if i could tell her || dianetti

22

Gina hesitates and stutters for a few more seconds, still searching for the right thing to say.

"I...I thought we were sure about waiting," Gina says breathlessly. She stands and takes a few steps backward. "I don't want to do this if you're only doing it for me. I want you to be ready, too."

Rosa inhales deeply, rising to her feet. One of her hands remains firmly wrapped around the ring box while the other stretches forward to clutch one of Gina's.

"Gi, I swear, I'm ready for this. I want this so much, and I know that I didn't before but I think I was just...afraid of the next step. I've always been so afraid of the next step for us, but this time I'm not." The assertion in her voice distracts from the clear tension surging through her body as she speaks. Rosa takes a step forward, closing the gap between the two. Tenderly, she places a hand on either side of Gina's face and raises it slightly until their eyes meet. "Gines, I love you more than anything," she sighs with her gaze connected to Gina's. "Be my wife."

"I love you so much." Gina wraps her hands around Rosa's waist with urgency and lifts her chin, pulling Rosa into a deep yet gentle kiss. "I love you and I trust you, so if you say you're ready, then you're ready. Let's get married."

"Yeah?" Tears begin to swell in the detective's eyes as she processes the woman's words.

"Yeah." Gina nods, smiling widely at Rosa.

They collapse into a warm embrace, entangled in each other's arms and boundless love. They revel in the pure bliss of the moment, trading hushed "I love you's" and soft forehead kisses under the light of the moon. Time slows its pace and the feeling of the moment's eternity surrounds them as they melt into each other's touch.

~

Rosa enter the kitchen the next morning with Iggy in her arms. Gina, who had already been in the kitchen for some time, stands at the counter smiling gently as they walk in. The excitement of the previous night hadn't quite worn off for either of them, the energy and emotion still coursing through their bodies. Rosa greets the woman with a kiss on the cheek and moves Iggy from her arms to Gina's.

"Hey, Igs, guess what?" she remarks energetically. "Roro and I are getting married." She holds her left hand out to present the ring to the child.

"Finally!" the girl exclaims. She quickly shifts her attention from the ring to Rosa's face. "Roro, do I get an iPad? I kept the secret for a thousand million years."

"You kept the secret for a month, Igs," Rosa laughs.

Gina sharply turns her head to look at Rosa. "You told her?" she asks surprised. "And you promised her an iPad?"

"Well, I wanted to see how she felt about us getting married so I told her I was going to ask you to marry me. Then I realized I had asked a four-year-old to keep a proposal a secret, so I bribed the hell out of her. I think we owe her an iPad now."

"I can't believe this is what I have to put up with for the rest of my life." Gina performs a dramatic eye roll, followed by a pleased grin.

"Believe it, baby," Rosa smirks, pulling her fiancée in by the hips until their lips meet for a quick but meaningful kiss. With a lowered voice she whispers, "This is your life now, forever and ever. No takebacks." Beaming, she pecks Gina's lips once again before softly kissing her forehead and hugging her close.