“Oh, it’s so beautiful!” she exclaimed as she took the necklace out of the box and began to put it on.
“There’s something inside of it if you open it up,” he told her.
She opened the locket, curious to see what was inside. Once it was opened, it revealed a small heart-shaped picture of her and Dale in the swimming pool from the previous summer. A smile beamed across her face.
“It’s us, Dale! It’s me and you! I love it!” she threw her arms around him and squeezed him tight.
“It was the best picture that I had of us. Your mom took it on her phone and put it on Facebook. I stole it from her images and printed it out. Now I’ll always be with you, no matter where you are.”
“But you’ll always be with us anyway. Mommy says you two are getting married!”
“Does that make you happy?” he asked. He hadn’t thought to seek Nevaeh’s approval before popping the question.
“It makes me happy and proud,” she smiled up at him as she fastened the locket around her neck.
A few hours later, Lorraine came to pick up Nevaeh as promised. She showed off her new necklace as they were walking outside; Lorraine smiled at Dale and winked at him before giving a thumbs up. When they were gone, I flopped onto the couch, exhausted from cooking.
“What are we having? It smells delicious.”
“I’m making lasagna. It’s one of my favorites.”
“I can’t wait to dig in. I’m starving,” he admitted.
“Me too!”
The two of us enjoyed a candlelit dinner in the dimly lit dining room after it was ready.
“I noticed you’re not drinking any of the wine that I brought. Don’t you like it?” He was surprised to see that I’d hardly touched it.
I dropped my fork on my plate. “Dale, we need to talk,” I announced.
Oh, shit here we go. It’s never good when a woman says that phrase. “About what honey?” he sweetly asked.
I paused and intently stared at him for a moment before beginning. “I’m pregnant,” I announced.
“You’re pregnant?” he repeated. “How is that possible? I mean, I know how it’s possible, but when? Never mind. I know that answer too. Are you okay with it? How do you feel about it?” Shock began to set in. He was going to be a father.
“I’m scared. It’s so soon in our relationship. We’ve not even been together for a year and we only just got engaged. I’ve thought about it, and I’m glad you asked me to marry you before I found out that I was pregnant.”
“Why?” he asked.
“I wouldn’t want you to think I was only marrying you because I’m pregnant. I'm going to marry you because I love you.”
“I know that, and I would never think differently.” Tears started beading up at the corner of my eyes. “Come here, sit on my lap.”
I walked over to him and sat on his lap, resting my head on his shoulder. “Tell me it’s going to be okay.”
“Kimberly? It’s going to be fine. I’m a billionaire. I can take care of us. You haven’t mentioned it yet, but I was wondering when are you going to move in with me? I can hire movers to pack your things so it’s less stress on you.”
“That’s the thing, Dale. I haven’t said anything about moving because, I sort of don’t want to.”
“What? Why?”
“I love your house, it’s spectacular, but…” I looked around the room. “It’s not my grandparent’s house, and this one is. I don’t want to let go of it. I’m not ready yet. Do you see that door over there?” I asked, pointing at the bedroom door.
Dale nodded.
“That was my grandma’s bedroom door. When she lived here, she used to put her hand on that doorknob to open the door. She touched it.”
He began to understand what she was getting at.
“And that garage right there? My dad and grandpa used to go out there to drink beer and work on their cars that he’d buy and rebuild. I have so many memories here.”
“Baby,” he whispered, “you don’t have to sell it. You can keep it, but there’s not enough room here for all of us. Soon there will be another person. You can move into my house—our house—and keep this one. No one said you have to get rid of it.”
I was elated to hear that he understood. “Are you sure? I figured you’d want me to sell it, and I’m not ready to do that.”
“I’m positive,” he reassured me.