He was already in bed, both arms behind his head as he stared up at the ceiling. Shirtless, arms flexing ever so slightly, the covers pulled up only to his hips, he spoke softly, “Mind coming to bed with me, love?”
I gave him a small smile, stripping down to nearly nothing. “Of course, sweetheart.”
His bright eyes shone in the dim light of our apartment. “I missed you today.” A loving, heated gaze raked over my slim body, but no signs of wanting to act upon it in the moment.
“I missed you, too,” I chuckled. “I miss you every day.”
He smiled wearily as I slipped under the ivory-gray covers. Lightly kissing his nose, I settled in, curling into him. He pulled me as close as I could be, holding my head against his chest. His heart drummed quietly, senses of peace washing over me as I let the sound of his life lull me, leading me to the world of sleep. Crickets softly sung outside, and the thinnest sliver of moonlight crept through a crack in one of the curtains. Nearly asleep, his careful voice called to me. “Amy?”
I tilted my head up to peer at him, admiring his face. His strong jaw wasn’t tensed, as it often was during the stress of the day. Blue eyes swam with deep thought, but not unpleasantly so. His lips lay supple, relaxed at the corners. Anyone would say they didn’t see much emotion there. But I did.
He had something important to say, and anxiety stirred in my stomach as I watched his eyes fall from the ceiling to my own, intensely gazing into what could only be my soul that was so helplessly devoted to him. He was expectant, waiting for my recognition.
“Yes?”
His brows furrowed in near confusion, but more just thoughtfulness, as if he was recalling something. “Do you remember all of those promises we made to each other when we were so young?”
A reminiscent smile spread across my face. “Yes… What about them?” I asked, curiously scrutinizing his face.
His stare trained on the ceiling again, he spoke in a blissful, soft whisper, “We finally have them,” he grinned up at the ceiling, one arm still imitating a pillow for his head, other wrapped fiercely around me.
“What else would we have if we didn’t have each other?” I replied, easily, burrowing my head in the crook of his shoulder.
“I don’t know…” he trailed off, Adams apple bobbing with emotion.
Untangling myself from his strong grip, I propped myself up on my elbow. “Sweetheart… I love you.”
“I love you, too,” he answered, the sound of it still making my heart flutter.
“What’s on your mind?” I asked, tenderly rubbing some of the tension and ache from one of his shoulders, body slowly relaxing with my touch.
He sighed, face contorted with concentration. “We have what we want. We have nights of cuddling and passionate sex and love and making breakfast for each other and everything else we said we’d have. So, what now?”
I twirled a strand of my hair on my finger, something I only did when thinking really hard about something. “Make new promises,” I answered. “There are always more promises we can make to each other.”
He pressed his lips together, a sign of him chewing upon the thought, turning it over again and again until he was satisfied with it. “Can I start by making a new promise?”
Rolling my eyes, “Well, that’s the point, isn’t it?”
“Amy…” he muttered, pulling in a shaky breath. He rolled over, facing me head on, a little box hidden in the hand he had behind his head. I took in a sharp breath, heart beating harder than a bass drum in my chest. “Will you marry me?”
His slightly quivering hands pulled the little box open to reveal a silver ring encrusted with a single, oval emerald. My hands covered my mouth quickly and the overwhelming urge to cry out with joy almost overtook me. I nodded, throwing my arms around his neck and laughing from giddiness. “Oh gosh, yes. A thousand times yes!”
He chuckled, a relieved sigh escaping his lips. “I promised I’d marry you, one day. And now I’m promising you a husband and a family for the rest of your natural life.”
I smiled like a school girl, bringing my hands to his face and kissing him like I had so many times. “Always and forever, right?” I asked, already knowing the answer, still grinning like a fool.
Taking the ring from the box, he slipped it on the finger that would no longer be vacant forever. “I love you, Amy,” he told me, as if I didn’t already know.
I glanced at the ring and back up at him, breaking into an even larger beam. “I love you, too.”
He smiled back and embraced me in another kiss, encircling me in his arms. With tenderness, he proved to me physically just how much he loved me, each caress more affection than the next, rocking our undying adoration and devotion into oblivion, into a very happy, content sleep.
