Page 143 of Ruled Out

When Mia lets go of my hand and steps into the shallow water, I watch as she turns back to me with a bright smile framed by her dark hair blowing in the wind.

Reaching into my pocket, I turn the small velvet box around in the palm of my hand. It wasn’t hard to find a ring; there could really only be one. When I told Graham about my plan to propose and he gave me Jayne’s engagement ring, I knew I wouldn’t be able to hold out on giving it to her.

With my dad still in custody, awaiting a trial, which will almost certainly see him behind bars for at least a decade, I finally feel like I have some kind of closure on my past.

But with the help of regular therapy, I’ve never felt closer to Will and Mom. Last week, I even caught myself laughing at a memory I shared with Papa and her at the local diner when I spilled a strawberry shake all over his brand-new pants.

“What are you thinking about, Jessie?” Mia steps toward me, her head cocked slightly to the side in question.

“Just everything,” I answer.

She giggles, the sound inflating my chest. “Well, you wouldn’t be my boyfriend if you weren’t overthinking everything, even surrounded by the calm ocean.”

I bring my eyes to hers. “What if I told you I don’t want to be your boyfriend anymore, Mia? What if I wanted to be something else?” I slowly drop to one knee in front of her as I reach into my pocket for the box. “Like your husband?”

She brings her hands to either side of her face, and I open my palm out in front of me, my hands still trembling, and pop the lid.

As soon as I do, petals fly out, scattering across the sand around us, but one stays where it is, caught inside the thin white gold band.

“My mom’s,” she gasps, reaching out to touch the delicate ring. Her eyes flick to mine. “And … freesias. Oh my God, Jessie, freesias.”

Tears tumble down her cheeks just as mine do the same.

“I’m not perfect, Mia. I guess no one ever really is, and I can’t promise you that I won’t struggle at times.” I take a deep breath. “I once told your dad that I wanted to get to a place where I could sit with even the hardest of thoughts and still feel like I was the man you deserved.”

With my other hand, I pull out the ring and hold it between my thumb and finger.

“I know it’s taken a long-ass time, but in my heart, I know I’m there; I’m ready to not just survive, but to spend every second I can making you happy.”

Standing up, I take her left hand in mine and hover the ring over her finger.

She releases a long breath as the tears continue to fall down her cheeks.

“I’ve gotten to the point where forever with you means so much more than it did. Everything in me wishes I couldsomehow find a way to merge our souls, so there’s no way I can ever lose you because I’m never letting you go, Sweetheart. Not in this life or the next.”

When I push the ring to her knuckle, she looks up at me.

“So, while I find a way of making us eternal, I can offer you this ring and my promise to make you the happiest wife who ever lived. So, will you marry me, Mia?”

She doesn’t hesitate, not even for a millisecond. “Yes!”

She leaps into my arms, and I hold her tight against me as she wraps her legs around my waist.

“I can’t wait to spend my life with you,” I whisper into her neck.

She pulls back, and I catch a tear that falls from her long lashes and into my palm.

A few beats pass between us as she looks out to the ocean. “I wish Ginger could’ve been here. We’ll have to get him a doggy passport next time.”

“Actually, I got a message from Coach this morning.”

Mia smiles. “Oh, yeah? Is the sitting going well?”

I blow out a laugh. “Yeah. Not sure who’s sitting who, but Ginger’s happy.”

Cheering filters from behind, and we both turn to find where the whooping is coming from. Jon, Felicity, Luna, Zach, Aster, Kate, Jensen, and the twins all stand on their verandas, clapping and punching the air.

Taking Mia’s hand in mine, I walk her back up to our friends. They all knew I planned to propose this morning.