Trust Me .(80)

When all the presents are opened, the paper is picked up, and the boxes are being ripped open to retrieve the treasures inside, I start to get a little nervous and sweaty. The presents aren’t all opened yet. There are two more little boxes sitting under the tree, towards the back, that Avery hasn’t seen yet.

“Hey, Brooklyn, will you grab those two little boxes that are hidden behind Grandpa Mike’s present, please?” Brooklyn takes off over to the tree and starts digging behind the present. I can feel Avery’s questioning eyes on me, but mine remain focused on my little girl. She brings me the two gifts that aren’t wrapped; just two black velvet covered boxes. “Thank you, sweetie.”

“Are doze for me?” she asks.

“One is for you and one is for your mom. Let’s do your mommy’s first, okay?”

“Otay,” she says very enthusiastically and runs to play with her new toys.

Avery is standing in the middle of the living room, watching our exchange, the questions written in her beautiful blue eyes. I stand up and walk towards her, stopping when I’m directly in front of her.

“I have something else for you. I knew deep down on our first date that we would get to this exact spot sooner or later. It may have taken me a little while to realize it then, but you are everything to me. You and Brooklyn. When I think about my life without you and Brooklyn in it, I realize that it’s no life at all. You are my life. We have made a great life together, but I want to build it into something so much more.” I take a deep breath and pop open the ring box. Avery lets out an audible gasp as she looks at the ring I chose for her. Actually, she chose it before I even knew it. Sitting within the little black velvet box is the two carat chocolate diamond. The one she saw in the window of the jewelry store in the mall. When I saw the look on her face as she looked dreamily at that ring, I knew it was the one I would eventually put on her finger.

I slowly kneel down in front of her, taking her shaking hand in my equally shaky one. “Avery, you are the best person I’ve ever known. You are caring and kind and passionate and the love you have for your daughter is evident in everything you do. You look at me with so much love and trust in your eyes that I can’t imagine not having you by my side every single day. So, today, I have a very important question to ask you and Brooklyn.” I take another shaky breath and notice she’s holding hers. “Will you promise to be with me for the rest of your life so I can show you how much I love and adore you for the rest of mine? Avery, will you marry me?”

I hold my breath as I gaze into Avery’s glistening blue eyes. Her tears are flowing unchecked down her face.

“Yes,” she whispers. “YES!” And she throws herself down into my arms, almost knocking me down from the unexpected force of her body. I stand up with her still in my arms and kiss the hell out of my fiancée.

When we finally pull apart, I slip the ring on her trembling finger, a gesture I used to believe I would never do. My lips seek hers one more time, her body pressed firmly against mine.

I pull away and wipe the tears from her cheeks. “Wait, I have one more gift.”

I take the second box and walk over to where Brooklyn is playing with her new toys, completely oblivious to the proposal that just took place behind her.

“Brooklyn, honey, come here a second. I have a question for you.” Brooklyn walks over and leaps onto my lap on the couch.

“You know that your mommy and I are moving in together in the new house, right?” She shakes her head yes. “Well, we’ll be moving in the new house in a little over a week. But I want to do more than just live with you and your mommy. I want to marry your mommy. Do you know what that means?”

“You get to sweep in the same bed. Emma’s mommy and daddy are mawied and she said they sweep in the same bed.” I chuckle at the simplicity of her three year old logic.

“That’s right. We will get to sleep in the same bed. But it also means that we are going to promise to be together forever. That means I’m not going anywhere. I will always be here for your mommy and for you.”

“Do you get to be my daddy?” My heart literally stops beating. I blink several times trying to get the tears out of my eyes, but it’s no use. A few slide down my face.

“Yes, that means I get to be your daddy. If you want me to be.”

“I want you to be my daddy!” she exclaims as she throws her arms around my neck. “Dis is my bestest Cwismis ever!”

“Mine, too, sweetie. Mine too.” I kiss her forehead and look over at Avery. She’s standing there sobbing, hands clutching together at her heart.