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I shook my head, pacing in and out of the room. “You don’t get to do that. No way. I get to propose.”
I reached out to her, pulling her to her feet. She took my hand, still giggling, and followed me out of the room and into the kitchen. I was starving, so I grabbed two slices from a box of leftover pizza and offered her one.
“I get to propose,” I said through mouthfuls of pizza. “Not you. I have a plan.”
She took a bite of her piece, chewing slowly. After some time, she said, “I’ll wait, then. Of course I will.”
I brushed my lips against hers. She dropped her pizza and laced her arms around my neck, deepening the kiss.
I kissed her for a long time, then pulled back. “It won’t be long. But you do have to wait. That’s only fair. I mean, I waited eight years. You can wait a couple days.”
She shoved me, giggling. “I don’t know why I’m so happy. Just yesterday, you pulled my mom from the place where my brother died, and I found out my parents are divorced, and …”
I filled in for her. “You forgave her. That’s why you’re happy.”
“Yeah. I did.”
“That was the best thing to do.” I grinned. “For her and for you.”
Her eyes welled up with tears. “I know. I felt the spirit of God. I know He wanted me to forgive her. I’m grateful.”
I kissed her head and held her. “He did want that. I’m grateful too.”
Chapter Thirty-Four
Ella
Sunday dinner arrived, and I was trying to wrap my head around the fact that my mom was sitting next to me at the table. The Armstrongs had welcomed her to their home. In fact, Noah’s parents had been the ones to suggest that I invite her. It was the day I checked her out of the hospital, so it was nice to come to the Armstrongs’ house.
We were halfway through dinner, and things were as normal as possible, when Dylan walked into the house and stopped in front of the table, lifting his arms. “Hello, family.”
They all yelled out hellos, and he gave his parents a hug and a kiss on the cheek.
He paused next to me and my mother. “A guy is gone for a couple days and everything changes.” He flashed a smile at my mother and said, “Nice to have you, Ms. Klein.”
She nodded. “Thank you.”
I could tell my mother was out of sorts, but she was still with it enough to talk about one of the recent stories she’d done about some war crimes in Afghanistan. If a stranger had dropped in on us just then, they never would’ve guessed that she had tried to kill herself only days before.
On impulse, I reached over and put my hand on top of my mother’s. She looked at me and smiled. I didn’t know where our relationship would go from here, but I was cautiously optimistic that we would build one. I wouldn’t worry about not having one with my father. Neither of us had been concerned about it in the past.
Noah tapped his glass with a fork. “Everyone, I have an announcement. But this announcement won’t take place here. I have told some of you, but we are all going to drive up to the lookout point.”
Butterflies filled my stomach, and I wondered if I knew what that announcement would be. It would be the perfect spot, I reasoned.
His eyes met mine, and I couldn’t help but laugh.
He gave me a smug look and took my hand. “You’re with me.”
I turned back for my mother.
Dylan put his hand up. “Actually, Ms. Klein, would you come with me? Noah asked me if I would come home expressly to be part of this and to chauffeur you.”
I was touched that Noah had done all this planning.
The whole family formed a caravan up to the place where Noah and I had shared our first kiss, and maybe where we would have a proposal. Noah ceremoniously gathered the group together, and he and I stood on top of the rock.
“Most of you know what we came to do today,” he said, smiling at me. “I have a suspicion that Ella knows. But there is something none of you know.” He peered into my eyes. “This is a surprise even for you.”
