Tora sucks in a sharp breath, taking it all in, and when she turns back to me, she finds me waiting, down on one knee with a ring in hand and a smile ripping across my face, ready to make her my wife.
Her hand comes up over her mouth as she watches me with watery eyes. “Oh, my god,” she whispers to herself, before glancing back over her shoulder to the huge ‘Marry Me’ sign. “Are we in the right room?”
“You better believe we are,” I tell her, indicating with my pointer finger for her to come on over here.
I watch as she slowly walks forward, probably wondering how the hell all this shit got in here, but all I can think about it how damn beautiful she looks in this dress.
She reaches out a hand and I take it greedily, loving the feel of her skin against mine. “Tora,” I start. She sucks in a breath as though the anticipation is almost too much to bear. I can’t help smiling at her, knowing that this is exactly what she’s always dreamed about.
She uses her free hand to wipe away a tear and I take that as my cue to get on with it before she turns into a blubbering mess. “When I was twelve years old and mom would say that your family was coming over, at that point, nothing in this world made me happier. I would get dressed into the shirt I knew you liked, I’d make sure I looked good, I’d have mom get out all the snacks I knew were your favorite. You were my best friend and the girl I knew I was falling for. Even then, I knew this day would come.”
Tora’s eyes search mine, taking in every word, but I don’t dare stop here. I’ve got way too much to say.
“I screwed everything up. I was hurt and I wanted you to hurt too. I was mean. I was a bully. For years you hated me and I let you because, in my own twisted way, I knew that I could still give you everything you ever wanted.” I take a breath. “Then a miracle happened. I thought I was lost to you. I thought I’d taken it so far to the point that you could never forgive me. The thought of you ever loving me was like some kind of distant dream that I’d never be able to grasp, but then you moved in and things started to change.”
“I swear,” I laugh. “The day I came and took you from your home is still one of the best days of my life. Knowing you were coming back to me, to the place where I first started to fall for you was like a gift, but having you in the room across from mine was fucking torture. Every day, all I wanted was to grovel at your feet, begging for forgiveness, but I had to wait. I needed to earn your trust back, and I knew that was never going to be easy.”
“I don’t know how, but slowly you came around. You learned to trust me and eventually you even loved me too. I can’t even begin to tell you how much I don’t deserve your love. I don’t deserve a woman like you, standing by my side. I don’t deserve to come home to you every day, but I get to, and I am so fucking grateful for that.”
“You’re the light of my life. You’re the reason I wake up in the morning, and I swear to you, Tora. Every fucking day I will continue to make it up to you. I promise you, I will make you the happiest woman to walk ever walk this earth.” I pause, letting it all sink in. “Tora?” I question. “Will you marry me?”
Tears stream from her eyes as she drops to her knees before me. “Yes,” she cries, crushing her lips to mine. “Don’t you know how happy you already make me?”
“I hoped,” I tell her, not able to get in another word as she brings her lips back to mine.
My arms wind around her and pull her body in hard against mine when I remember I’m supposed to be putting a ring on her finger. I pull back from the kiss and scoop her off the floor before raising off my knee.
I walk through the massive room and place her down on a table, putting us eye to eye. I take the ring which has been patiently waiting in my hand, out of the box. Her eyes lock on the diamond that I bought nearly three years ago and relief washes over me as I finally slide it onto her manicured finger.
“I love you so much,” she says, still with watery eyes. “This… This whole night is perfect.”