Page 170 of Babies for the Big Shot

The moment I step into my old apartment, it hits me. The smell of old takeout, the sticky feeling of trying to make a place work that was never meant to feel like home.

But it’s not just the place. It’s the memories. The memories of a time when I was a totally different version of myself. The Sara who thought she had everything figured out.

I mean, wow. That Sara was clueless.

And now here I am, standing in the middle of this stale space, not sure what I’m supposed to be looking for. Another clue? Something else?

I can’t see a thing. Just a space where, right now, no one lives.

I just kind of stand there, doing my best to not let my face betray the fact that I might be more than a little confused. And that’s when I hear it.

“Boo.”

I spin around and there he is.Nick. Looking like he’s been waiting in the wings for this exact moment, as if he knew I’d need a minute to process everything.

And, of course, because it’s him, he’s just standing there with that damn smile on his face. The one that says,“I’m not going anywhere.”

For a second, all I can do is stare.

Because here we are.

In the very apartment where everything felt uncertain. Where I had no clue how the hell I was going to get from one day to the next.

And there he is, a man who might have just solved the world’s problems by showing up.

“Nick…” I say, but it comes out as a question. I don’t even know what I’m asking. But I’m pretty sure I don’t need to.

He steps forward. Slow, but with intention. And there’s that look in his eyes. That thing he only pulls out when he’s about to drop a hammer.

The one that makes me want to put my head in my hands and scream for all the reasons I should be terrified and all the reasons I’m actually not.

“I’m here because I can’t imagine doing life without you,” he says, his voice steady, but with that edge to it. It seems he’s about to put his entire future in my hands. “You, me, the babies… We’re in this together. I want this. All of this.”

And that’s when Meatball enters the scene, strutting like he owns the place, because, well, once upon a time, he pretty much did. With something in his mouth that I can’t quite make out. It’s pink. And shiny.

I freeze.

“Is he…?” I don’t even finish the sentence. Because I know.

Nick, grinning foolishly, gets down to Meatball’s level. “Yep. He’s got the ring.”

And sure enough, Meatball drops the damn ring at my feet—no big deal, just the latest in his list of performances. He even gives me a little wag of his tail, as if he’s saying,“Nailed it.”

I laugh. I laugh because only Nick could pull this off. A proposal with a dog, of course. What else could go wrong, or right, depending on how you look at it?

The ring’s there, and I’m pretty sure I’m about to cry or laugh or do both at the same time.

“Are you kidding me?” I’m almost choking on my words, still holding onto the ridiculousness of it all. “You’re proposing to me with a dog?”

Nick looks up at me, serious for once. “Yeah, I am. Because I want to marry you, Sara. I want all of it. The highs, the lows, the ridiculousness. Everything. I mean, we’ve had a crazy time, right? From the moment you crashed into my life like a hurricane, it’s been insane. And now… well, I want to carry that on. Forever.”

“Nick,” I whisper, completely thrown. I can’t even process what he’s saying, but all I know is I want this. I want him.

“So, what do you say, Sara? Will you marry me?”

“Yes,” I hiss out.

And then, just when I think nothing else could possibly surprise me, it happens.