“What?”
“It’ll cost you a hundred to skip past me, sonny.”
I sighed heavily. What the hell? I was running out of cash, but I peeled off the bills and passed them to her.
“Pleasure doing business with you,” she said, smiling.
I ran out of money with about ten people in front of me, so I gave the next guy my friendliest look.
“Hey, man. The woman I love might be at one of those gates, boarding a flight as we speak. I desperately want to get to her, but I’ve got nothing to offer you.”
He shrugged. “Go ahead.”
The couple in front of him had been listening, and they let me pass, too. Within a minute, I was at the front of the security line. I took off my belt and shoes and threw them in a bin, and when my backpack got held up in a long line of bags, I went to the agent at the end of the X-ray machines.
“I’ve got an emergency,” I said. “I’ll be right back for my bag and belt and shoes.”
Boarding pass in hand, I ran toward the gate, hoping this wasn’t all for nothing. When I reached the gate, every chair was empty. I put my hands on my head, my hopes crushed.
I was too late.
“Archer?”
Lauren was standing just a few feet away from me. I turned to her, my heart racing with excitement.
“You’re here,” I said, still winded from my sprint.
“I’m in the last boarding group, so I have to go. What are you doing? And where are your shoes?”
I wasn’t going to hesitate or make assumptions like I had the last time. Though it was terrifying, I put everything on the line and dropped to my knees.
“Lauren Elizabeth Monroe, I love you. I don’t know if I ever stopped loving you or if I fell in love with you all over again on the island, but I don’t want to be without you ever again. I saved the engagement ring I bought for you all those years ago, and I didn’t know why I couldn’t get rid of it, but now I do. This is why. We’re meant to be together. Will you marry me?”
Tears spilled onto her cheeks as her eyes held mine, her open-mouthed smile showing both absolute joy and complete shock.
“Archer,” she whispered.
I took her hands in mine. “Say yes, Lo. We proved in the past month that we can do anything together. There’s never been anyone for me but you.”
“I did mean it,” she said, wiping her tears away. “When I said I still love you, I meant it.”
“Then marry me.”
I held my breath, hoping she’d give me the answer I wanted.
“Yes,” she finally said.
I jumped up and pulled her into my arms, so overwhelmed I was on the verge of crying myself. Setting her down, I cupped her face and kissed her.
“I’m sorry I don’t have the ring, Lo.”
“It’s okay. That was perfect.”
I kissed her again. “I’m going to need you to skip that flight back.”
She smiled, fresh tears spilling down her cheeks. “I can do that.”
“I love you so much.” I kissed her forehead this time, then turned to the crowd who had gathered around us to cheer our engagement.
“This beautiful, smart as hell, tarantula-eating badass is going to be my wife!” I announced, wrapping my arms around her.
The clapping continued, and from the number of phones pointed at us, I knew my proposal had been captured on camera. That was fine by me, because now that I’d realized I wanted to spend the rest of my life with Lauren, I wanted the whole world to know.
“What are we going to do now?” she asked me.
“I was thinking we’d spend a few more days at the resort. Then we can go tell your family the news, and then go tell mine.”
She nodded, still glowing. “That sounds perfect.”
“First we have to go get my shoes, though,” I said.
“You left your shoes at security?”
“I had something important to do. I screwed it up the first time, and I wasn’t going to let anything get in my way this time.”
She leaned up to kiss me. I could feel my grandpa’s presence so strongly that I knew he was looking down on us and smiling. As usual, he had been right. Lauren was a keeper.