It makes me smile to see them standing at the doorway together. Kirk has his shirtsleeves rolled up. His hands are on his hips. Mom and I exchange gladdened looks. In fact, we’re all smiling. It’s the same thought that’s going through each of our minds—this is the perfect family night!
Kirk is in my bedroom and I’m blushing as he looks at the posters stuck to my walls. Teenage crushes on rock stars and Hollywood celebrities. Now that I stare at them while Kirk is here, I notice the trend. I’ve always had a thing for older men with dark hair and blue eyes!
He turns to me and grabs me by my waist, pulling me close.
“Your parents are lovely. I’m so glad I’ve finally met them.”
“They are happy to see you. Their poor daughter isn’t going to spend her life alone and miserable,” I say while he covers my face with kisses.
“You wouldn’t have been alone too long. Some other guy would have come along in no-time and scooped you up. I’m lucky I got in while there was still time.”
He kisses me, and it’s a tender, slow kiss. He brushes my cheeks with his thumbs when I pull away.
“No matter who I would have ended up with, I would have always longed for you, Kirk. I could never forget you.”
He hooks a finger under my chin to lift my face up to him. He’s searching my eyes. I feel like there’s something he wants to tell me.
“I wouldn’t have let you go. Someday, I would have found out the truth about why you left, and I would have come after you and made you mine. We were always meant to be together. Kim, you’ve changed my life,” he says.
I’m smiling because this is beautiful. Every moment that I’m with him feels magical. Too good to be true, and now, while he’s holding my hand, he lowers himself down on his knee in front of me.
What is he doing? What’s going on? Oh, my God!
“I know this seems too soon, but I know it’s what I want. Will you marry me, Kim? Will you be my wife? I want you to do more than just move into my home. I want you to be more than my girlfriend. You’re going to be the mother of my child, and I want you to be my partner for life…”
My shoulders are quaking. I can’t believe this is happening. I wasn’t expecting it. Definitely not here in my old bedroom, and definitely not this soon.
I throw myself at him, kissing him again as he straightens up and wraps his arms around me.
“Of course, I want to marry you! I don’t want anything more than I want to be your wife!”
We kiss some more, and he spins me around.
“I don’t even have a ring!” he exclaims, and we both laugh. “But this way, you can pick out exactly the one you want.”
I reach for the diamond necklace I’m wearing. I never took it off, not even when I quit the job and ran away from him. I was bound to him forever ever since he put this necklace around my neck.
Kirk kisses me deeply; his hand travels down to my belly.
“Your mommy and daddy are going to get married, little thing,” he says, and that makes me giggle uncontrollably.
Epilogue
Kim
Two years later
I wake up feeling groggy. The alarm never went off! How late is it? I sit up in bed with a jerk and I look over to see Kirk right there beside me.
I was having a bad dream. In my dream, I was alone. I didn’t have Kirk with me; I couldn’t even remember his name or his face. I didn’t have Mitch either. I was all alone.
I sit in bed, panting a little from the exhaustion of having a bad dream. Maybe it’s my heavy breathing that wakes him up. Kirk rubs his eyes and looks up at me. Instantly, he knows something’s wrong.
“Hey, baby. Come here!” He grabs me firmly and pulls me to himself. I feel the warmth and strength of him and roll with him under the covers. He stretches himself against me, holding me close. His hands travel delicately over the small of my back.
“Everything okay?” he asks as his fingers move thirstily towards that spot between my legs that belongs solely to him. It has only belonged to him. I try nodding, but I can’t.
“I had a bad dream. I couldn’t remember you. I was alone. Mitch was