And I want to show her how much.
After we’ve walked through the whole thing, I say, “What do you think?”
She balls up a hand and presses it to her heart. When she speaks, it’s in a whisper. “It’s going to be gorgeous. Thank you.”
“Nothing,” I tell her, pushing hair from her face, “could be more gorgeous than you. Look. I know what you want to tell me.”
A shadow slides across her face. “You do?”
“Yes. You think because of what’s happened, because I don’t remember, that I’m not sure of anything. Coco, I’ve never been more sure of anything in my entire life. When I try to think of the past, it’s notonlythat I come up blank, it’s that I sense the moodiness I used to have, the anger, and I don’t want any part of it. I’m not running toward you to fill a void. That’s not why I re-proposed. I asked you because Iam me. For what may be the first time in my life, I am who I’m supposed to be, and I feel it in every pore and cell of my body.”
She looks at me with tenderness. “You really think that?”
“I do. Every ounce of me feels this.”
That’s it! That earlier feeling I couldn’t name? This is the answer. Her. Us. Right here.
Because even if I never get my past back, I’ve found my future, and it’s Coco.
Oh my God. It’s Coco.
I mean, I know that, but when the realization hits me, it becomes obvious. Why should I wait to marry her when this is the right thing to do? For me. Forus. It’s what’s supposed to happen. She’s already said yes. The hard part is over.
I want to get married. To her. Right now. I can’t wait one more minute.
But I also don’t want her to know this. I want it to be a surprise.
I jerk my head toward the site. “I need to get back. Are you hungry? Do you want to finish my lunch?”
She shakes her head. “No, but, Stone—I know you feel this way, but there’s still something I’ve got to tell you.”
I give her my full attention and wait. “Shoot.”
She opens her mouth, shuts it. Something wars in her eyes—maybe it’s just the effects of the whiplash my speech gave her.
Then she admits, “Just that I’m so grateful for you. For all of this.”
Love fills every nook and cranny inside me. “Coco, you own me. Every part of me, and all I want to do is be with you.”
I love her. This isn’t some high. I’ve loved this woman since the first moment I saw her. She’s grounded me.
“I’ve got to get back to work, but I have a surprise for you tonight.”
Her eyebrows lift. “Surprise? Stone, I—”
I tuck a strand of hair behind her ear. “Don’t try to get it out of me. Tonight. Just wait. You’re gonna love it.”
Her eyes dim a little and she nods. “Okay.”
“Don’t look so worried.”
“I’m not. I’m fine. A surprise?” she murmurs.
I brush a kiss to her cheek. “Yeah. It’s gonna be fun.”
And it’s also going to change your life. That, you can count on.
Chapter 41
