I nod, remembering the perfect shade of blue I love so much and the buttery feel of the cashmere on my skin as I tried on the sweater.
"Hannah shook her head and said, 'No, Daddy. I want to get her this necklace. Elle is my second mommy.'"
His voice falters a little, but he presses on. "I tried to talk her out of it because I wasn't sure you'd be okay with it, or how it would make you feel. But Hannah is right. Since the day we met, you've been more of a mother to her than Meghan ever has. It hurts to say that, because Hannah deserves better, but it’s true. You’ve filled a void in that little girl's life that Meghan created with her absence and disinterest. I’m not going to tell Hannah how she should feel about you or the role she believes you play in her life."
"And you’re okay with it?" I ask, searching his face for any doubt.
He smiles softly, placing his hand over mine. "I’m more than okay," he says. "I agree with Hannah."
***
After dinner, we move to the couch, and Cal hands me the small shoe-sized gift he brought with him. I take it and shake it lightly. It gives just a little but doesn’t reveal its contents.
“What is it?” I ask, looking at Cal, who’s sitting beside me with that mischievous glint in his eyes.
“I’m not telling,” he replies, offering me a playful smile.
I unwrap the box and open it, expecting to see whatever surprise he’s been teasing. But inside is another box, just as beautifully wrapped as the first.
“What?” I exclaim, a laugh escaping me. “Cal, what are you doing?”
“Open it,” he says, his excitement practically radiating from him.
I raise an eyebrow, but do as he asks, peeling away the wrapping paper and revealing yet another box, small, wrapped with a big bow, just like the others.
“Cal,” I say, my tone amused. “Please tell me this is the last box.”
He doesn’t answer, just watches me with that steady gaze. I carefully unwrap it and open the lid. Inside is avelvet jewelry box. My breath catches, and my hands begin to tremble as I pull it out.
“Cal?” I murmur, my heartbeat picking up pace. “What is this?”
He reaches across and takes the box from my shaking hands. Before I can say another word—though I’m not sure I could even if I tried—he’s on one knee in front of me, a grin stretching across his face, his eyes full of hope.
“Elle,” he begins, his voice calm and full of warmth. "I don't even know where to begin, because there’s so much I want to say, so much hidden in my heart. I know it might sound crazy, but I feel like I've loved you for a lifetime."
My heart swells, a rush of love and emotion surging through me. I want to shout "Yes!" from the top of my lungs, but the words are stuck, lodged somewhere deep in my chest. I remain silent, mesmerized by the way his eyes hold mine, as he takes a breath and continues.
"When I met you ten years ago, I gave you a piece of my heart. The part that felt an incredible need to protect you and your little sister. If you'd come into my family back then, I would’ve loved you the way I love Beth. You would’ve been part of my family, my sibling. And I know, I know your reality would have been a good one. But that’s not the life we got to live. And now, here we are in the reality we were meant to live. Together and in love."
He pauses, his gaze intense and full of meaning.
“I love you, Elle. I’m in love with you. I want to make you a part of my family, as my wife. Will you marry me?”
With unbridled certainty, I scream, "Yes! Yes, I'll marry you, Jackson Reed Callahan. I want to be yours forever!"
My heart pounds as I extend a trembling hand toward him. Cal doesn’t hesitate for a second. He takes my hand in his, his fingers warm and steady, as he slips the most beautiful ring I've ever seen onto my finger.
He stands and lifts me into his arms, twirling me around a couple of times as I hold onto him, laughing and crying with joy.
"You said yes!" he shouts. "You said yes!"
He gently sets me down and kisses me. The twirling has left me dizzy, but it’s not what’s making me breathless and dazed—it’s him. The way he holds me. The way he wraps me in his arms. The way his lips move over mine, making me forget time and place.
I feel his lips leave mine and travel across my neck, gently kissing my collarbone before he whispers in my ear, "You were meant to be mine."
He’s right. This is the reality I want to live in—a reality where I am his, and he is mine for the rest of our lives.
***
