Chapter 7 - Ask Me Again in Six Months
"Wes," I finally said, "you've completely knocked the wind out of me. I think I have feelings for you too. I'm almost sure I do. But this is a lot to take in all at once."
He nodded like he'd expected exactly that, and led me to the dining table, where he'd made dinner. We ate mostly in silence, but it wasn't a bad silence.
When our plates were empty, I told him the rest.
"Thank you for tonight. Nobody has ever done anything close to this for me." A tear slipped down my cheek before I could stop it. "Yes. I'll marry you. That's my decision. But I want you to ask me again in six months. If my answer is still yes then, we'll have a real wedding, in front of people. Let's see who we are once the dust settles. You've got a hard court fight coming, and I want to stand next to you for it."
His whole face lit up.
"Six months. I can do that." He held up the box. "Will you at least wear the ring now?"
I nodded. He slid it onto my finger, and we hugged, and then we kissed for the first time. It wasn't a Hollywood kiss with a soundtrack swelling behind it. It was quieter than that. It felt like walking into a house you already knew was home.
I still catch myself staring at that ring some mornings, trying to make the math work. I married a homeless man to win an argument with my parents, and it turned out I'd married a man with a wounded heart, a stolen company, and more decency than anyone I'd ever dated on purpose.
Life has a strange sense of humor. This time, I'm not complaining.
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This story is inspired by real events and real people but has been fictionalized. Names, characters, and details have been changed. Any resemblance to actual persons or events is coincidental.
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