and ease off the seat and onto one knee, cradling the sides of her thighs in my hands as I say, “Melody March, I love you.”
She looks up, her eyes shining with unshed tears and an expression on her face I can’t quite place. She’s either terrified or overwhelmed with happiness or something in between. It isn’t necessarily a reassuring look, but I push on anyway. There’s no turning back now.
“I love you more than I thought I would ever love anyone or anything.” I pause to clear my throat, but it does nothing to dislodge the lump that’s formed there. “You make me smile every day. I’m so happy I hardly recognize myself anymore, and I like it that way. I look forward to every morning because you’re there when I wake up, and I never want to wake up without you. Will you do me the honor of becoming my wife?”
“Yes, goodness, yes,” she says breathlessly. “The ring is so beautiful, and I love you, and yes, yes, yes!”
Tears spill down her cheeks as she wraps her arms around my neck and hugs me close, feathering kisses over my forehead and cheeks before finding my lips and kissing me until my blood is rushing.
“I love you so much,” she whispers against my lips. “This was perfect.”
“I’m so glad,” I say with a shaky laugh. “And honestly, I’m glad to have that over with. I was so fucking nervous all night.”
“Why?” She swipes at her cheeks as she pulls back. “You knew I was going to say yes, silly.”
“I don’t know.” I shrug, grinning as she plucks the ring from the jewelry box and slides it onto her left ring finger. It’s a perfect fit. “I guess I thought there was still a chance you might come to your senses and tell me to get lost.”
She wrinkles her nose playfully. “Never. Now, you’re mine, mister. And I don’t plan on ever…” She trails off, a frown creasing her forehead as she stares down at her feet.
“Nick?”
“Yeah?”
“Your leg is wet,” she says in a deceptively calm voice.
I glance down, surprised to see two inches of water filling the bottom of the boat, enough to soak the knee I just had bent and begin to seep into my shoes. I was so nervous and then so happy that I didn’t notice, but now, it’s abundantly clear that our boat is taking on water.
“Shit,” I mutter. “It was fine when I took it out a few hours ago to place the jewelry box.”
She giggles softly, making me lift my eyes to her face.
“This isn’t funny,” I insist, smiling in spite of myself as I reclaim my seat and grab the oars. “What if we can’t make it back to the dock before we sink?”
“Then I guess we’ll have to swim,” she says, her giggle turning into full-fledged laughter.
“What is wrong with you, woman?” I laugh with her, though I could do without a swim in a freezing lake in late October. But her laughter is just so infectious
“Nothing. I’ve just decided to embrace our bad luck. It’s funnier that way.”
I shake my head, pulling harder toward the shoreline as water continues to seep into the boat. “Our luck fucking blows. Maybe we’ve been cursed by a jealous god or something.”
“Probably a goddess, jealous of me for taking the hottest mortal man on earth,” she says with a wink.
“Seriously,” I grunt, my muscles straining. “Maybe we should go get our energy cleansed at that New Age place in Atlanta, the one that sells the crystals and shit.”
“We don’t need our energy cleansed,” she says breezily. “Our luck isn’t all bad. Your shop is doing really well, I’m starting a second career I love, and we’re engaged to be married. God, I can’t believe we’re really engaged!” she finishes with a happy squeal as she leans over to kiss me, the addictive taste of her distracting me from my work long enough for the water to reach our calves.
“Oh wow, that’s cold,” she gasps against my lips.
“Not so excited about that swim now, are you?” I haul at the oars, but I only manage to move us a foot closer to the dock.
The boat is getting too heavy, and the water is pouring in so fast it’s only a matter of minutes until the boat goes under. There’s no way we’re making it to the dock fifty feet away before we sink.
“Here, give me the box,” I say. “I don’t want you to have