Fear grips me. "What if this has all been too much for him? What if he’s going back to how he used to be?"
I find myself getting emotional at the thought. I shake my head, whatever is wrong, I will just have to go to the rose garden and see. I slow down as I reach the neighborhood where the garden is. I can see his car, so I park behind him. I wait a few seconds, but he’s not in his car. I get out and look around the area. I wait outside the garden for a few minutes, but still no sign of him, so I decide to head inside. Hopefully he's in there.
As I walk, the garden appears empty. My worry grows. I keep walking until I'm deep in the garden. I reach our spot and my heart lifts. I can see him there pacing. But I feel worried again when I see how nervous he is. He’s pacing so hard I’m surprised he hasn’t worn a path into the ground.
I cautiously walk over to him. He hears my footsteps on the ground and stops pacing, looking up at me. The expression on his face doesn't bring me comfort. I walk over to him. "What's wrong? Why are we here?" I ask.
"Um. Well, you see…." He stammers for a moment then stops talking.
I have never seen him like this. He’s never at a loss for words. His nervous demeanor puts me on edge. He starts pacing again. I give him a few more minutes, but he remains silent. Finally, I can’t take it anymore and my voice trembles as I ask, "Are you breaking up with me?"
He stops pacing and looks at me in horror. "Of course not!" He replies, sounding almost offended. "I'm trying to figure out a way to ask you to marry me. I want it to be perfect, so I need the right words."
I watch in shock and delight as he resumes pacing. He doesn’t even seem to realize what he just said. I step in front of him so he’ll stop pacing and looks at me. "Can you repeat that one more time?" I ask him slowly.
He blinks a few times, then I can see it dawn on him and a giggle erupts out of me, He pulls a box from his pocket and gets on one knee. "I’m an idiot. Will you marry me?"
He opens the box to reveal the most beautiful ring ever. I let out a laugh, even as happy tears sting my eyes. "Yes! Of course!"
He slips the ring onto my finger. I pull him into a hug and give him the longest, sweetest kiss ever. The kiss quickly heats up as our tongues explore each other’s mouths. I try to wrap a leg around his waist. He gently pushes me away, ending our kiss. He clears his throat, "Um, we are in a public park,” he laughs, “No matter how secluded. We could get arrested for indecent exposure if we keep this up."
I blush, embarrassed even though he’s right and it is secluded.
"Sorry, I forgot." I answer sheepishly, darting a glance around just to make sure no one is nearby. He pulls me into another hug and whispers in my ear, "It’s fine. Now get your ass home so we can get indecent in private. I’ll stop and get wine."
His words make me shiver with delight. I give him a small kiss on the lips and hurry to my car. As I'm driving, I realize I am crying tears of joy. It’s finally happening to me. I'm getting my happy ending. After so many years of waiting, it's finally coming true. I couldn't be happier than I am right now.
Chapter 20 - Gabriel
That was intense. I felt like such a moron trying to figure out the right words to propose to her. I guess I didn't need any. All I needed to do was simply ask her. I saw the tears in her eyes and felt the love in her heart when she said "yes." I feel like a pretty lucky dude.
Driving home from the garden, I make a quick stop at the store. I need to pick up a bottle of wine and some lilies for my fiancée. My fiancée. Just the word puts that stupid goofy grin back on my face. Soon I'm back in the car and heading home.
I rush through the lights. I know it’s reckless, but I can’t help myself, I'm just so excited. I had been planning this day for a while. I tried my best to keep it a secret. I guess maybe I was a little too good at it. I didn't mean to give Lorelai the impression that I was breaking up with her. I was just really nervous. For someone who has been hurt like me, this is a really big step. But it's one that I was gladly willing to take.