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I spin back around, eyes wide, to find Hunter still down on a knee, his eyes sparkling with amusement.
“I’m so sorry,” I exclaim. “Yes. Of course, I’ll marry you. Yes!”
As the room erupts with more applause and cheering, Hunter scoops me up and spins me around as he kisses me. We laugh together as he sets me back down and slips the ring on my finger. After that, everybody files over to give us hugs and to congratulate us. It’s then that I see Micah slip into the room with a tall, willowy redhead on his arm. He gives me a wave and a smile as he makes his way over to us.
“Micah made it,” I say.
Hunter smiles. “Good. I was hoping he would.”
For six months after Hunter confronted Micah in his apartment, they didn’t speak. True to his word, though, Hunter went to that restaurant, Dotello’s, at 7 PM every Friday and sat for an hour, just waiting. For six months, he sat alone for that hour. He was hurt, and I hated to see him in pain, but he never let himself get discouraged, and he never gave up. And then one night, Micah showed up. And they’ve spent the past six months working on their relationship.
Things were understandably tense and tentative. To some extent, they still are. But I’m happy to see that things between them seem to be getting better. I can see the burden that’s beginning to lift from Hunter’s shoulders and see more of a lightness about him lately now that he and Micah seem to be on a little better footing.
Through it all, though, he never lets what’s going on between him and Micah affect us. He treats me like a queen.
My relationship with Micah, however, remains very much a work in progress. Most of the time, we’re cordial at best. Knowing there are still some tough feelings and even tougher conversations that need to be had, Hunter does his best to keep us from being around one another until we’re both ready to have those talks. He acts as a much-needed buffer between us. So, frankly, I’m a little surprised that Micah showed up today. But it seems to make Hunter happy, so I’m glad about that. Nothing, not even Micah, is going to take the shine off my day.
Micah walks over to us and gives his dad an embrace that’s still somewhat stiff and awkward but has some genuine warmth behind it. He steps back and gives me a smile that, to my astonishment, looks sincere. He stands there awkwardly for a moment and puts his hand on the small of the redhead’s back.
I can’t put my finger on what it is, but there’s something different about Micah. There’s a glimmer in his eye and a glow about him I’ve never seen before. And for a moment, he looks shy. Awkward. But one thing I don’t feel is the usual tension and anger that tend to fill a room when Hunter and Micah are together. And then it hits me. Micah’s happy.
“Dad, Harlow, this Aubrey,” he introduces her. “We’ve been seeing each other for a few months now, so I thought it was time I introduced you to her.”
Hunter beams as he shakes Aubrey’s hand. Then, she turns to me, so I do the same and give her a warm welcome. She’s stunning and has a real presence about her. She doesn’t seem like somebody Micah would have dated in the past. She’s far too strong. I’m sensing this isn’t just some casual thing between her and Micah, but something deeper. More than that, I’m feeling some seismic shift in him.
“It’s a pleasure to meet you both,” Aubrey says. “Micah’s told me a lot about you.”
“The pleasure is ours,” Hunter says.
“And congratulations,” Micah says with a smile, gesturing to the ring on my finger. “I’m really happy for you guys.”
“You knew too, I take it?” I ask.
He nods, his smile widening. “My dad told me he was planning on proposing about a week ago. I went with him to look at the rings.”
“I’m always the last to know,” I say with a grin.
Micah shifts on his feet, and a look of uncertainty flashes across his face. He looks at Hunter and quickly turns away, turning to me instead. I get the sense there’s something he wants to say but is having trouble finding the words.
“Are you okay?” I ask.
He nods. “Yeah, I’m good,” he says and turns to Aubrey. “I’m really good, actually.”
“I can see you want to say something,” Hunter says. “Spit it out, kid.”
“I just…”
He turns to Aubrey again, who gives him an encouraging nod. “Go ahead, babe.”
Micah takes her hand and gives it a squeeze, seeming to draw strength from her. He stands up a little straighter and looks directly into Hunter’s eyes, a small smile and a strange look on his face.
“I … I was accepted into the Fire Academy today,” he says slightly hesitantly, but with a ring of pride in his voice. “I’m going to follow in your footsteps and become a firefighter.”
The moment the words passed Micah’s lips, Hunter pulls his son into a tight embrace, the unmistakable light of pride on his face. Neither of us knew Micah had been working toward getting into the Fire Academy. Toward building a career. I look at Aubrey again and realize he’s working on building a life.
“I’m proud of you, kid,” Hunter says, his voice thick.
“Thanks, Dad,” he says, then turns to me. “Can I talk to you for a minute?”
