“Ivy doesn’t have a clue,” she declared proudly once she got to me. “She’s sure I’m flying to Philadelphia right now.”
“Nice job,” I said to her. “Let’s hope she takes her time getting here. Her parents should be here any minute.” We made our way into the kitchen where my ma was fussing over the dirty dishes. I was about to tell her to leave them when Fox came up to me and gave me a slap on the back that felt like it rattled every single one of my ribs. “Excited for you, J. She’s going to love it,” he said.
“Try not to kill me before she arrives,” I wheezed. “I knew it was a bad idea to start bringing you to the gym.” We’d been going together a few times a week for the past month and I quickly discovered that Fox was a beast. I guess working at an auto shop for the better part of ten years was a damn good real-life workout.
Fox let out a booming laugh. “Reina says it was the best idea you’d ever had.”
They got to work on setting the table and putting up the decorations in the backyard, while I kept an eye on the ham. Ten minutes later, Ivy’s parents arrived at the same time as Nial and his wife, and we did quick introductions. I’d been FaceTiming Ivy’s parents over the past two weeks in preparation for the big day, and it was great to finally meet them in person. Her mom reminded me a lot of Cole.
That was the one family member who couldn’t be here today, but some part of me thought maybe it was for the best. Cole didn’t think much of me, and I was hoping things would be easier to smooth out after Ivy and I were already engaged.
Engaged.
I was about to ask Ivy to marry me.
Just saying the words in my head made my palms sweaty. I’d known I wanted to marry her from the moment she told me she loved me, but I’d resolved to wait. I’d worried if it was fair to ask her to decide on forever when she was only twenty and still had so much to learn about herself. For weeks I’d told myself I wouldn’t, but my resolve crumbled with every evening we spent curled up on the couch, talking about our lives and imagining a future together. I didn’t know what the future would bring for me. The only thing I knew for sure was she had to be in it.
So when I felt like I could no longer hold the question in, I called Nial and asked him to talk me down. He’d done the opposite, telling me I needed to stop being an idiot and let her make her own choices. I went and picked out the ring that same day.
“How far are you?”I messaged Ivy when everything was ready.
“Uber’s pulling in right now.”
I rushed everyone lingering inside out to the backyard, took off my apron, and went to open the door on wobbly legs. Ivy stood outside in a blush-colored dress, her hair pulled back into a low bun, and her hazel eyes shining with excitement. She peeked over my shoulder. “No one’s here yet, right?”
I was too taken with how gorgeous she looked to respond right away. My hands reached for her waist, and I pulled her into a long, deep kiss. “They’ll be here any second,” I said when we broke apart, my voice hoarse.
“Okay, great. I need at least twenty minutes to get everything up.” She shook the paper bag she was holding at me.
Taking the bag out of her hand, I twined her fingers with mine as my heart started to race inside my chest. “Change of plans. I was thinking we do dinner outside since the evening should be mild.”
Her brows pulled together. “You sure? But the tree’s in the living room.”
“That’s okay. We can come inside for dessert.”
She moved her lips side to side, thinking about it. “Hmm, okay. The string lights will look nice. Maybe I can wrap the garlands around them.”
“Why don’t we go take a look?”
I led her down the hall, not letting go of her hand, and when we got to the glass door, I stopped outside first.
Her jaw dropped as soon as she saw what was waiting for her. “Jamie, what’s this?” she whispered, bringing her hand to her chest.
Fairy lights carved out a path over the grass to an arch covered in roses and ivy. I pulled on Ivy’s hand until we stood in front of it, then I turned to face her.
“Jamie…” Her eyes were so wide, her cheeks pink. “Is this what I think this is?”
I gave her a breathless grin and got down on one knee.
Turned out Nial was right. Ivy was perfectly capable of making her own choices, and as luck would have it, she chose me.
Everyone popped out of their hiding spots as soon as she said yes, and Ivy nearly jumped out of her dress. She cried happy tears with her parents and Zoey while I tried to keep my own emotions at bay. An hour later, we were finally ready to eat, which is when I realized I’d forgotten all about the damned ham. Everyone assured me they were perfectly fine with Christmas burgers as long as I didn’t also forget about the wine.
We sat outside at the dinner table, Fox and Reina telling Zoey the story of how they met, Ivy’s parents talking about music with Nial and his wife, and Ivy chatting to my mom. My fiancée would erupt in laughter every few minutes and send me amused looks from across the table. No doubt, my mom was telling her embarrassing stories of me as a child, but the delight on Ivy’s face made me feel less grumpy about it.
When my mom stood up to go to the bathroom, Ivy caught my gaze and arched one brow. I jerked my head in the direction of the house, and we excused ourselves to grab the dessert.
“I’m sorry Cole couldn’t be here,” I said to her as we stepped into the bedroom. “I’m sure you would have been happy to see him.”
