“Reset button?” Aidan asks, his questioning eyes full of hope. He removes the sparkling diamond from the box and turns his palm up, requesting my left hand. I give it to him.
“Reset,” I reply as he slides the ring on my finger. He looks so dashing and handsome. The picture of love and respect. He stands, taking me in his arms. Seeking out his lips, I kiss him deeply.
Clapping starts mid-kiss. I turn in his arms to see a crowd of people smiling wide and cheering. Jenny is in there and so are Kendall and Juliet. Andrea’s family looks tearful as they witness Aidan’s act of selfless love and the proposal. Everyone who means something to us is here for this moment. All of Aidan’s cohorts are in uniform, fists in the air. An older woman breaks off from the crowd and walks toward us.
Aidan squeezes me once. Then I realize who it is. It’s his mother. She visited me once in the hospital, but it was when I first arrived, so the meeting was very foggy. Her smile reminds me of Aidan’s and I feel the sharp pang of sympathy for Aidan. “Mrs. Mixx,” I say, slipping from Aidan’s tight hold. “It’s so nice to see you.”
She shakes her head. “No, seeing you two is nice. Thank you for letting me be here to see this, son.”
Aidan swallows hard, running a hand through his hair. “I moved my mom here,” he says, meeting my gaze. “It wasn’t permanent when I first brought her over, but she’s happy here and I think it will be a good thing.”
I open my eyes, shocked. “A good thing? It’s a great thing. An amazing thing. I’m so happy for you,” I say, locking eyes with Mrs. Mixx. “For both of you.” Aidan told me he visited her and that things were choppy but improving. I didn’t push the boundaries by asking for details, but I’m so proud of him. For overcoming. For being the man I always knew he could be, and by doing the world’s hardest act: forgiving.
“Sometimes all we need is the grace of a reset button,” she says, squeezing her son’s arm, then meeting my gaze. “It’s the greatest gift of my life.”
Aidan’s tearful gaze is soft as he leans over to hug her, and my heart swells. Mrs. Mixx pushes away. “You two enjoy this moment. I love you. The both of you.”
When she returns to the crowd, I’m visibly shaken with emotion. Aidan brushes the tears from under my eyes. “That was a yes, right?”
I nod. “A forever yes,” I confirm. “This was so beautiful, Aidan. All of it. Thank you so much for this.”
He brushes his lips softly against mine. “Thank you for giving me a life.”
Wiping my nose and hiccupping, I laugh. “You’re welcome. Now, I think there’s something else you’re supposed to give me tonight.”
He pulls away, a glimmer of feral desire spiking. “Only one thing?”
