I could barely hear him over the wild beating of my heart. “What are you saying?”
“I’m saying you’re the only one for me. And even though I sort of hate you right now, I love you more.”
Without breaking eye contact, Keith lowered himself to one knee, drawing a gasp from my lips. He gently placed his palm against my stomach, staring up at me with the look I knew so well. Time had not dimmed his love. And why would it? Keith had always believed. It was me who’d lagged behind.
“I asked you once with a seaweed ring. I asked you twice with a diamond. And now, Samantha Anderson, I ask you to marry me one last time with the ring that belongs only to you.”
He opened his hand to reveal the stunning surprise. A ring of diamonds sparkled like twinkling lights, but it was the stone that sat in the middle of them all that caught my eye – the ocean captured in an agate.
This time, there were no unanswered questions.
This time, our future wasn’t in jeopardy.
This time, I said yes.
38
Keith: Long Time Coming
“Are you sure you don’t want to wear the bowtie?” my father asked, holding the unraveled cloth in his hands. “Just asking for a friend.”
“No, and you don’t, either. This is a beach wedding, Dad. Informal is the name of the game. Come here.”
“Why?” He stepped forward.
“So I can loosen a few of these buttons. You look like a priest.”
And as we stood facing one another I purposely avoided his gaze. He’d been trying to corner me all day, and now that we were alone, I could feel the energy pulsing off him.
He grabbed my hand. “Keith, I need to tell you something.”
“Dad, I swear if you tell me the honeybee story, you’re out of the wedding party.”
“I hate that you boys talk amongst yourselves. Jake ruined a perfectly good bachelor party story. I hope he’s happy because now everyone loses. Anyway, no, I want you to know how unbelievably proud I am of you.”
“Thank you.”
“And I think maybe I need to apologize.”
“Dad, you, of all people, have no reason to apologize. I’m only standing here today because of you.”
“Oh, but I do. You were right. I did favor Mitch. I see that now, but it was only because I felt guilty for not having him in my life as much as I should have. So when he was home, I overcompensated, putting him on a pedestal without really noticing it.”
I put my hand up. “Let me stop you right there. I am not that insecure kid anymore, and I don’t hold you responsible for anything. Hell, without you, I’d probably be a prison bitch.”
“Oh, yes, there’s no doubt.”
We laughed, a sense of humor being one of the most important things I’d inherited from him.
“And I’m glad you gave Mitch the attention he deserved. We had you all the time. He needed you. And he’s like the perfect human, so you did a good job.”
“You’re perfect too.”
We both saw the humor in that at the same time and laughed accordingly.
“Or… like perfect in a recycled furniture kind of way.”
“I’ll take it. And someday when I’m a father, I want to be just like you… only handsomer and thinner and with more hair. And without all the uncontrollable gas.”
