possible for however long that forever might be. And no matter how long we have together, it won’t be enough, but I’m hoping you’ll spend it with me anyway. Stella Elizabeth Grant, will you marry me?”
“Yes!” she cries.
I quickly place the ring on her finger.
She pulls me up, and I kiss her hard, her lips plump and wet. She pulls away, and we stand, facing one another. The enormity of the moment fills my heart.
So many tears are cascading down her face. I watch them curve around her giant smile until they fall from her jaw.
“Yes! Yes! Yes! I can’t believe this! Yes! Yes! Yes!” she chants while jumping up and down, still crying.
Her long chestnut hair lifts with each leap before falling against her shoulders. I wait until the hopping has ceased, and I swipe the tear-soaked strands away from her face. Her hazel eyes meet my own, and they shine a brighter green than I’ve ever seen before. The wetness in her eyes illuminates the golden flecks of her irises, and she looks more beautiful than I could have imagined.
She radiates true happiness, and she wears it well. The joy exuding from her pores creates a whole new level of appreciation that I have for my sweet, kind, beautiful Stella.
Her smile never wavers as her eyes dart from my face back to the diamond on her finger. She shakes her head in awe. “I still can’t believe this. This is just so amazing, Jax.” Her voice breaks as a new rush of tears breaks free.
I laugh, her infectious joy coming over me. “I don’t think I’ve ever seen so many tears.”
“They’re happy tears. I just can’t stop them. I’m so happy!” Stella exclaims.
“I’m happy that you’re happy.” I chuckle.
“Is this what you want, Jax? Are you sure?” she asks hesitantly, a tone of uncertainty permeating her voice.
“I’m sure. I’m going to make you so happy, Stella, and you deserve it all, all the happiness that this life has to offer.”
I pull her to me and kiss the top of her head. I breathe in, and her hair smells like a tropical paradise, a mixture of coconut and fruit.
She wraps her arms tightly around my back. “This is the best day of my life, Jax. Thank you.”
“Thank you for saying yes. It would have been a real hit to my ego if you had said no.”
She pulls away from my chest, laughing. “Like I could ever say no to you. You are everything I’ve ever wanted.”
I don’t respond with the same sentiment because it would be a lie, and I will never lie to Stella. The truth is that she isn’t everything I’ve ever wanted. There is someone else who I have loved my whole life, who has always been my everything—everything I’ve wanted, everything I’ve needed.
But she doesn’t want me in return, and for some reason, this astonishing woman in my arms does. I don’t deserve her. God knows, she definitely deserves better than me, but an enormous sense of gratitude washes over me anyway. I’m so lucky to have her.
As I tilt my head down toward Stella, I can’t help but fall into her trance of glee. She might not have been my dream, but she’s my reality, and I’m so fortunate to have her in my life.
I gave away my heart a long time ago, but in this moment, every bit of it that I have left, I’m giving to Stella. I love her as much as I possibly can. It isn’t as much as she is worthy of, but it is all I can offer, and I hope it is enough.
“I love you,” I say truthfully.
“I love you, too, so much,” she replies. “Till death do us part?”
“Till death do us part,” I agree.
After leaving the arena, we immediately drive to her parents’ home to tell them the news. Stella couldn’t wait to see them and insisted on going straight there. Her parents’ grand home is a short fifteen-minute drive from campus, and the entire ride, Stella alternates between looking at the ring on her finger and smiling widely toward me.
I sit on their sofa with her father as I watch Stella with her mother. There is an abundance of crying, laughing, hugging, and ring-admiring going on between the two women. With a big goofy grin on my face, I can’t stop staring at Stella. Seeing her this happy does something to my insides, making me feel a plethora of emotions from elation to gratitude