His arm tightens around me and I can sense that he’s looking down and watching me, but I’m too tired to peel my eyes open. I feel his knuckle trace reverently along my cheek, and I smile.
“You know I love you, Birdie?”
I keep my eyes closed, starting to drift off as I hum with happiness. “Yes,” I answer quietly. “And maybe I’ll be too shy to tell you in the morning…but I love you too, Ben. I love you so much. You know what? I just had the best idea. I want to marry you. Will you marry me?”
I keep right on rambling until my drunken slumber finally overtakes me. I don’t hear his reply, but that’s okay because I wouldn’t have remembered it anyway.
Chapter Thirty-Five
Ben
The next few weeks pass in the blink of an eye.
We’re busier than ever with the end of Raelynn’s spring semester and my NBA season. Through the madness, we carve out time for ourselves as best we can. Raelynn stays at my house more and more, and each time she’s here, she leaves a few additional things behind. It’s a gradual transition and nothing’s official, but it might as well be. Even though she’s still paying rent at her place, more often than not, she’s at home when I get back from practice or a game. She’s adapted to having Hermann drive her to and from the Caltech campus, and her friends are over here a lot with her too, studying or hanging out. Nina loves it. She loves cooking for a full table, and Caleb is in heaven too. He thinks everyone comes over just to play with him. He talks about his “fwiends” all the time.
When we can, we go out with Trey and Leanna on double dates, or we have them over to the house for dinner. Amara and Caleb are getting close to an age where they can actually play together, so it’s fun to have everyone over.
We’re up against the Golden State Warriors in the NBA finals, and it ends up being a seven-game neck-and-neck series. We play the final game in Los Angeles, inside a packed Staples Center, and we come out on top by two points. Anthony makes the game-winning basket, and the guy hasn’t shut up about it since. Raelynn was there watching with Caleb, up in the private box, celebrating as confetti rained down from the rafters.
The next day, to celebrate the end of the season and the championship win, we have everyone over for a Texas-style backyard BBQ. It was Raelynn’s idea and she’s gone all out planning it. She’s covered the outdoor table with a red and white checkered tablecloth and clustered mason jars overflowing with daises in the center. There are hay bales and big buckets filled with sunflowers and cornhole and ring toss, a bounce house and tractor rides. Around noon, we get a call about a guy who’s at the neighborhood gate, saying here’s here to set up pony rides, and Raelynn blushes sheepishly. “Oh yeah, I forgot about that.”
We let them in, and Amara and Caleb squeal with happiness when they see the ponies being led into my backyard.
Raelynn sidles up to me, looking like a Southern belle in her white tank top, jean shorts, and little red bandana tied around her neck.
“Is this okay?” she asks. “I feel like I kinda went overboard. I mean, to be fair, you gave me free rein, and that mistake is on you, frankly.”
I lean down to kiss her. “It’s perfect. Caleb’s going to be talking about those ponies for the next year.”
I suggested we get the party catered, but Raelynn had other plans. Trey and I man the grill, churning out hamburgers and hot dogs. Raelynn has been busy in the kitchen all day, making Nan’s potato salad and deviled eggs with the help of Nina and Julia. On a side table, there’s pecan pie and Texas sheet cake and some homemade sugar cookies. Caleb’s been trying to steal the plate of cookies all day. Raelynn finally broke one in half and shared it with him, promising more after he ate a good dinner.
Through all of this, Kayla and Anthony are, unsurprisingly, nowhere to be found, and I worry for the sake of my guest bedroom. I might have to burn the sheets by the time they’re done in there. Maybe gut the whole damn room if I’m honest.
Just when all the hard work is finished, when the meat’s been grilled and iced teas have been set at everyone’s spot at the table, Anthony strolls out of my house looking like the cat that caught the canary.
“So, when are we eatin’?”
“Whenever you start helping,” I toss back as Kayla stumbles out of the house after him, wearing a sly grin.
Raelynn’s right on their heels, bringing out a platter of appetizers for the table. “You two could at least look a little more sheepish than that. This is a family barbecue.”