I couldn’t say anything. I was just in total shock.
“Jada, you’re killing me here.” He laughed nervously.
“Of course I will,” I breathed out, my chest heaving with excitement, the smile on my face touching my eyes. It was the happiest I had ever been.
“I have a confession.” He winced as he tilted his head.
My heart dropped to my knees, and my smile slipped.
Please, God, please don’t let us go backward again.
“What’s that?” I asked hesitantly.
“I lied to you.” He looked at the house so I couldn’t see his face.
My shoulders began to sag, my words coming out harsher than I expected. “About what?”
“I have another thing I need to know. I want you to change your address—move here with me. But I also want to know if you will change one more thing.”
“What’s that?”
Cane reached into his pocket and got down on one knee in front of me.
Tears came to my swollen eyes, and my hands flew to my mouth.
“I want you to change your last name. Will you marry me?” He opened a black velvet box, and the most beautiful ring I had ever seen sparkled inside. It was a beautiful oval yellow diamond made even more striking by a row of diamonds encircling it. “Yellow like the sun because you’re my sun and my stars. You’re my world.”
“Cane.” I felt light-headed, excitement taking over me.
He removed the ring from the box and slipped it gently on my finger. He held my hand in his hands, as mesmerized by the sight as I was. He lifted it to his lips and kissed it before pulling me into him.
He kissed me long and hard, his hand wrapping in my hair and holding me still as he took his time telling me everything he wanted without words.
He broke the kiss and held my head with both hands.
“You were right.” I smiled.
“About what?”
“Words are overrated.” I grinned as he laughed.
“So this means you’ll marry me?”
“Yeah, I’ll be your girl.”
“Baby, you must have been confused.” He smiled mischievously. “You were always my girl.”
“You think?” I asked, raising my eyebrows.
“There was never any doubt.”
CANE
We drove in silence through the city toward Kari’s house a little while later. My beautiful girl was sitting in the passenger seat, looking more content than I had ever seen her. I felt more at peace than I had in a long time; just being with her, having a promise of being with her forever, gave me more happiness than I ever thought possible.
I watched her examine her ring. She was always beautiful, but with that ring on her hand …
She really did say yes.
