Page 56 of The Wonder of You

Due to a huge show of interest, Phoenix decided to leave the circus running for a month non-stop. No one minded, but it did mean by the time our two-week break came around, we were all the more tired. I wanted to be involved more with the circus, other than just painting my rocks, so I have been helping with moving equipment around and playing music for the performances. It’s a wonderful feeling to be contributing to the beauty of everything going on, but a two-week break is much needed. Sitting at my favourite spot overlooking the river, I feel the presence of Phoenix standing beside me. I look up and I realize that he seems nervous, his hands shaking ever so slightly as he hides them behind his back to stop me noticing.

“What’s up?” I ask, patting the grass beside me for him to sit.

When he finally joins me sitting down, he takes a long deep breath.

“Will you marry me, Renée?”

It’s a good job my cup of tea is now empty because I drop it. I watch as it rolls down the hill but my eyes shoot back to Phoenix.

“We never discussed it before; I suppose we never felt the need to. Maudie mentioned it though, how we’ve never had a wedding and I thought…” he gulps. “I suppose I thought she’s right. Why are we not married?”

I stare at him in shock.

He quickly pulls out a small box from his pocket .

“I should have started with this.” He laughs, his hands shaking as he opens it and shows me a ring. It’s silver with three purple gems. It’s beautiful. Just like this moment. I stare into his eyes, feeling a rush of love rising up through me.

“Phoenix, yes, yes, of course I will marry you!”

He grins which makes me smile in return because he looks so much like a love-struck, nervous teenage boy. Anyone would think he was asking me out on our first date.

“Why do you look so nervous? You didn’t think I’d say no, surely?”

“No, but I thought maybe you might not want a wedding. That it might not interest you.” He smiles sheepishly as I shake my head in disbelief.

“Of course I want to marry you! I suppose I thought we always were, you know? Spiritually, as weird as that sounds.”

“Okay, okay, perhaps I am silly, you’d have said yes that first day, wouldn’t you?” He smirks at me and I fall in love all over again.

“The first moment I met you, if you had been on your knees when I turned to look at you, I’d have said yes. Just one look, that’s all it would have taken.” I love thinking back to that day. It all seemed so magical when we met, and that magic has never faded since. I don’t have long to dwell on the memories because Phoenix looks as if an idea has popped into his head.

“Stand up,” he says softly.

“What?”

“Do it, please. ”

I giggle as I stand up and look down at him. He adjusts himself so he is on one knee. My hands go to my face as I blush and try to stop myself from crying. My heart is beating so loudly in my chest. This wonderful man wants to marry me . Maybe we’re both love-struck teenagers after all.

“Renée Stipe, you are my world, my everything. There are too many words and not enough words to describe how I feel for you and I don’t want to wait any longer, so… will you marry me?” He lifts the ring up to me.

“Yes, bloody hell Phoenix, yes! You don’t have to ask me twice, but I am glad you did.”

He grins.

“Two lives, two marriage proposals. It’s fitting, right?”

He takes the ring out the box and gently takes my hand. The butterflies flap around excitedly in my stomach as he slips the most stunning ring onto my finger.

“Stand up and kiss me, you handsome bugger!” I grin, knowing I sound just like my grandmother used to when she teased my grandfather. I take Phoenix’s face into my hands as he leans up towards me.

“I love you,” I tell him, but I don’t give him time to return the words. Instead, I celebrate this moment by wrapping my arms around his neck and kissing him.

Forever has just taken on a whole new meaning.

Maudie squeals as she admires my ring .

“Can I come to the wedding?” She looks up at me with pleading eyes.

“Are you seriously asking me that?” Everyone laughs. “We’ll be getting married right here and you’re going to be my bridesmaid, aren’t you?”

She stands back, her mouth open wide. Lukas covers his ears and I wish I copied him as a scream erupts from Maudie’s mouth. Her little hands clench together as her scream becomes higher pitched. Phoenix laughs, but joins in with the covering of his ears. It takes nearly a good five minutes until Maudie calms down and stops jiggling around on the spot as if she’s got ants in her pants. Finally, she hugs me.

“Thank you!” she sobs into my shoulder. I love that I can give her this joy, even if she did nearly burst my ear drums!

“Toni, will you be the one to marry us?” Phoenix asks. She doesn’t even answer, she simply walks towards him and hugs him. Phoenix looks uncomfortable by her large embrace which seems to eat him up, but he wraps his arms around her in return. Lukas jokingly copies Maudie’s reaction when Phoenix tells him he’ll be the best man. I watch as Toni questions Phoenix on all things circus and wedding; she’s already planning it, pointing at where we can put chairs, the best view to get married next to. I hear her mention that some of her girls can snap photographs. Lukas continues to play and be silly, swinging Maudie around in the air. Excitement grows in my tummy to a point of it overwhelming me. It calms down when Henry stands beside me .

“I haven’t been to a wedding in… well, ever. I look forward to watching you walk down the aisle; I assume you will be doing that? All traditional?”

“I’d like to do that, yes.” A moment of sadness hits me as I remember my dad will not be walking me down the aisle. It’s conflicting sometimes to think of them when so much of my original self has come back to me since being here. When I think of them, my first thought is the people who tried organising my kidnapping in exchange for money. It takes me a while to remember my new family and their rebirth. Being in the immortal world for so long has made many of the memories of my second, mortal life a bit blurry. That’s not always a bad thing, but there are some things I’d like to remember. I am glad I bought a few photographs with me; it keeps me mentally in touch with those I loved once upon a time. I try not to focus on my dad now, though.

I look up at Henry. “You’re not going to be sitting when I walk down the aisle though, are you?”

“Oh? Is it traditional to stand?” he asks innocently.

I smile. “I don’t actually know, but I was hoping you’d walk me down the aisle. If you want to. You mean so much to me, Henry, and you saved my life once. I think you did the same for Phoenix too, a long time ago.”

Henry stares at me. I bite my lip as I’m unsure what it is he is thinking. Does he not want to walk me down the aisle? Is he trying to think of a joke? Is he going to cry?

Suddenly, without much warning, I’m being thrown over his shoulder as he spins around .

“I love you two so much!”

“Is that a yes?” I shout, hoping he’ll put me down soon because my head is getting dizzy. I’m not sure he’ll appreciate this happy moment being spoiled by my sick running down his back.

“Of course it is!” He finally puts me down, quickly kissing me on the cheek. He runs over to Phoenix and puts him into a headlock as he ruffles his hair and makes jokes about being his dad.

“He won’t shut up about this now, you know that?” Lukas grins at me.

I watch as everyone joins our celebrations with a permanent smile on my face. How nice it is to celebrate love and family. How nice it is to feel so normal.