“And I don’t want to go back,” I continued. “I don’t want to imagine a future that doesn’t have you in it. I want to wake up next to you every morning.I want to build a life with you. I want—”
A few guys in the crowd gasped. The old men, always there, cried again.
I reached into my pocket and pulled out the ring box and dropped to one knee.
Finn’s hands flew to his mouth. “Oh myfuckingGod.”
Laughter rippled through the crowd.
I opened the box.
Finn stared at the ring—a platinum Claddagh, two hands cradling a heart beneath a crown. A diamond winked from the center of the heart.
“That’s a Claddagh ring,” Finn said, his voice thick.
“I know it’s traditional, but I thought—given that you’re Irish, and what it represents—” I swallowed hard. “Love, loyalty, friendship. That’s us. That’s what we have.”
“Chase, it’s perfect,” Finn whispered. “It’s absolutely perfect.”
“Finn O’Brien,” I said, my voice shaking now. “Will you marry me?”
For a long moment, he just stared down. His eyes were shining, and I realized he was crying.
“Yes,” he said, and his voice was thick with emotion. “Yes, of course, yes. How could you even—yes. Yes!”
The bar erupted. If the Lightning game had been an explosion, this was a nuclear reaction. I’d never heard anything so loud in all my life.
I stood, careful not to fall off the damn counter, my hands shaking as I took the ring from the box. Finn held out his hand, and I slid the ring onto his finger.
“I love you,” I said.
“I love you, too,” he said, and then he was kissing me, his hands in my hair, his body pressed against mine.
I could barely hear myself think over the crowd. Still, Finn managed to whisper in my ear. “You’ve been so weird. Was this in your pocket the whole time?”
“For two weeks, yeah.”
“TWO WEEKS?!”
“I was waiting for the right moment.”
“You could have asked me any time in the past two weeks and I would have said yes,” Finn said. “You could have asked me in the car, or at home, or while I was taking out the trash. I would have said yes every single time.”
“I wanted it to be special.”
He pulled back, and I suddenly remembered where we were, standing on top of the bar in a building full of people. Jacks reached up and tapped myleg, then offered his hand to help us down. Once grounded again, Finn kissed me, harder this time.
“We’re getting married,” he said between kisses.
“We’re getting married,” I repeated, and the words felt surreal. “You’re going to be my husband.”
“OH MY GOD!” Benji screamed. “YOU’RE ENGAGED! FINN’S ENGAGED! THEY’RE GETTING MARRIED!”
“Benji, customers!” Mark snapped, but he was grinning as he pulled us both into a hug. “Congratulations, you two. I’m happy for you.”
“About damn time,” Jacks said, joining the hug. “Congrats, boss. This is—you two are good together.”
“The best,” Benji said, wiping his eyes. “You’re the best couple I know. I’m so happy I could die. Also, I’m planning the bachelor party. Both bachelor parties. And they’re going to be amazing. And—” He stopped, his eyes going wide. “Wait, does this mean you’re going to have a wedding? Here? At the bar? Please say you’re having it at the bar.”
