For one heart-stopping moment, the world stood still. Then, a radiant smile broke across her face, and she nodded, her voice thick with emotion. “Yes!”
Relief and joy surged through me as I slid the ring onto her finger. I barely had time to stand before she threw her arms around my neck, her laughter bubbling against my ear as I held her close.
“I love you so much,” I whispered.
“I love you too,” she said, pulling back just enough to look at me.
We stayed like that for a moment, wrapped in each other, until an idea struck me. “You know,” I said, my tone light, “this time capsule? It’s just the beginning.”
Hope tilted her head, curiosity lighting her eyes. “What do you mean?”
I grinned. “We should make a new one every Christmas. For our kids someday. For our grandkids, even.”
Her face softened, a mixture of joy and excitement. “I love that idea. But I’m not sure if it’s a time capsule if we’re messin’ with it every year like that.”
“Fine, then it’s not a time capsule. It’s a memory box. And I wanna keep adding to it. We don’t have to follow every tradition to the T. Remember the holly?”
She laughed and nodded. “Memory box, it is. But does that mean you’re opposed to kissin’ me under actual mistletoe should we come across some?”
“Uh, never. Why?”
Hope pointed up, and I followed her gaze, already guessing what I’d find. Then, I leaned down, brushing my lips against hers. The kiss was soft, sweet, and felt even more like coming home than our first one had.
Our story had begun with a dusty tin and a forgotten list, but it was far from over. This was just the start of something even more beautiful—a lifetime of love, laughter, and plenty of wishes that I couldn’t wait to make come true.
