“It might be strange for you, but it’s a treat for me. I can’t wait to see what you’ve done with the place.”
I did want them to stay with us at the house, but Mom insisted on a hotel. I think because they know me and Ted are still in the honeymoon phase, she didn’t want to impose. We would have behaved ourselves if they were around, but she probably likes the treat of staying in a hotel anyway. It isn’t something that we could ever really afford before, so it’s nice that her husband will treat her like this. He’s good to her. I like him a lot, he’s a really good guy.
“Here we are.” I get the keys out and unlock the front door, expecting the house to be empty. But to be honest, I didn’t know what time Ted was finishing work today, so I guess it shouldn’t be too much of a surprise that he’s home…
“Something smells good.” Mom sniffs a couple of times. “I thought that you were cooking for us, Chloe. I didn’t know Ted could cook. But I’m glad it’s ready because I’m starving.”
I am too, and of course I’m glad not to have to put in all the effort of cooking, but this is definitely strange. It really does smell like Ted has actually been cooking himself which is unexpected… but not as unexpected as the trail of rose petals that appear on the way to the kitchen. My heart begins pounding in my chest, even more so when I hear soft music and the sound of Ted talking to his mother on the phone.
“What is going on?” I hiss behind me, but of course no one has any answers for me. Why would they? Mom and Aaron have been with me all day long. “Oh my God, this is so… so romantic!”
“Oh… wow…” Ted is in a suit. I don’t know if I have ever seen Ted in a suit before. “What is going on here?”
I wave at Ted’s mom who is on a video screen looking like she might have been crying. But tears of joy, I think. I have to admit with everything that’s going on, I’m growing increasingly confused. When did Ted learn how to cook? Is that the surprise?
“Oh. Chloe, I passed my first semester,” he suddenly blurts out.
I grab him and hug him hard. “I’m so happy for you. I knew that you could do it though… although shouldn’t I be the one preparing a romantic night for you to celebrate?”
He laughs and presses his fingers to my lips. “I’m not done with the good news yet. I also need to tell you that we don’t have to testify. The gang all plead guilty and are serving their time.”
Tears start streaming down my cheeks as I hear those words. I can’t believe it. It’s over at last.
“Oh wow.” I fall against Ted’s chest and lose myself.
Ted pulls away from me. I’m not ready for him to do so but he does anyway and he falls over, hitting the floor on his right knee. In a panic, I try to grab him to pull him up but he waves me away with one hand.
“I want to be here,” laughing when I give him a confused look. What is he doing?
I turn around to look at my mom, to see if she has answers, but she’s crying as well. What the hell is going on here? Why is everyone acting crazy? What the hell am I missing here?
“Chloe Smith,” Ted begins in a weirdly formal, very serious tone of voice. “You have been my best friend for as long as I can remember. You have been the woman who I’ve loved, possibly for even longer…”
It isn’t until I see a small box in his hand and pops open to show off a gorgeous diamond ring that I understand what’s happening and as soon as I get it, I’m embarrassed that it took me so long. I clap my hand to my mouth as the emotion begins welling up. I can’t believe it. At last, Ted Landon is proposing to me. I kinda wish that I could go back in time to show teenage me this moment so she would know not to be so heartbroken because it all worked out in the end. Finally, we found our way back to one another.
“I would love nothing more than to spend the rest of my life making you happy, giving you everything that you want and more,” he continues, his tone now a little thick too. “You have made me want to be the best version of myself, but I can’t do that without you. You are the only person on the whole planet who really sees me and loves me anyway. I want to spend the rest of my life making you happy.” A single happy tear flows down his cheek, nothing like the waterfall coming out of my eyes. “And since you are the most beautiful, lovely, kind, sweet, funny, amazing person in the world, it would be an absolute honor to be your husband. So, what do you say? Will you be my wife, Chloe Smith? Will you marry me?”