After Seth and Jameson walk away from Colby, I march over to him and demand that he tell me what’s going on. His eyes grow wide, and he won’t make eye contact with me.
“I have no idea what you’re talking about,” he says, but his voice is shaky and full of lies. Does the man think I’m stupid? I’m not one to brag, but I would consider myself to be intelligent. Well, fine. If he won’t tell me what’s going on, I’ll find someone who will.
I walk around, mingling with everyone at the party. They all get nervous when I inevitably ask them to tell me why everyone is acting weird. No one will tell me anything.
Two hours later, I’m sitting at a table, holding Seth and Hannah’s baby boy, James, while they swim. He’s four months old and the cutest little chub I’ve ever laid eyes on. He looks just like Hannah, therefore looking just like Colby. I can’t help but wonder if this is what his babies will look like, too. I run my finger along his soft, squishy cheeks. He smiles, and a puddle of drool flows from his mouth, landing on my leg.
“Ew. I think he’s teething,” Layla says as she hands me a napkin to wipe it off. I don’t care about a little baby slobber, though. I would put up with an ocean of baby slobber if that meant having my own baby to cuddle.
I look over at Millie standing a few feet away from me. She rubs her rounded belly idly as she talks to her friend, Tess, and my sister, Chelsea. They’re all pregnant and talking about morning sickness—a conversation I can’t join in on. Being nauseated for twelve weeks straight doesn’t sound like a good time, but I’d happily endure it for a sweet-smelling baby at the end of it. I’ve endured worse, after all.
Colby sits down in the empty seat beside me, smelling like chlorine and sunscreen. He changed into his swim trunks after eating his lunch and played volleyball in the water for a while. He seemed to finally relax after that.
He leans over and kisses my cheek and then his nephew’s forehead. I hold James up so that his face is right next to Colby’s. “I bet all of your kids will look just like this,” I say, mentally comparing all of Colby’s and little James’s similarities. Bright-blue eyes, blond hair, a wide mouth. Hannah was nice enough to show me all of Colby’s baby pictures last week, much to his chagrin. The resemblance between the two is uncanny.
“I don’t know. Maybe. But I’m really hoping all my kids look like you,” he says, staring into my eyes with a knowing smile on his face.
I stop breathing. My heart seems to stop beating. Wait, no. That pounding sound in my ears is my pulse. Is he…? Is he saying he wants to marry me someday? I can’t think straight enough to form words. I lean over and kiss his cheek, but he wraps his hand around the nape of my neck and pulls me in for a kiss on the mouth. He rests his forehead against mine for a moment, and then he digs his hand into his pocket.
Everything around me goes quiet as he drops down to his knee in front of me. Hannah reaches over and takes James from my arms, dripping pool water onto my arms and legs. Oh my gosh, I forgot I was even holding him. What if I had dropped him or smooshed him in between me and Colby? I look around the backyard, and everyone is watching us. My sisters all have their phones out, getting a video or taking pictures. My mom is crying. Crying! My dad stands next to her, rubbing her back, and tries to keep her from causing a scene with her hysterics.
Colby grabs my hand, and I look back down at his smiling face. He has a tiny black box in his right hand. Is that what I think it is? He’s on his knee in front of me, so it must be. But he has already fooled me once today. I need to get off this emotional rollercoaster.
“Norah, we’ve come a long way since we were those two stupid kids who used to get sent to the principal’s office for yelling at each other every other day. But I hope we still have more to go, more ways to grow closer, more love to give each other. Will you marry me?”
He opens the box, and the most beautiful ring I’ve ever laid eyes on sits nestled inside. I open my mouth, but nothing will come out. It’s just incoherent babbling and squeaky sounds. This hardly ever happens to me, but it seems to be a theme right now. Colby clears his throat to get my attention.
“Wha… What?” I ask. Everyone laughs, and I’m reminded that we have an audience.
“Will you be my wife, lady?” Colby reiterates. My eyes prickle, threatening to flood with tears. Finally, my head clears, and I slide out of my chair, down to where Colby is crouched in front of me. I throw my arms around his neck. “Is that a yes?” he asks.
“Yes! Of course!” I shout. Cheers and whistles go up all around, but I don’t even notice because Colby slides my ring on my finger and plants a kiss on my lips.
He pulls away, laughing, and says, “You say that like it was a given, but you really had me scared there for a few seconds when you didn’t answer right away.”
“I was just getting you back for that little stunt you pulled at the lake, you punk! I thought you were going to ask me there, but I see my prankster ways are rubbing off on you.” I poke his side, and he laughs.
“Can I be honest? I was supposed to ask you there, but I got so scared I chickened out. This was meant to be a surprise engagement party,” he says. The sheepish look on his face is so cute that I can’t even be upset. No wonder his friends were getting onto him.
“It all makes sense now,” I say. “It’s okay. We got here in the end, and this is perfect. I’m glad my parents got to see you ask me.” He wraps me in his arms, and I’m amazed that I’ll get to feel these arms around me for the rest of my life. I breathe in his scent that is so wholly him, and everything feels right in the world. How did I ever get so lucky?