The boys hop to it, dragging their parents to stand near them. The Bloomdales stand to the side, off the dance floor but with ready smiles. I pull Allyson to the floor too, situating us in the middle of the misshapen circle.
I signal Bobby, and he gives me a chin lift of acknowledgement before he struts over to the jukebox, slipping money in the slot and pressing the numbers for the song I requested. J12 is about to be epic at Hank’s. I hope.
Electronic violins whine out through the surround sound speakers and Allyson’s brows jump together in confusion. “What is this?”
“Cotton Eye Joe. It’s a classic, great for footwork for the boys.” I say it casually, praying she doesn’t question me too much. It’s true, after all, even if it is a ploy.
There’s also the little fact that none of these kids actually knew the dance until recently. Cooper and I had a heart-to-heart about the future a few weeks ago, and he helped me come up with this idea to surprise Allyson. I taught him and Liam the fancy footwork when they came out to the farm to help with Shayanne’s pumpkin harvest, and they taught the rest of the team at recess at school.
It’s all coming together.
The lyrics start, and a thread of anticipation weaves through the kids. We all start with the cross-kick and shuffle movements the line dance is known for, everyone grinning and laughing as the circle moves forward.
I keep Allyson in the middle so she can see the whole effect, every player and most of the parents plus the Bennett-Tannen crowd surrounding us.
The tempo gets faster, the shuffles wilder, and the laughs louder as we all succumb to the sillies. I grab Allyson’s hand, spinning her around and then pressing her front to mine. Two-stepping to this song is basically sacrilegious, but she goes along with me, following my lead and smiling brightly.
I look at her in this moment, seeing the girl she once was and the woman she’s become, both mine in every way, owning my entire heart.
As the song ends, I lean back, roaring to the ceiling, “Gooo Wildcats!” Allyson laughs, and out of the corner of my eyes, I can see the boys following the plan. I spin Allyson around, catching her with her back pressed to my chest.
I angle her toward one side of the floor. Johnathan, Joshua, and Derek hold up a poster board that says Will. Slowly, I rotate her to see Marcus, Trey, and Killian holding up You, then Evan, Anthony, and Julio with Marry.
Allyson’s jaw drops, and she lets out this soft little sound that brings a smile to my face. I turn her to the last side, where Cooper, Liam, and Christopher hold up Me? to complete the question.
As Allyson whirls around to face me, I drop to one knee and hold up the ring Cooper helped me pick out. Her hands cover her mouth, but I hear the ‘ohmygod, ohmygod, ohmygod’ from behind her palms.
I reach up to take one of her hands in mine, locking eyes with her. She’s already tearing up, but I can see that it’s in surprise and happiness. “Allyson, I lost you once and it was like the sunshine left my sky. I lived without you, but honestly, I was just going through the motions. When you came back into my life, full of sass and fire, I thought the sun had finally returned.”
Her other hand drops to cup my cheek, my beard scratching at her palm. “Bruce . . .”
I lean into her touch, but I’m not done. Bobby helped me write this speech since he’s so good with words. I’ve practiced at least a million times, by myself in front of a mirror and even a few times with Bobby so he could tell me what a starry-eyed fucker I am. He’s firmly on Team Allyson-Bruce-Cooper now, calling us the ABCs, so I took his insults along with the help on my speech.
I steel my nerves, trying to remember the words perfectly. “We’ve been through a lot—together, apart, and together again, and I want to spend the rest of my life with you. Not behind you or in front of you but right beside you, sharing our days and our nights and our forever. I love you, Allyson Meyers. Will you marry me?”
I can see the yes on the tip of her tongue, the light in her eyes, and feel the way her hand trembles against my cheek. I turn my head, laying a kiss to her palm.
It breaks the spell and she blinks rapidly. Her eyes leave mine and find Cooper.
“I asked him already, Al. He helped me plan all this and pick out the ring,” I explain.
Cooper runs over to us, his voice loud. “Mom, say yes. Bruce said he’ll be my dad if you get married.”