Page 19 of Quick Bang

“You won’t turn to salt. Turn around. It’s good. Trust me.”

Pushing against my fears that this is all a joke or a big lie, I turn around. Sure enough, Stone is kneeling in front of me with a ring box in his hand. Inside is the most beautiful diamond I’ve ever seen, but what’s really got me breathless is Stone himself. He’s dressed in a three-piece suit, tailored to fit him perfectly. He’s gotten a short haircut, probably to even out what the fire did to his hair. His eyes shine with hope and happiness, and he’s more handsome than I’ve ever seen him. I can’t believe he wants me, and I really can’t believe he wants me forever. After almost a week with no word from him, I resigned myself to letting him go. Now here he is with a ring. What should I believe?

“I was scared when you didn’t contact me,” I say.

“I’m sorry about that. I wanted to fix up Ruby’s house quickly before I had to head out to sea, and I didn’t want to see you until I had everything prepared.” A flash of worry crosses his face, and I realize that he’s as concerned about my rejection as I am about his.

“And my brother?” I ask.

From near the door, someone clears his throat. I look up to see my brother giving me the thumbs up from across the room. “I also wanted to talk to him before I asked you to marry me,” Stone explains. “Not that he could prevent me from marrying you or make me change my mind, but I want to start our life together on the right foot.”

Our life together. I like the sound of that.

“Come on, Norma, our food is getting cold,” one of the diners complains. “Give him an answer already or he’s going to have problems in that knee for sure.”

“Keep your shirt on,” I say. “This is a big deal, you know. You can’t rush it.”

“Maybe you could rush it a little bit?” Stone asks, smiling.

I lean down and give him a hard pinch on his chest. “Ow!” he shouts and rubs the area where I pinched him.

“Just checking,” I say and put my hand out. “Okay, since I’m not asleep, I would love to marry you, Stone Jenkins. I’ve loved you forever, and I’ll love you forever more.”

With shaking hands, he slides the ring on my finger. Then, he picks me up and swings me around to raucous applause in the diner. When he puts me down, he looks at me like he’s seven years old and I’m the bicycle that he’s been given for his birthday.

Then, he kisses me, and it’s the kiss of a thousand missed opportunities, the passion of a million lost moments, and the love of years of unspoken emotion.

“We have a lot to make up for,” I tell him when we finally come up for air.

“We will. One kiss at a time.”