Page 122 of Strum Me

“Oh.” I don’t even care that it makes me grin like a loon.

“And to tell you that you can never leave my sight ever again.”

“Done,” I say, slipping my hand into his.

“And not to disagree—wait what?”

“I said, ‘done.’”

“Well…now you’ve ruined the rest of my speech. The one time I’m prepared for your stubbornness and you thwart my good deed!” He pouts.

“Oops, sorry. I mean ‘NO!’”

“That’s better. The rest of my speech goes something like this: You can’t leave because…because I told you I would protect you and Ben forever, and I’m sorry it took so long, but I’m new to this. I’ll get better.”

“What are you talking about?”

“You don’t have to work for Silas anymore. I know all about it. But you don’t. He can’t blackmail you anymore.”

“Wha? How?”

He hands me a stack of paper. I can’t focus on all of them—just the few words ‘Give up all rights as biological father to Ben Butter.’ I look up, mouth open.

“How…How did you get him to do this?”

“It doesn’t matter. I did. And now I want you to consider signing this form.” He hands me another contract. My eyes can barely focus through the tears.

“What is it?”

“Read it.”

They’re adoption papers. For Brad to adopt Ben. To make him his.

“Oh my God. Brad. No.”

“Oh.” His entire face falls in an instant, and it pulls my heart with it.

“No, I mean…have you really thought about this? What if you want to have your own child one day?”

“I hope I will, and not my own, our own. From this moment on, we’re going to be a family, Butter. Like we were always meant to be, and Ben is going to be my child, in my heart, in his, and on paper.”

“This is the weirdest proposal ever,” I blurt out, trying to process everything. The relief, excitement, the emotions.

“Oh whoa, wait, I wasn’t proposing!” Ben clarifies, and my ears roar with disappointment, and I turn away to hide the blush rising up my cheeks. Had I misunderstood everything he’d said?

“Oh. I’m sorry. I didn’t mean…”

I turn around and my clown is on his knees.

“Now I’m proposing.”

“And now I’m saying yes!”

Brad jumps to his clown feet and picks me up, and my hair falls down around us, just like it always did. And I kiss him, and it’s perfect, just like it always was.

There’s a giant cheer and Jez, Marius, Sebastian, and Cadence come barreling around the corner, knocking us over in hugs. I barely have time to register that the rest of the band are in clown costumes, too.

All I know is that everything is finally as it’s meant to be.