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Say Yes

Short Chapter...

Y/n was watching her patiently.....waiting for her to speak.

"Marry you?" Normani whispers in awe, finding her voice enough to speak up and confirm - albeit through a stutter. "You....you want me to...Y-you want to marry me??"

"I do," Y/n smiles, pressing another kiss to her belly. "Or, I guess I should save that for the wedding day but.....I mean....I will. If you will??"

"Why?" the brown girl's voice cracks, her eyes watering even more. "Why do you want to marry me, Y/n?"

Y/n contemplates the best approach to this, debating whether or not she may have already screwed that to hell and back. She could have been more romantic. Fuck, there could have been flowers and a fancy dinner, violins playing as she dropped to her knee and professed her undying love. She could have at least had the ring ready, for fucks sake, but....she'd let the thought escape without even considering how it may have seemed to her girlfriend. A proposal was supposed to be impressive - it was supposed to be inspiring. She'd made it seem like a joke, and that made her cringe thinking Normani didn't believe she was serious.

She started working through things to say, things like 'you're the most beautiful person I've ever laid eyes on' or 'because I love you, stupid' or 'someday when I'm 80, I want it to be you in the rocking chair next to me'. But none of that really says it all. None of those things really sum it up and Y/n feels herself struggling to find the right thing to say. She's not really sure there is a right answer. She hasn't got a clue what answer Normani is looking for - what will calm her fears and make saying 'yes' that much easier. She starts to feel like going at this half-cocked was the worst thing she could have done. And then, just like that, Y/n finds it. Somewhere in the gentle touch of their skin, the way their breathing seems to sync and the way their bodies always feel at home next to each other.

"You keep me living and breathing," she confesses. "-striving to be the best I can for you......and for our daughter. You are a lullaby that puts me to sleep and a soft, soothing melody I wake up to every morning. You are the rhythm I fall into and feel complete. You are my heart-beat, Normani. Without you.....I don't exist."

Brown eyes stare back at her and she can't help feeling like maybe Normani doesn't want this. Maybe it's too much, too honest, too soon. She thinks maybe she should have waited, given them both time to get through the pregnancy, adjust to the new addition, and then decide on the future.

"Normani...?" she asks tentively. "Normani it's okay if you......if you're not ready for this. Maybe...I mean, maybe you saw this going different.................with someone different....I don't know..."

"Y/n, I-" the brown girl shakes her head, wiping at her eyes. "I love you, so much. But I'm so fucking scared.."

"Scared of me? Of......a future with me?"

"No, I want that more than anything in this world," Normani admits, her fingers tangling in Y/n's hair. "I'm just so afraid to get my hopes up and have you realize after all of this, after she's born, that....maybe you don't want me. I'm scared you're going to realize that you'd rather just be a parent to our daughter and that you can do that without having to be with me...."

"Normani, didn't you listen to what I just said?" Y/n argues with her. "I'm not with you out of obligation. And I didn't ask you to marry me because I felt like I had to in order to be there for my daughter. I love you Normani. I loved you before I even knew that Yana was mine. And that hasn't changed. Not in the least. I want to marry you. I want to spend the rest of my life with you. I want to wake you up with breakfast in bed every morning and sit across from you every night while we eat dinner. I want to sit and watch you and our daughter paint masterpieces on the weekends and I want to lay in the hammock with you while we watch her and Mace run along the shore. And it's not because of her. I love her already, and I have no doubts that being her mama will give me so much joy, but there's no one in this world I'd rather share that with than you, Normani. Sweetheart, I want to share my life with you.."

"I don't understand why. After how horrible I've been-"

"The universe saw fit to give you to me. Twice," the brunette chuckles, pulling the brown girl's hand out of her hair and kissing it gently. "What kind of fool would I be to not keep you? You're mine, Normani. You're it for me. I just need you to tell me that you feel the same..."

She laces their fingers together, her thumb rubbing encouragingly over her girlfriends.

"Say yes, Normani. If this is what you want, just say yes.."

"Please don't hurt me, Y/n," Normani cries, squeezing her eyes shut as if she's trying to block out the world. "Please don't use this as some excuse to treat me however and then expect me to-"

"Normani  Kordei Hamilton," Y/n interrupts her, getting up to kneel on the bed in front of her, "I swear to be loyal to you, to love you even when I don't necessarily like you or the way you're acting. I swear to look out for you, to treat your needs as if they are my own, to love and respect your family and friends as if they are my own. I swear to stand by you and protect you, and I need you to know that I will never put my hands on you out of anger. I swear to honor you in every way that I can, to listen to what you have to say, and to respect your wishes even if I do not share the same opinion.."

"Y/n..." she says, throwing her free hand over her face.

"Marry me, Normani," the brunette persists. "Marry me and I swear to every star in the heavens that I will spend every single day making sure that you don't regret it.."

"Okay," the brown girl barely gets out, nodding to herself with her eyes closed.

She feels Y/n's hands caress her cheeks, asking her attention. Their eyes meet and her heart clenches at the tears in Y/n's eyes.

"Are you....are you telling me you will?? You're saying yes??"

"Yes, Y/n," she confirms, pulling her forward so their lips meet. She breaks the kiss, murmuring against her lover's lips, "Name the time and place and I'm there. Look for me in my white dress and bare feet, baby."

"Guess we're having a beach wedding then," the other girl teases.

"Damn right we are!" Normani laughs, using her shirt to dry her face of any remaining tears. "And I want a ring. And a house, Mowgli. Those stairs are trying to kill me, I swear. I'm not even that huge yet, I can't even imagine. It doesn't have to be big and fancy, baby, I just....I want something that's ours.."

"Well, I think I can manage that.." Y/n drawls, giving her a reassuring smooch. "Just you wait and see. I'm gonna knock your socks off, Normani  Kordei."

"You always do, charming

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