Not Safe for Work(112)

Rick put his other hand over the top of ours and squeezed gently. His eyes were fixed on our hands, his lips taut and unreadable.

“Rick,” I whispered. “I love you. Will you marry me?”

“Shouldn’t…” He gulped. I held my breath, waiting for him to finish the thought that creased his forehead. And then he cleared his throat, and his eyes flicked up and met mine with a mischievous, bratty sparkle in them. “Shouldn’t you be down on one knee?”

I arched an eyebrow. “I was planning on putting you down on both knees later, but I—”

“That works, that works.” Slowly, he smiled, and the brattiness faded in favor of something much more sincere. “And absolutely, yes, I will.”

The rush of relief made me laugh, and I squeezed his hands. “God, I love you.”

“I love you too.” He grinned. “Did you really think I’d say no?”

“I—” I brought one of his hands up and kissed his fingers. “Let’s just say I was hoping a lot harder for a yes than I was the last few times.”

He laughed. As he turned his hand over, we both looked down at the two rings. “So, do we wait to put these on until we get married? Or, what?”

“We’ve made our own rules from the beginning.” I picked up one of the bands from his palm. “Kind of seems like we could do the same now.”

He picked up the other, holding it between his thumb and forefinger and turning it so it caught the light. “What do you think we should do?”

I studied the rings for a moment. “It took me forty-five years to find you, and another two to work up the courage to ask.” I looked in his eyes. “I don’t think I want to wait to put these on.”

“I don’t either.” He reached for the ring in my hand but hesitated. “May I?”

I nodded. He picked it up, steadied my hand and carefully slid the gold band onto my third finger. The cool metal made my skin prickle. It wasn’t my first wedding ring, but for the first time, I felt like this would be my last one.

I took the other ring, and as I held his left hand, I paused. My throat tightened. “We’re really doing this, aren’t we? I mean, this part is just rings, but…”

His fingers curled around mine. “It’s not just rings.”

Our eyes met. He swallowed. So did I.

He swiped at his eye with his free hand. “How soon should we make it official?”

I sniffed sharply and pushed back the lump that was suddenly rising in my throat. “As soon as possible.”

“Yeah. I agree.”

We held each other’s gazes and both smiled despite the sting in my eyes and the faint shine in his. Without another word, I pushed the ring onto his finger.

“Perfect fit,” he whispered.

“Are you surprised?”

“Not in the least.”

“And I’m not joking about putting you on your knees later.” I ran my thumb alongside his hand. “It’s going to be a long night.”

He moistened his lips. “I can’t wait.”

“Neither can I.” I looked down at the rings on our hands. They really were a perfect fit. I’d guessed his size based on mine—his hands were just slightly bigger than mine—but it wasn’t just the way they fit. Seeing his hands and mine with matching bands, wearing a ring with all the implications that came with it—for the first time in my life, it didn’t give me a sense of “what the hell did I just get myself into?” Instead, it was more like “how in the world did I wait this long?”

He exhaled. “I suddenly have the urge to clear my schedule and meet you down at the courthouse.”

I laughed. “Yeah. I think we deserve a little more than the justice of the peace, though. It’d be nice to have some family there.”

“Good point.”

“We’ll figure it out. This”—I squeezed his hand—“is the important part.”

“I agree. We—” He glanced toward the front of the restaurant and did a double take as he sat straighter. “Oh hey. Looks like everyone else is here.”

I turned as my family poured in through the door. Kelsey had shed the black gown but still wore her cap and tassel as she and her fiancé crossed the restaurant, hand in hand. Behind them, the twins and their girlfriends, and my ex-wife and her boyfriend.

We both stood.

I hugged my daughter. “Congratulations again, Kelsey. I could not be prouder.”

“Thanks, Dad.” She let me go and then turned to Rick and hugged him. “Thank you again. For everything.”

“You’re welcome. Congratulations—you’ve earned this.”

As she let him go, she said, “I really do appreciate your help. It took a lot of pressure off my mom and dad.”

“You’re—”

“What the hell is that?” She grabbed his wrist and held up his hand. “What—” Her head snapped toward me, then back to Rick, then back to me again. “Were you wearing this at commencement, or did you guys run off and elope or something?”

I laughed. “No, he wasn’t wearing it before. But this is your day. We—”

“Yeah, yeah. Whatevs.” She eyed me. “So what’s the deal? Are you guys getting married?” She cocked her head. “Do you have one?”