He’s almost never shy with me anymore—now that he’s secure in our relationship—so my heart starts racing in response.
“What is it?” I ask softly.
“Open it.”
I do.
When I’ve undone the paper and lifted off the lid, I gasp and freeze, staring down at the most beautiful ring, gold delicately wrapping a large central diamond. It looks almost like my pendant. He must have had it designed special. For me.
He reaches to pick up the ring, and then he lowers himself to one knee in front of me, gazing up at me with his heart in his eyes. “Will you marry me, Maya Alexander, so our hearts can keep shaping themselves around each other for the rest of our lives?”
I make a choked sound. Then nod urgently. Then finally burst out, “Yes! Yes, I’ll marry you, Theo Humphrey!”
There’s no use asking me. I have no idea why I use his first and last name.
His expression shatters for a moment. Then he’s grinning as he stands up to pull me back into a hug.
It’s a minute before we can separate so he can slide the ring on my finger.
It fits perfect. Itisperfect.
I burst into tears.
Theo is concerned for a minute until I explain it’s because I’m so happy. “I never... I never thought I could be this happy again.”
His face softens. “And I never thought I could be this happy... at all.”
So we end up on the couch again, this time just to cuddle. We admire the ring and talk about when we want to get married and start to make plans for further out than the next six months.
Theo has already arranged things at work so he can travel with me this spring for a month. And he offers to give up his apartment and move in with me, Claude, and Ed full time after we get back to Green Valley.
“I don’t have that much stuff anyway,” he says.
I giggle and rub my cheek against his shoulder. “That would work for a while, if you really want to do it. But it might be a better idea for you to keep your apartment, just so we have some extra room. After all, it may...”
“It may what?” He angles his head down so he can see my face.
“There may be more of us eventually. And any more than you, me, Ed, and Claude in here would get unmanageable.”
He squeezes me tightly. “Right. Good point. I’ll keep my apartment. Anytime you’re ready for there to be more than the four of us, just say the word. I didn’t think I could get any happier than I am right now, but maybe there’s no limit after all.”
“Maybe not. Maybe it’s another one of those mysteries.”
“Well, we have the rest of our lives to solve that one.”
