Lennox is before me on one knee, a black box with a ring in one hand. My eyes dart between it, a shining antique solitaire catching the sun, and Lennox’s deep green pools staring back at me.
Oh my god, is he doing this?
“Love, you gave me my dreams back but you’d taken them over long before. You’re my entire world, my everything. If you let me, I will spend the rest of my life loving you beyond your wildest imagination. Watch monster movies with me, cross the globe with me a million times over, always come home to my arms. Be my hot nanny the rest of my life. Marry me, Mal.”
Warm tears contrast the cool air on my cheeks before he has all the words out and I throw myself at him, both of us falling back onto the brick pavers before the fire. Our mouths lock, arms entwine, fingers grasp and heat is transferred, everything else falling wayside.
“Is that a yes?” His strong arms wrap around me as I cover his face, neck, any skin I can get to, with kisses.
“Yes,” I smile and hold his face, “it was always yes.” I taste his lips again, “I love you so much, Lennox.”
I didn’t realize until weeks later that my phone recorded the audio of his proposal. Lennox did that on purpose, of course. I’ll cherish it for the rest of my life. I was too busy planning the wedding he gave me two months to arrange. He didn’t care where or how, just soon. He didn’t want to wait anymore and neither did I.
After a panicky week researching exotic locations in dreamy locations around the world, I realized I wanted something real. And I have the most real thing in my life right here. We got married high on our cliff at home with just those we love the most at our sides and Bodach the cat who made an appearance halfway through.
I was wearing the “Mrs. Gibbes” thong beneath my simple strapless gown with a sweetheart neckline and wrapped in an elegant wool throw, because Scotland cliffs are cold as fuck in December. Despite all the teasing, Lennox would not wear a kilt. He stood before me tall and handsome in a tailored suit that accentuated his wide shoulders and narrow hips.
And we promised to always make each other’s dreams come true.
***