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I play with the strings falling out of the holes on my jeans. My dad used to always ask if I got my jeans for half the price since they took half the material.
“Yeah, I am,” I smile slightly, butterflies in my stomach.
“Stop being stupid then. You need to think hard about this, because whatever your answer is, it’s going to change every-thing for you.”
I feel my chest rise and fall before I feel the tears spring.
“My dad is gone, Maggie. He wasn’t there for the first time I got married and it was terrible. Now I have a second chance, but he’s really gone now. I thought things would look a little different,” I cry. “I don’t want to do it without him. Not again.”
“Your dad would want you to do what’s best for you,” she says slowly. “Sean is what’s best for you. But I don't need to tell you that. You know what you want deep down. You just need to be honest with yourself.”
Maggie only stays for a couple of hours, helping me sort through some old things, and taking stuff she wants for herself.
I know I shouldn’t make Sean wait any longer for an answer. I have to tell him. I know he’s working at the shop later tonight for inventory. It’s always on Tuesday nights.
◆◆◆
As I walk through the front door, I immediately realize I’m holding my breath. My nerves are bubbling to the surface as I take a few steps forward through the store.
Sean steps out of the back room with multiple small antique teacups in his hands, each one with a different pattern.
He hasn’t seen me yet.
He continues to restock shelves. His hand grazes an old clock that catches my eye.
The antiques haven’t been selling well for a while now, but he still works too many hours—trying to keep this place alive. He looks so focused, a look I haven’t seen on him frequently.
He glances over for just a moment and has to do a double take to see that it’s me.
“Bee, what are you doing here?” he asks, surprised.
I’ve broken his heart more times than I can count. Now I get to fully make up for it.
“I have my answer,” I begin.
His smile widens, and my heart skips another beat.
I walk to him, feeling around my ring finger. I look down at my bare hands.
“I’ve been in a really bad place for over a year now. I didn’t know what my life would look like after leaving New York.”
His eyes move rapidly over my face, unsure of what I’m saying. “So…what does this mean?” he asks, his question filled with nerves.
I breathe out heavily, smiling.
“Ask me the question again,” I say, trying to contain myself.
His green eyes brighten, then soften.
“I don’t—I don’t have the ring on me…”
“It doesn’t matter.”
He grins from ear to ear as he gets down on one knee again, his hands dusty.
“Marry me,” he says, not as a question but more as a statement.
He’s so sure of everything—even that we’re meant to be together. Kneeling in this dirty room with such conviction. I love him more than I can ever truly comprehend. Maggie’s words ring in my ears from earlier today, telling me that Sean is my person. Standing here, looking into Sean’s childish but handsome eyes, I know that she’s completely and utterly right. It really does take a man to love a woman after so much heartbreak. He’s done it effortlessly, loving me each step of the way even when I didn’t make it easy for him.
