Robert chuckled and shook his head before he winced. “No. I have a confession to make as well.” I looked at him. “I asked you to dinner tonight to make things official. I want you to move in with me for now and I had plans for later. I had a key in a box but it’s in the car somewhere.”
“You were going to give me a key?” I asked as he smiled.
“Yeah, I was. I will as soon as I can if you say yes.” He stared into my eyes as I leaned forward to press as kiss to his lips.
“Yes.” His face was bruised and he looked awful, but he was mine, all mine.
I came back to the present as Noel walked down the aisle on Keith’s arm. She looked like an angel and I wiped the tear from my eye, trying to save the professional makeup job I’d sat through earlier. This day was so perfect and I smiled down at the grass as I took a deep breath. Nate took her arm after he shook Keith’s hand, standing before the minister as they said their written vows. It was a short ceremony but sweet and heartfelt and I think every woman was dabbing their eyes at the end.
The minister announced them and Nate held up her arm as he led her down the aisle to the cheers of the crowd. They kept the kiss innocent but I knew that they were around the corner making out like high school students. I was with Noel when she bought the best kiss proof lipstick that money could buy. I smiled as Robert held out his hand, taking it as we walked past the crowd.
Living together was amazing. I loved the idea that I didn’t have to leave apart from working; that we could make dinner every night and mess the sheets up before we fell asleep. We still had dinner with Keith and Marta a lot and even went to Nate and Noel’s as often as we could. I still worked with her but since we were best friends, I couldn’t get enough time with her. I loved her and Nate together now that they’d worked through the harder parts.
Rob got along with everyone and he and Keith were getting to be good friends. They got together for games at the house and even at the corner bar sometimes when Marta and I were doing girl things. Nate joined them when we brought Noel along and it was like an extended family. I loved it. My parents came out more and more and Dad started talking about moving t
o Mountain Home next year. They might be here by the holidays.
One year later
I came home from the bakery on a Friday with a bag full of muffins for the weekend. Rob still loved them though he liked all the flavors now. I knew that he was planning on cooking something for dinner since it was so beautiful outside and I looked forward to relaxing. I pulled into the garage and parked, shutting off the engine of my car with a smile. It ran great and I loved getting around on my own. I slipped out of the driver’s seat and headed into the house through the breezeway, calling out Rob’s name.
The house was only lit with a few lights and I looked around for him. The patio was even darker, lit with candles placed around the table. “What?” I asked as I set the bag down and walked outside. Rob had a screened in patio that we ate dinner in a lot and it was gorgeous tonight. There were vases of light colored roses placed on the tables and it smelled beautiful, something like vanilla in addition to the fragrance of the flowers. “Rob?” I called out as I looked around.
He didn’t answer and I walked to the door to look into the backyard. He was by the barbeque making something and I licked my lips at the sight of him. He was more gorgeous every time I looked at him and I just stared for a few minutes.
He must have felt my gaze because he turned towards me and grinned. “Hey, baby.”
“Are you trying to burn down the house in here?” I teased him as he shrugged and pulled something from the grill.
“I thought we’d have a romantic dinner tonight. It’s the weekend and you have it off, for a change.” He approached me with a big plate of meat and vegetables, leaning over to brush his lips against mine briefly.
We finally had a weekend off. The girls were great at the cafe and since Noel baked for the next couple of days, we decided to relax. There were no real plans yet but I could just stay in bed with Rob all weekend and be completely content. I watched as he went into the house to plate the food and carry it out to the patio. I grabbed a bottle of wine from the fridge and opened it, pouring two glasses. I joined him and took another look at the room as I placed the glasses on the table.
Rob pulled my seat out for me, kissing me when I approached him. There was something different in this kiss, something more urgent and it took my breath away. I was just melting into him when he pulled away, his eyes dark and hungry. “Let’s eat.”
I licked my lips that were still tingling and nodded, taking my seat. The sun was starting to set and we could see it well from where we were, so I sat down and looked at my plate. He’d fixed some salmon and grilled broccoli, along with a fresh salad. “This looks so good.”
“I want to get some practice in for the summer. With your folks moving here and mine visiting, we’ll be doing a lot of entertaining.” He smiled and I gazed at him. I picked up my fork and broke off a piece of the fish, moaning as I tasted it. “Good?”
“Amazing,” I replied as I grinned. “You can be my personal chef anytime, handsome.”
“I’d like to be more than that,” he said as I blinked at him, still chewing the fish.
“What do you mean?” I asked as I stared at him.
Rob cleared his throat and stood up slowly, moving to drop down before me. He stared into my eyes as he reached out to take my hands. “Molly, I have gone through my entire life at the speed of light. I was only focused on work and getting ahead to reach the end, and I never let anyone inside. I never thought that moving here would change all of that, but the morning I walked into the cafe and saw you…everything changed. I think I fell in love that day but I was so unsure. I didn’t think we’d make it or that I was good enough for you.” I sucked in my breath as he stayed there. Understanding was setting in and I felt my heart begin to pound. “Will you give me the rest of your life so I can love you? Will you marry me?”
“Rob,” I whispered as tears slid down my cheeks. “Yes, I want to marry you so badly. I love you so much.” He stood up and pulled me into his arms tightly, holding me as I cried happily.
“I was going to wait until after dinner and take you outside when the sun was just going down over the horizon, but I couldn’t wait.” I laughed and looked at him as he pressed a kiss to my lips. He reached into the pocket of his slacks and revealed a beautiful ring with a delicate stone in the center and tiny diamonds on the band, taking my left-hand to slip it on.
“It’s so pretty,” I said, appreciating the candlelight as the ring shimmered in the warm glow. “Thank you.”
“Let’s eat because we’re going to Marta’s for dessert. Just a random thing,” he joked as I laughed and wrapped my arms around him.
“Everyone knew but me?” I guessed as he nodded and kissed me softly.
We stayed there for a long time and ate cold food, but it didn’t matter. I was going to marry him and live my life with Rob, the man of my dreams.