Page 119 of This Kind of Forever

Pride shines on Hallie’s face. “I was hoping Carole would be alright with me using the gallery as a meeting place. I want to set up art camps for kids, like during the winter break and March Break, when they’re off school. We could do them in the summer, too.”

Her passion radiates through her words, and I know, without a doubt, that she’ll make this happen.

“I wanna come!” Abbie says. “Daddy, can I go to Hallie’s camp?”

I laugh. “Let’s give her some time to get set up first, Princess. But when she’s ready, you can be her first attendee.”

She nods. “And Sophia. She’s gotta come, too.”

Abbie launches into her plans to attend this camp, and Pops nods along.

Hallie turns to me. “You think it’s a good idea?”

I take her hand. “I think it’s a great idea, Foster. You love working with kids, and you love art. Seems like a no-brainer to me.”

“I love you forever,” she says, squeezing my hand.

“I love you, too.”

When dinner is over, Abbie runs from the kitchen to collect the ring box we hid in her bedroom. As I wait for her to come back, my nerves return in full force. Pops catches my eye and nods reassuringly.

It isn’t a secret that marriage is on the table for us. Hallie and I have both been honest about what we want our future to look like. Doesn’t make me any less jittery, though.

When Abbie comes back into the room, she drops the square box into my hand.

“What’s that?” Hallie asks curiously.

I open the lid, showing off the ring inside. As much as I loved her fake ring, this one is nothing like it. On a thin gold band lies an oval-shaped amethyst, with small clusters of diamonds on either side. The nontraditional stone is right up her alley.

But most importantly, I get to be the one to slide it onto her finger. If she’ll let me.

Hallie claps a hand over her mouth in disbelief. She looks over to Abbie and Pops for confirmation. The latter gives her an encouraging smile, while the former dances on the balls of her feet, barely holding back her excitement. My daughter might almost be more pumped about this than me.

I push my chair back from the table, then lower to one knee in front of Hallie. As I look at her, all my nerves wash away. It’s her, it’s us. We’re inevitable.

“Gabe,” she whispers.

“Hallie, I’ve known for a long time that you’re the one for me, and pretending to be engaged to you only solidified the fact that I want it to be real. That I would love nothing more than the honour of calling you my fiancée, and eventually, my wife. So what do you say, Foster? Will you marry me?”

She swipes a tear from her cheek with her sleeve. “Are you for real? God, Gabe. Yes. Of course, yes.”

Rising to my feet, I crush her to my chest. I feel weightless. My dream girl—the woman I’ve been pining after for over a decade—just agreed to spend the rest of her life with me.

Our lips meet in a chaste kiss, suitable for our current audience. When I pull back, I have to concentrate to get my hand to work right, pulling the ring from the box and sliding it over Hallie’s knuckle.

“It’s beautiful, Gabe,” she says, eyes shining. “I love it. I loveyou.”

God, she could tell me that a million times and it still won’t feel real.

Abbie wraps her arms around Hallie. “You make my dad smile really big. And me. You make me smile big, too.”

Hallie hugs her close. “You and your dad are so special to me, Abbs. Thank you for letting me be part of your family.”

“Does this mean you’ll live with us forever?” Abbie asks.

Hallie nods. “There’s no place I’d rather be.”

EPILOGUE