“Um…”
“Come here.” I grabbed her quickly and ran my fingers through her hair, forcing it to lie flat. It didn’t look much better, but at least it wasn’t in her face anymore. “Go on. Your dad is waiting.”
I followed her into the kitchen where Zane was making her lunch. He threw a bottle of juice into the lunchbox and zipped it quickly.
“Morning, kiddo,” he said, tossing Lizzy her lunch.
She caught it easily and grinned. “Is it peanut butter?”
“What else would I pack?” he asked. “Let’s go. We’re late.”
“Okay, okay.” She rolled her eyes and gave me a quick hug. “Bye Mom!”
“Bye! Have a good day!”
Zane gave me a swift kiss and hurried out the front door with Lizzy following behind him. I waited until their footsteps faded completely before I let myself sink. My stomach twisted in knots as I checked the clock above the stove. I still had two hours before my first meeting of the day.
I walked back to the bathroom and dug underneath the sink for the pregnancy test I hid two days earlier. I pulled it out, my heart racing wildly. I had a horrible sense of déjà vu, only this time, I wasn’t entirely dreading a positive result.
It had been over a year since Zane moved in with me and Lizzy. He had moved to New York and took a private security job, a gig he had gotten with the help of his friend Brady Logan, a guy from the Savages. He hadn’t talked about him much, but Brady was on the team when they lost Leo, and seemed like a good guy. Zane trusted him for sure and the job meant he was able to take Lizzy to school and pick her up. His job only kept him busy in the evenings, and it paid great.
Things at the law firm were better than ever. I was working like crazy, but I with Zane’s help, I was able to spend more time with Lizzy. We were a family. It had been hard adding Zane to the mix at first, but he made Lizzy so happy that I couldn’t help feeling the same way. Having him around made me believe in fairytales again.
As I opened the box and pulled out the stick, my hands began to sweat. I sat down quickly before I could talk myself out of taking it. When I was done, I set it on the counter and waited, pacing back and forth.
&nb
sp; ***
Zane
I dropped Lizzy off at school and hurried back home. For weeks, I’d been planning this moment. It was the anniversary of the day Alicia and I had met seven years earlier.
There was no better day.
My heart racing, I ran through the city. I hurried up our street and hurled myself into the apartment building. Taking the stairs two at a time, I didn’t slow down until I made it to our front door. Once outside, I paused for a second.
I took a deep breath and reached into my pocket. I gripped the ring box tightly, turning it over in my hand. It felt like the most important thing I’d ever held in my life. For weeks, I’d been picturing this moment, and I wanted it to be perfect.
When I pushed the door open, I could barely breathe. My hand was still stuffed in my pocket, my fingers wrapped around the box. I walked through the apartment, quietly looking for Alicia.
I finally found her sitting on our bed, staring at the wall. She looked lost in thought, her face pale and her eyes round. I sat down beside her and took her hand in mine. She jumped; she hadn’t noticed me.
“Hey. Are you okay?”
“I’m good,” she said with a determined nod. “Just about to get ready for work.”
“Before you do…” My hands began to shake as I stood in front of her. I reached inside my pocket. “There’s something I need to ask you.”
“Okay,” Alicia said uncertainly. “What is it?”
I pulled the ring from my pocket and slowly lowered myself down onto one knee. When I opened the box, her eyes widened. She stared at the ring like she’d never seen one before.
“Alicia,” I said, “this past year with you and Lizzy has been the best year of my life. I never want to lose either of you. Ever. I love you so much. I can’t even tell you how much. Will you marry me?”
The question hung between us for a few seconds. The air felt stiff, as if the world itself was suspended, waiting for her answer.
Tears filled her eyes as she pushed herself away from me. She stood and began pacing around the room.