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“Do you think it’s too soon?” she asks. “She’s so excited, and I know he’s a good guy…” She rubs her arms, expression lost for a moment.
“They’ll be fine,” I assure her, reaching for her hand to squeeze. “They’re adults. They know what they’re doing.” And this definitely helps my own plans.
One corner of her mouth curves up. “You’re right. I still worry about her, though. I’m not sure that will ever go away.”
I rub my thumb along her palm, choosing my next words carefully. “So does this mean you’ll consider my offer now?”
Her fingers tense. “Your offer?”
“To move in with me. You said you couldn’t leave your mom the last time I brought it up.” And that had been months ago.
“I half thought I’d lost my chance after turning you down before,” she whispers, fingers flexing as she intertwines them with mine.
“You know I’m open to second chances.”
“And for that, I’m forever grateful.” She slips her free hand over our joined one, staring down at it. “I’d love to move in with you.”
I reach across the desk to tip her chin up until she meets my eye. “What’s wrong?”
“Nothing. Really.” She bites at her bottom lip. “This year has been the happiest of my life. Dad’s finally out of my life, Mom’s doing better, I have an amazing sister, I’m starting the career I’ve always wanted. And to top it all off, I have you. The most perfect boyfriend in the history of boyfriends.”
Well, that’s a title I won’t refuse, but something’s missing from her statement. “It sounds like you’re leading up to something.”
She gives me a half-shrug, shaking her head ruefully. “Nothing ever stays good this long. I guess I keep waiting for something to go wrong. And now here you are making it even better.”
“I’m… sorry?”
She laughs, the sudden tension in my stomach easing. “I know it’s ridiculous. And I’m working on it, promise.”
After we finished meeting with our couples counselor earlier in the year, Emma decided to meet individually with a therapist to discuss issues stemming from her childhood with a professional.
“Is there something I can do?” I ask. “I’ll help however you need.”
“No, no. It’s my problem.”
“Your problemsaremy problems. I want to start a life together and this is holding you back.”
That wrinkle between her brows creases. “I thought you just said moving in.”
“Yeah, but that’s only the beginning. I mean, marriage, kids. I want it all with you.”
Her hands drop from mine, coming up to cover her mouth as she thuds against her chair. “You… want to marry me?”
I blink, taken aback by her own surprise. “Emma, you know how I feel about you. How many times a day do I tell you I love you? And we’ve been dating for a year. Where’d you think this was going?”
“I—” She uncovers her face, shaking out her hands. “I was just happy to be with you. I don’t let myself hope about the future like that.”
I give her a look.
“And I’ll be talking about that with my therapist this week,” she says, giving me a wobbly smile.
I stand, rounding the desk, and pull her out of her seat to wrap her in my arms. “If I haven’t explicitly said it before, I want to spend the rest of my life with you.”
She nods against my chest, voice muffled as she replies, “I want that too. So much.”
“Okay, move your stuff in. Then let me know when you want to go ring shopping.”
She pulls back, disbelief all over her face. “Are you serious?”
I cup her cheek, leaning in for a quick taste of her lips. “I’ve never been more serious in my life.”
She smiles so wide, it makes my chest ache, and throws her arms over my shoulders, squeezing tight. “I love you.”
I return her embrace, my heart full with her here with me like this. “God, I love you too.”
Finally, things are moving forward the way I want. With work. With my family. And with Emma, the woman who came in and turned my life around when I was least expecting it.
And I wouldn’t have it any other way.