kind of hoped to do this somewhere more romantic than our kitchen,” he said though her gasping and crying. “But it doesn’t matter where we are. I love you, Candace.”
“I… love… you,” she managed, a sob punctuating each word. Too bad that for the rest of his life he would remember her being a blubbering fool at this moment. She scrubbed furiously at one cheek and then the other with her free hand.
“You look gorgeous,” he assured her, as if he knew what she was thinking. “In fact, this is how I love you best, I think. PJs, hair up, no makeup…the way only I get to see you.”
“Bawling my eyes out?”
“I don’t mind that as long as they’re happy tears.”
Oh, they were. The happiest tears she’d ever shed.
He squeezed her hand. “We’ve been through a lot together since the first time we met. I think if we can get through all of that, we can get through anything.”
“I think so too.”
“And there’s no one else I’d rather have at my side through whatever life throws at us. You’ve been so much more to me than my girlfriend. You’ve been closer to me than my best friend. You’ve been a partner. I mean, only someone who loves me unconditionally would want to give up everything to work at Dermamania and put up with my bullshit all day every day. Don’t think for one second that I don’t realize that. I just had a hard time coming to terms with the fact that you do care that much about me. I found it hard to believe.”
“Oh, Brian, don’t you know—?”
“ Shh. Let me say this. I’ve wanted so much to marry you for the past fucking year —hell, longer— that it’s sometimes taken everything within me not to just blurt it out. But I wanted to make it special. I wanted it to be right, not just for me but for you. I hope I haven’t misjudged the timing, but I don’t think I have.”
He hadn’t. Oh, God, no, he hadn’t.
“So if you want to be by my side every day, then I want you here forever. I want you to be my partner not just at the shop but in life. I want you to have my name. I want—I need for you to vow in front of me and God and everyone that you’ll be only mine for the rest of your life. I’m already used to you being here, but I can’t let myself depend on it like I want to. Because I keep thinking, ‘One day she could be gone, and then where the fuck would I be?’ Right back in the gutter again.”
She bit her lip, mesmerized by his eyes and his words. He drew a shaking breath, glancing down, and let go of her hand long enough to pull the ring from its velvet box. Holding it with the tips of his fingers, he back gazed up at her.
“So, Candace Marie Andrews, will you do all that crazy shit I just said and marry me?”
“Brian Lorenzo Ross, yes!” She launched herself down at him, knowing he would catch her. Knowing he would catch her for the rest of their lives.
“What the hell! You had to ruin it by using my middle name,” he laughed as she rained kisses on his face.
“Well, you used mine, so there. And I love your middle name.” Then he began to try to capture her kisses with his lips, and her mind scrambled again. At some point the ring ended up on her finger, a perfect fit, which was good. Because they ended up on the kitchen floor, rolling around madly making out between laughter and her lingering crying fit. Eventually they moved to the couch, where they sat and kissed and talked and talked, staring at the Christmas tree. It had been a long time since Candace had felt so carefree. Since she’d felt she could breathe. She hadn’t realized what a burden her bare ring finger had been until it finally had some weight on it, and she couldn’t stop looking at her ring. It was just…perfect. Too perfect for words.
“You know my mother,” he warned eventually. “She’ll demand grandchildren. And I think she has the ability to make them manifest by sheer force of will.”
“Well, that’s okay, right?” she asked shyly, feeling a
“I… love… you,” she managed, a sob punctuating each word. Too bad that for the rest of his life he would remember her being a blubbering fool at this moment. She scrubbed furiously at one cheek and then the other with her free hand.
“You look gorgeous,” he assured her, as if he knew what she was thinking. “In fact, this is how I love you best, I think. PJs, hair up, no makeup…the way only I get to see you.”
“Bawling my eyes out?”
“I don’t mind that as long as they’re happy tears.”
Oh, they were. The happiest tears she’d ever shed.
He squeezed her hand. “We’ve been through a lot together since the first time we met. I think if we can get through all of that, we can get through anything.”
“I think so too.”
“And there’s no one else I’d rather have at my side through whatever life throws at us. You’ve been so much more to me than my girlfriend. You’ve been closer to me than my best friend. You’ve been a partner. I mean, only someone who loves me unconditionally would want to give up everything to work at Dermamania and put up with my bullshit all day every day. Don’t think for one second that I don’t realize that. I just had a hard time coming to terms with the fact that you do care that much about me. I found it hard to believe.”
“Oh, Brian, don’t you know—?”
“ Shh. Let me say this. I’ve wanted so much to marry you for the past fucking year —hell, longer— that it’s sometimes taken everything within me not to just blurt it out. But I wanted to make it special. I wanted it to be right, not just for me but for you. I hope I haven’t misjudged the timing, but I don’t think I have.”
He hadn’t. Oh, God, no, he hadn’t.
“So if you want to be by my side every day, then I want you here forever. I want you to be my partner not just at the shop but in life. I want you to have my name. I want—I need for you to vow in front of me and God and everyone that you’ll be only mine for the rest of your life. I’m already used to you being here, but I can’t let myself depend on it like I want to. Because I keep thinking, ‘One day she could be gone, and then where the fuck would I be?’ Right back in the gutter again.”
She bit her lip, mesmerized by his eyes and his words. He drew a shaking breath, glancing down, and let go of her hand long enough to pull the ring from its velvet box. Holding it with the tips of his fingers, he back gazed up at her.
“So, Candace Marie Andrews, will you do all that crazy shit I just said and marry me?”
“Brian Lorenzo Ross, yes!” She launched herself down at him, knowing he would catch her. Knowing he would catch her for the rest of their lives.
“What the hell! You had to ruin it by using my middle name,” he laughed as she rained kisses on his face.
“Well, you used mine, so there. And I love your middle name.” Then he began to try to capture her kisses with his lips, and her mind scrambled again. At some point the ring ended up on her finger, a perfect fit, which was good. Because they ended up on the kitchen floor, rolling around madly making out between laughter and her lingering crying fit. Eventually they moved to the couch, where they sat and kissed and talked and talked, staring at the Christmas tree. It had been a long time since Candace had felt so carefree. Since she’d felt she could breathe. She hadn’t realized what a burden her bare ring finger had been until it finally had some weight on it, and she couldn’t stop looking at her ring. It was just…perfect. Too perfect for words.
“You know my mother,” he warned eventually. “She’ll demand grandchildren. And I think she has the ability to make them manifest by sheer force of will.”
“Well, that’s okay, right?” she asked shyly, feeling a
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