AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Dex? It’s too big to be a—”
“Oops. Silly me.” I cut her off, shaking my head, trying not to lay my surprise on too thick. “Better find out what it is.”
She purses her lips.
“Actually, I hate to say it, but it reminds me a little of Haute’s metal discs, except they weren’t this big,” she says bitterly as she hacks away at the back to find a metal box.
I figured she might think that.
“That’s what gave me the idea,” I tell her. Shock flashes in her eyes. “I thought I’d take something ugly and turn it into a treasure. Keep going.”
“It’s…” Words fail her and her mouth moves soundlessly. “Is this what I think it is?”
“Only one way to find out, sweetheart.”
It takes her a second—the steel box is slick with cake residue, but eventually she opens it to find the ring I bought her the first time sitting there, twinkling in the light.
“We can change it if you prefer something new,” I rush out. “If you want a fresh start, I get it, but—”
“You kept it,” she whispers. “You kept the ring?”
I nod, my heart blowing up a size.
“Even when I left it on the kitchen counter and walked out of your life. All these months, I was afraid to ask what happened…”
“You have no clue how many hours I sat staring at that ring, remembering what it looked like on your finger, wishing it could be there again.” I swallow hard. Heavy confessions aren’t my talent. “I know it came to you with a big fat lie. It’s not that romantic in the conventional sense, no, however—”
“It’s perfect.” She looks up sharply, her eyes brimming with tears. “I’ve always loved it. Right from the beginning, when you chose it off total luck, I guess. And it’s not just part of a sham anymore, Dex. It’s a reminder of how we met.”
I move across the grass so I’m standing in front of her now.
Without another word, I kneel.
I pry the box from her hands and open it.
“I know I’ve done this before, too,” I say, watching the smile on her lips. “And I know it wasn’t what you wanted back then. Now, we can start a new tradition—”
“You prepared a big speech. Aww.” She presses a hand to her face. “Oh, sorry. Continue.”
“Apparently, interrupting my proposals is a tradition, too.”
“I said sorry. Go on,” she hisses.
“It’s real now, Junie. Realer than the colors on these trees. Realer than my own pulse. That’s why I’m here, down on one knee, getting my pants soaked and asking for forever.” I shift my leg—that part wasn’t just me being funny, the grass really is wet. “Needless to say, I’ll always be here for you, woman, even when you interrupt me. I’ve loved you almost as long as I’ve known you, and I knew settling for a fake ring and playing house wouldn’t do. I figured out fast I needed to spend my life with you.”
“I never—”
“Let me finish, dammit,” I growl. She mimes locking her lips and throwing away the key. “I love you, Juniper Winkley. More than I ever thought I could love anybody in my life. Enough to believe love isn’t just this cruel obsession that wrecks a person the minute it’s snatched away. We’re here to love on borrowed time because that makes it so precious. And I don’t want to waste another minute without knowing you’ll be my wife. So, sweetheart, will you marry me?”
Breathless seconds crawl by as her hands shake over her mouth. She licks her lips.
“Of course,” she whispers. The tears spill over her cheeks as her voice gets louder. “YouknowI will, Dexter Rory. Don’t pretend you’re clueless.”
“Don’t give a damn what you call me. As long as you’re mine.”
I take the ring and slide it on her waiting finger, staring like a man admiring a work of art.
Just like before, it fits perfectly.
