“A…roommate? Does that mean you’re staying? Wait. Why would you be my roommate? Oh my God, you want to live with me. But we’re dating, aren’t we? Shoot. I hope we’re dating. Wait, we said “I love you” so of course we’re—”
I cut her off mid-ramble with a deep kiss. She’s nervous, which somehow makes me feel less so.
“Slow down, baby, and let me explain. Roommate was the wrong word to use. I love you and sometime soon I’m going to ask you to marry me. In the meantime, I want to romance you day and night, and I can’t do that unless I’m with you day and night. I’m moving to the island and I very much want to live with you. As for theare we datingquestion, Ella, we’re more than dating. I don’t know how to label it and I don’t care. But what we have is way more than just dating.”
And there are the happy tears I’m starting to expect from the love of my life. Ella’s smiling, even as her eyes fill up.
“If you’re living on the island, it had better be with me,” she whispers, then she puts both of our plates down on the ground before climbing into my lap and straddling my legs. “And for the record, when you ask me to marry you…I’ll say yes.”
I didn’t think it was possible to love her even more, but with those words, I do.
“There’s more.”
Ella’s about to kiss me, but when I speak, she pulls back and looks at me quizzically.
“It’s about my job. I’ll have to maintain my office and staff on the mainland, so I’m going to have to go back there probably once a month to check in on things. And there will be other work trips. But I want to be here as much as possible, so I’m looking into renting some office space in town for myself.”
She smiles and this time I let her kiss me.
“I can handle the odd trip as long as you always promise to come home to me. But you don’t need to rent space, we can make room here. Once the school year starts, I’m not home all day.”
“You’re right, baby, but for what I’ll be working on, I’m going to need an actual office for me and for a team.”
This is it. Now I get to reveal my other big plans. I just hope she approves.
“I’ve taken over the development of the north end of the island. Robert didn’t want to change his vision, so he’s changing his location. I bought the land instead and I’m going to build a family-friendly cottage community. Think Cape Cod, but West Coast style. Year-round homes and summer cottages, all mapped out around a central common area with a playground for the kids. Road access to Wharf Street is going in, so the new residents will bring more business to the locals, but we might have to think about expanding to include a few new amenities. Like, perhaps a library?”
Her squeal of excitement makes me laugh, and the passion behind her kiss makes me breathless. I will do anything to make her this happy every day for the rest of my life if she’ll let me.
Suddenly, she pulls back slightly, a wondrous look to her face.
“How the heck did I get so lucky?” She shakes her head slightly, “All I wanted was a hair tie, and I ended up with the love of my life.”
“And a library. Don’t forget the library,” I tease as I dip forward to capture her lips again.
“Of course, I won’t forget the library. It’s only the most romantic thing anyone has ever done for me,” Ella teases right back. I scoop her up in my arms and begin to walk back inside. I’m going to love this woman and her perfectly quirky sense of humor for the rest of my life.
“If you think that’s romantic, stick around for fifty years or so. I’ll show you more romance than you can handle.”
“Promise?”
“Promise.”
Epilogue
Ella
*2 years later*
Pregnancy is uncomfortable. There, I said it. My feet are swollen, my body can’t seem to choose a temperature between freezing cold and burning hot, I have heartburn constantly, and sleep continues to elude me.
But I wouldn’t trade it for anything. Nothing can hold back my smile as I stand here, watching my handsome husband give a speech at the official opening of Northgate Community, the eco-friendly, family-friendly neighborhood he designed. I’m so proud of him; he worked so hard to earn the trust of those of us who have lived on Westmount Island our entire lives. He made sure to build a property that fits in with our relaxed way of life and added to it in a way that maintains a sense of community.
Movement inside my gigantic belly distracts me for a moment and I rub my stomach, trying to send silent messages to my unborn son to calm down and stop doing somersaults inside of me.
When one somersault feels more like a wrestler’s choke hold, I can’t hide my grimace. My sisters notice, and Kayla raises one eyebrow at me questioningly. I try to give her a reassuring smile and turn my attention back to Marcus.
He’s finished talking now and is holding his hand out to me. Right, it’s my turn now. I waddle over and take the oversized scissors he’s giving me. I get the honor of cutting the ribbon to announce the opening of the Westmount Island Public Library. Marcus wanted to name it the Michaels Public Library, but I said that would be ridiculous. My silly husband spoils me rotten, but I can’t accept a library being named after me, even if it is being built simply because I mentioned I wanted one.
