“You’re so sweet,” she said as she gave me a kiss.
The next couple of days were long. We both had been working late to make sure that stuff wouldn’t pile up on us while we were away on the cruise. Neither of us had ever been on a cruise. Another first for both of us. It was finally Friday, and we were both making a trip to the office before we left. Of course, Shawn would be covering everything in my absence. Ella showed back up at the house two hours before we needed to be at the airport. Charlotte had been taken to the airport to fly back home, and we were heading out for our cruise.
“Come on, baby, we don’t want to miss the plane.”
Traffic was going to be a pain in my ass today. It was the start of the weekend. Everyone was on the road, going out of town or wherever. It usually took about an hour to drive to the airport. We made it just in time to take off. I forgot how quiet this little plane was during flight. Ella was a pro at flying by this point. It didn’t even phase her anymore. A couple of hours later, we were in Florida and boarding the cruise ship. “Let’s turn both of our phones off this weekend. I just want to enjoy this fully without any work interruptions,” I told her. So we both turned our phones off and threw them in our bags. A no-stress weekend was just what we needed.
Our first night aboard the ship, we went to a fancy romantic dinner. We hadn’t had a night like that in a long time. We laughed hysterically, danced, and felt like teenagers again. Our love was strong.
Ella’s parents were right. It was amazing. The ocean breeze and festivities kept you busy while on the ship. I just wanted to do everything. They had theme nights, free alcohol, games, and a club onboard. I was going to book another cruise.
Tonight was our last night onboard, and I needed to work up the courage and words to propose. How was I going to ask her? What should I say?
My mind was racing with all the things I could tell her. I told Ella to get dressed up, and we would go to a nice dinner. She came out looking stunning. She always did. I took her hand, and we walked to dinner. My palms were a little sweaty, but I didn’t think she noticed. We sat down, and I ordered some wine. I figured I’d go ahead and propose before we got our food. I stood up and got down on one knee as Ella’s face turned red.
“What are you doing? Get up from there. It’s not funny.”
“This isn’t a joke,” I said as people started to realize what was going on around them.
I opened the ring box and held it in my hands so she could see it. “Ella, I knew that you were the one from the moment I knocked you down outside the coffee shop. From that moment forward, I vowed to make sure to make you the happiest woman on earth and take care of you. You have done nothing but make my life immensely better in every way. Will you please be my wife?”
Ella was at a loss for words, but tears were streaming down her face. She was trying to talk, but nothing was coming out. I started to get nervous thinking she was going to say no when she finally replied, “Yes, I’ll marry you.”
I picked her up and spun her around. I was officially the luckiest guy in the world. I couldn’t contain my excitement. We were officially engaged. Everyone in the restaurant was clapping for us and telling us congratulations. I wanted to enjoy our last dinner on the boat before we returned to the real world. The world where we work long hours every day. After dinner, we went back to our room, and we both wanted to call our parents and let them know the good news. When we turned on our phones, they started blowing up with notifications.Ding. Ding. Ding. Ella took a deep breath and put her hand over her mouth.
“What’s wrong?” I asked.
“My dad’s in the hospital. He had a heart attack,” she replied in tears.
Oh no, I should not have suggested we turn off our cell phones. I felt awful. I lay down beside her, trying to console her once she got off the phone with her mother. She was hysterical. Her mom wouldn’t give her much information because she said that Tommy wanted to be the one to tell her what was going on.
The next morning, we finally got back to the dock and deboarded. Shawn had already arranged for the plane to meet us at the airport and take us to NYC so we could go to the hospital. When we got there, I could tell that Ella did not want to go in.
“Honey, we need to go in and see him,” I said, trying to talk some sense into her. There was no way she would forgive herself if she didn’t.
“But what if it’s bad? What am I going to do?” she asked.
“We will cross that bridge when we come to it.”
Chapter Thirty-Five
ELLA
I felt like I couldn’t breathe. I was struggling, hoping he was going to be okay. I was standing next to him, holding his hand, waiting for him to wake up, but he was fast asleep. My mother was not in the room, so I figured she went to get something to eat or drink. Alexander left the room so I could have some alone time with him. I sat down next to him and told him he was the best dad in the world and that he meant the world to me. His eyes started to open.
“Why hello there, doll,” he said groggily.
“Hi, Dad. We came as fast as we could.”
“No point in ruining your cruise because of me.”
“Our cruise was over. I’m here now. What’s going on?” I asked him.
“Honey, I’m old, and the poor heart just isn’t working the way it should be. The heart attacks have caused a lot of damage, and they don’t think it will sustain for very much longer.”
Was he saying what I thought he was saying? He was going to die? Soon? I dropped to the floor with my hands covering my face and tears running down my face. This couldn’t be happening. I couldn’t lose him. I just couldn’t. “Isn’t there anything we can do? We can get a second opinion or hire adifferent doctor and have them run tests. I won’t accept that. I just won’t.”
“Honey, this isn’t new news to me. I’ve known for about a year. I knew it was coming, and that’s why I traveled and spent time with your mom.”