Page 14

THREE YEARS LATER

Scarlett and I are attending Lucas and Bridget’s wedding in Australia, and being surrounded by so much love has me itching to propose to my girl. I’ve been carrying her ring around for almost a year, but the right moment never presented itself.

Will and Elle are meeting us for a quick lunch and suggested a burger place that claims to serve the best in town. We grab a table, and as I’m perusing the menu, I spot a burger with caramelized onions and blue cheese and can’t help but grin.

“What are you getting?” Elle asks, not looking up from the menu.

“Blue cheese burger,” Scarlett and I answer at the same time.

Will turns up his nose. “Are you fucking kidding me?”

“Nope,” Scarlett replies, popping the ‘p.’

We place our order, and I keep Scarlett’s hand in mine as Elle tells us how she was inspired by me promoting therapy for athletes. She’s planning to start a non-profit to encourage all sports to adopt it as a policy, including affordable options for players’ families.

Our food arrives, and I lift my burger in a toast to Scarlett. “To friends who love cheese.”

She taps hers to mine and laughs, “To cheesy friends.”

As she’s about to take a bite, I ask, “What if I want you to be my cheesy wife instead?”

Eyes wide, she slowly lowers the burger. “Russ…”

“Yes, baby?”

“Are you…”

“Am I what? Proposing? Yes. Yes, I am.” I drop to one knee beside her chair and pull out the ring box. “I’ve wanted to ask you hundreds of times. There will never be a perfect moment, so… will you marry me, Red?” She nods excitedly, and I slip the ring onto her finger. Cheers and applause surround us, but I don’t take my eyes off her. Lucas and Ronan will give me shit for not waiting for them to be here, but I couldn’t wait another second. “That’s a yes, right?”

Scarlett cups my cheeks and kisses me; my heart has never felt so full. After all this time, I’ll finally get to marry my best friend. “Yes,” she mutters against my lips. “Of course it’s a yes.”

“I love you, baby.”

“ Je t’aime, meilleur ami. ”