“It’s weird to think that Serena once lived next door to this place.” Maria trails her hand down the wall. “Not for long, of course. It wasn’t long before she moved in with you full time just like I knew she would…”
“It’s a good job she did move here or I would never have met her. I would hate that.”
“You two are destined to be together, Will.” She smiles happily at me. “Somehow, you would have found your way into one another. Destiny would have pushed you two into each other’s arms.”
“Well, speaking of that…” I pull a little box out of my pocket and show it to Maria. “I wanted to ask your permission to propose to your daughter. I know that it might seem a little soon but me and her are in love…”
“Oh my goodness!” She clasps her hands to her mouth in shock. “Are you for real? Of course you can! You two have been through more than most couples do in a life time. You two are meant to be together.”
She wraps her arms around me and envelops me in a tight hug. This woman has quickly become a member of my family too, over time. I have loved having her live with me and watching her finally shaking off the shadow that David had clinging on to her for far too long, and I’m pleased to make it something official.
“Are you going to propose to her tonight?” Maria pulls back with happy tears swimming in her eyes.
“I am. I am going to set out a romantic dinner and propose with some sweet romantic music in the background. Nothing too intense because I know that might be a bit much for Serena. Something sweet instead…”
“That sounds perfect,” Maria swoons, the tears dripping down her cheeks. “Oh I am so happy for you. I couldn’t be more pleased. Honestly, you have brought Serena out of her shell and made her the best version of herself.”
“She does the same for me as well, believe me,” I assure Maria. “When I was married before, it brought out the worst in me, I thought that I was happy then but Serena has shown me what real happiness looks like.”
Telling Serena and Maria that I was married before felt like it was going to be a heavy load. I hadn’t had the chance before, it was the layer of me that I never pulled back to show her because the time never came around, but she took it surprisingly well. Serena isn’t bothered about my past at all, she is just happy to share a future with me.
“You both deserve to be happy, so I’m glad for the pair of you.” She rubs my arm reassuringly. “The wedding is going to be amazing, as is the rest of your life together. I believe in you.”
I had a feeling that Maria would give me her blessing, but really feeling it is something else. I can’t stop myself from smiling wildly from ear to ear and hugging her once more. But asking Maria is the easy part really. Now, I need to go home and ask Serena if she is ready for this commitment, if she wants to be with me forever more. Ever since we have committed to each other, we have gone from strength to strength and there is no sign of our passion and chemistry fading, nor our love for one another. Still, she might not want to be my wife…
Oh God, but I can’t get myself all caught up in terror. I can’t get all confused because I might talk myself out of this, and this is something that I have wanted since the moment I first saw Serena struggling up the stairs with that giant box of stuff. Little did I know then that we would end up in that place for real…
“It’s going to be okay,” I breathe to myself as I hop anxiously from foot to foot, waiting for Serena to finally come home. “She will be here soon and all will be fine. Everything is set up, all is in place, it’s all good…”
The dinner smells amazing, I have been practicing my cooking to try and match the same standards as Serena and I think that I might almost be there, the roses look great, the soft lighting is perfect, the mood music is wonderful as well, I really think that everything is as good as it can be. I’m also really happy about the ring that I have chosen as well. A small princess cut diamond that isn’t too overstated so as to be obnoxious – nothing like I would have been able to get away with Molly, she wanted big, bright, and very expensive which should have been my first warning sign that she was a gold digger – so I am set. Now, I just need the love of my life to appear to make this complete.