Page 91 of Coming Home to You

“That was the day I truly fell in love with you.”

“The day we got picked up by the police for trespassing?”I ask, shocked because I remember he looked like he was going to throw up.

“I was terrified your dad was going to kill me.”He stops and looks at me with a huge grin on his face and then shakes his head.“And I figured if your dad didn’t kill me, mine fucking would.”

Both of us are smiling now.It’s one of those moments you never forget as kid, especially when your boyfriend’s dad is the chief of police.

“You stole that bottle of whiskey from the pub and I took my dad’s cigarettes.What the hell were we thinking?”I whisper.

“I don’t know, but when my dad showed up and told his deputy to let us go, I knew we were in for it.”

“But he just drove me home and the next day, you said he was cool about it,” I say, finishing the rest.

The wind picks up and I shiver, running my hands down my arms and slipping on a sweater I brought with me.

“He was, but he said something to me that I never forgot.”Beck pauses and takes my hand again, weaving his fingers with mine and placing a kiss on each one of my knuckles.

“What did he tell you?”I ask, intrigued.

“He said, ‘I heard your girl asked my deputy if he had a light for her cigarette.Pretty ballsy of her.’I remember apologizing immediately, but thinking the same fucking thing.You did have balls back then and you still do.”

“Oh god, I was drunk.That was such a bad idea,” I say, mortified by my behavior.

“No, it wasn’t, baby,” he says, his tone sweet.“It’s part of the reason we’re sitting on this boat in this very spot.”

I give him a curious look and his eyes twinkle brightly in the dark night, but still give nothing away.

“What’s going on, Beck?”I ask, this time more demanding, but he ignores me and continues with his story.

“Then Pop said something that shocked me.He told me to marry you.”

In that second, before my brain even has time to realize what he’s about to do, Beck is on his knee in front of me, taking my hand in his as his eyes bore into mine.

“And I knew he was right.He told me my life would never have a dull moment with a girl like you in it.”He takes a deep breath and pulls out a ring.“Kelsey Walters, will you marry me?”

My eyes haven’t left his face, not even when I catch a fleeting glimpse of him reach into his pocket or when I see the diamond sparkle out of the corner of my eye.

My response is instantaneous.“Yes,” I say, throwing my arms around his neck, tears of joy streaming down my face as I hold on so tightly that I swear he can’t breathe.

He’s laughing, his face buried in my neck, tickling me and making me squirm in his arms.

“I love you, baby,” he says and I finally pull away from him.

Slipping the ring on my finger, I look down and I’m blown away by what he’s graced me with.

An antique platinum ring, with a gorgeous, large center stone with filigree and small diamonds wrapping around the entire band.

“Beck, it’s beautiful,” I stutter out, marveling at its beauty.

“It was my mom’s,” he says, and I begin to sob.Knowing how much his mom meant to him, this is truly an honor.“I would’ve loved to ask your dad for his permission and by bringing you here, I felt like maybe I did.”

I’m sobbing so hard at this point I can’t form a coherent thought.Beck just takes me in his arms, whispering, “I love you,” over and over.

We aren’t perfect, far from it; but in this moment our life is perfection and I wouldn’t change it for anything.