking at the words.
The question mark.
The etched heart.
“I didn’t think I’d ever find someone who shared my interests, beliefs, desires, and sense of humor. I didn’t think I’d find you. I was ready to spend my life as a single parent, knowing it was my one job on earth ... kind of like you. We both love others more than we love ourselves, and I think that’s what made me realize we are meant for each other.”
I finally turn my head to face Denver, who’s on his knee, holding a small suede box open with a gorgeous diamond ring lying on top of a white hibiscus flower.
“Do you remember that day you were in Oahu, passing by a stand on the boardwalk, and a man in uniform asked you if you had an interest in joining the Marine Corps?”
“How did you know …”I ask, startled to be reminded of that day, and the fact that he somehow knows. “I do. I ... I said—”
“If I wanted to go dig holes in the sand, I’d go to the beach,” Denver repeats the rude response I offered the poor recruiter on a really crappy day I was having.
“How do you know that?”
“It was me. I took down your name and your fake phone number but kept it in my wallet to remind me of the day I heard the funniest damn response to the same question I had asked people four hundred times a day.”
Denver pulls a piece of paper out of his pocket. It’s torn and on notebook paper. It says:
Kai Lana / 222-222-8008.
Maybe another time …
Thanks for the chat.
“I gave you my boob number.” That was what I did when men asked for my number, no matter what the reason was.
“You did, and I think I spent the next few hours laughing after you left. I didn’t recognize you at first, but the day Noa introduced you, I couldn’t get your name out of my head. I couldn’t figure out why until the middle of that night when I woke up out of a dead sleep to go find that piece of paper I kept stuffed in my wallet for a good laugh when I needed it.”
“That was you?” I ask, forgetting all the rest.
“I think we were meant to be together. I’ve been thinking that since the night I found that paper.”
“I was supposed to visit a friend for a weekend in Oahu, and she never showed at the port, so I spent the day wandering around the island. I had no other reason to be there,” I tell him.
“Me. I was your reason.”
“I think so,” I agree.
“Will you marry me, Kai? Will you take Aya into your life and form a family with me? I love you. I love you so damn much it hurts to be away from you when we aren’t together. I love you so much that my heart pounds when I see you kiss Aya on the cheek and hug her after she’s been crying. I love you so much for filling a role in her life so seamlessly. I love you for filling the empty space in my heart.
“Normally, I wouldn’t think of stealing anyone else’s thunder on their wedding day, nor do I intend for us to announce anything today if you were to say yes, but I know how much it hurts for you to give up your self-made purpose in life of caring for another person, ensuring their safety and happiness, and I want you to know that we need you for that same exact reason. You’re wanted by us so badly, and we want to be that for you too.”
The tears, that have remained dormant for more than ten years before today, slip down my cheeks one by one, as I’m mesmerized by Denver’s understanding of my life’s desires to ensure the happiness of others. I don’t need to consider this answer. There is no question in my mind that this is what’s right for me.
“I want to marry you, and I want Aya in my life more than I’ve wanted anything else before.”
Denver takes my hand and kisses my ring finger. Tonight, after the reception, I’ll put the ring on your finger. I know you want today to be about Lea.”
His sentiment makes me tear up again, and his understanding of every little thing that matters to me means everything. “I love you so much, Denver. So much.”
Denver removes the flower from the ring box before closing it back up and slipping it into his pocket. His smile is for me. He’s beaming, and I feel the same way inside. “Here,” he says, tucking the white flower gently behind my ear as he has done so many times before today. “You know what this white flower means until that ring is on your finger tonight. After I put that ring on your finger, I can finally let the world know you belong to me.”
“You’re a dream—a beautiful, wonderful, perfect dream, especially after all the dreamless nights I’ve lived through.”
Denver cups my face within his hands and kisses me hard, stealing my breath, leaving me weightless in the soft breeze of warm air. “If this is a dream, then I can’t wait to see what happens when I go to sleep tonight,” he mutters against my lips.
