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Rhodes---Pinky Swear with No Toes Crossed

Today is an ordinary day. We’ve both gone to work, coming home to find each other in our comfy clothes. Lennon is sleeping on the back of the couch and Amelia is at the stove, fixing dinner. She is freshly showered, those ratty sweatpants draped along her curves, and a t-shirt skims her upper body. Her dark hair is freshly painted with pops of lavender, and there is AC/DC blasting through the radio.

I don’t know what she is making or what this song is, but I do know that what I am about to do is going to be ingrained into my heart for the rest of my life.

The ring box is in my sweatpant pocket. The box is new, the ring within it is not. A gold band, sized to fit her finger, holds an oval cut diamond that sparkled on my mother’s hand. It isn’t a showy ring, but rather simple in nature and unbeatable in beauty. My father gave it to my mama, and I now get to slide it on Amelia’s hand.

Walking toward her, I clear my throat, making Amelia spin around with a beaming smile. “Hey. I’m just about done with dinner if you want to set the table.”

She spins back to face the stove, humming to the song playing. “Oh, maybe we have some of that sparkling water we bought the other day too, yeah?” she asks over her shoulder, moving her plump hips to the music.

I shuffle back a little and kneel on one knee.

“Amelia,” I say.

“Yes?” She responds without turning back.

I shake my head. Of course she wouldn’t make this easy. I drop my voice, using one that I typically save for the bedroom.

“ Kochanie ,” I whisper, the gravel now heavier in my tone.

Amelia spins instantly, shock dawning on her face as she realizes what is happening. I pull the ring from my pocket, opening it to her, and I watch her moonbeam eyes line with tears. Her hand moves to cover her trembling lips.

“I swear to you this, Amelia Conte. I swear to love only you, in all your forms and in all your iterations. I swear to fight for you against the world, to fight beside you as you defend what is yours. You are mine. I swear to make sure you always have a well stocked baking drawer, that the blankets are thrown on the couch, and that there is always simplicity in our home.”

Amelia breaks out in a laugh laced with a sob.

“I swear to hold you, to safeguard your heart, to walk beside you as equals and never anything less. I swear to always give you exactly what you need, even when your words fail and your body breaks. I will hold your broken mosaic until you can lift yourself again.”

She shakes her head. I know she is at a loss for words. “You are my whole life, baby. You are my North Star in the dead winter night, the harbor for this restless ship of a soul. You may be Amelia Conte to the world, but you are my kochanie .”

I take a deep breath, shifting on my knee slightly. “I want to dance in the kitchen with you while Lennon glares at us. I want to run away to the lake. I want to build a home with the one person who I can’t live without. I want you, all of you, for the rest of my life.”

She shuffles toward me, bringing her body above mine as her eyes stare down in wonder.

“Marry me, kochanie . Let me hold you, keep you safe, and love you until I am no longer of this earth.”

I see the tremble of her lips, the way her chest contracts as she attempts to contain her sobs.

“I want you to have my ring, I want to claim you as mine—permanently.”

“Ro,” she breathes.

“Take my ring and I’ll take your last name.” I know that she hasn’t decided on what to do about the Mafia moving forward. I don’t expect her to know for a while, if I’m honest. “I will bear your brand, carry your name. So long as you are mine.”

“Yes,” she exclaims on a sob, and once the ring is on her finger, I rush up to her. Pulling her in, I lift her body to nestle it into mine, her sloppy kisses laced with tears and her lips roam. “Yes. A million yeses in a million lifetimes.” Amelia pulls her head back, her eyes sparkling.

“I am yours.”