The Life of Esther Jameson

Chapter Twenty Seven

"Right now?" I giggled.

Jackson nodded as a warm red tinted his cheeks. "Right now."

I swear I could have heard Kenith say, "Play 'dat beat!" somewhere in the building, but it was probably just my nerves playing tricks on my brain. Jackson slowly walked up to me and held out the rose that was in his hands before.

"For the lovely lady."

He put his hand on my back, and intertwined his fingers with the other. What was happening? I didn't care anymore. That last rose did the job.

Static broke out on the speakers before a very familiar song began to play. I was the same song that we danced to, the night that Jackson said that he was leaving. A sudden pain ached in my heart, and in the moment I felt nothing but sadness.

"Why do you look like I just broke your heart?" Jackson jested with a hint of seriousness.

"You didn't, trust me." I reassure him. While we danced, people slowly trickled out from behind their hiding spots until there was a whole group of us. Enough people to make the gym feel full but I knew every single person there. "I'm sure you remember what happened last time I danced with you."

Everyone was there. Even some people that I didn't realize that he knew about. My fifth grade teacher who first welcomed me to the school, Jackson's old boss at the snack shack who would see us every week while we were on the run from my dad, and even the nurse who cared for me in the hospital when I got pneumonia. I remembered each of them.

Then another set of doors open, and it was Dad, being escorted by Joseph and his two officers, followed by my siblings, Miriam, and Cora, who quickly found her place next to her future husband, not that either of them knew that yet.

"What are all these people doing here?" I asked him nervously, and he chuckled.

"They're here for the surprise, lollipop."

"Which is?" I was so close to being completely confused.

Jackson pulled away and nodded to a person in the crowd before the music paused, and I wasn't sure if I was nervous scared, excited, or simply nauseous. Maybe it was all four. He put his hands in his pockets and showed off his typical habit when he was nervous, rocking back and forth on his feet.

"You're not..." I narrowed my eyes at him. "You're not breaking up with me are you?"

"No, of course not." Jackson's laugh echoed through the gym. "In fact, I'm really asking you to stay with me."
"But I'm right here."

"That's not what I meant." He glanced up at me with his crystal blue eyes. "Esther, the moment I walked into this gym those years ago, I knew that I would regret my decision, but I chose to swallow my regret because I knew that you were happy. That's what you wanted."

"Only at the moment." I reminded him, mentally grimacing at the thought of where that beef jerky face might be right now.

"Yes, at the moment." Jackson agreed with a quiet laugh. "Well, I still want you to be happy. And I know this is kind of weird, but..." he trailed off.

"I am happy, Jackson," I showed him the rose. "Can't you see that?"

"Yeah, but I want you to be happy with me forever."

My eyes widened, and I gulped down a dry breath. "What?"

"What we have now," he said slowly, "Is it what you want? Is it what you'll want several years from now?"

"I haven't thought that far in the future." I snickered and shrugged casually. "But if it's with you, then sure, I'm down for a future."

"If I'm really the man that you want to spend your time with," Jackson took three slow steps towards me as he fiddled with something in his pocket. "Then I just need one more thing from you."

"Jack..."

He took a seriously deep breath before dropping down to one knee, and the realization seemed to punch me in the face and my gut at the same time.

"Oh, heck no."

"Heck yes!" Kenith was definitely in the crowd somewhere. And when I found him later, I would definitely kick his butt.

"Esther, leaving you behind was the biggest mistake that I ever made." Jackson spoke as if he was suddenly running out of breath. "And if you ever disappear from my life again, I'm going to turn into an ugly, cranky old man who hates everyone and tells kids to get off my lawn."

I was trying to laugh, but it was hard because of the tears that were flooding my eyes.

"Please don't let me become that man." He pulled a small red box out of his pocket and he stared down at it like it could solve all the world's problems.
"You already are, you idiot." I choked out instead of dealing with the little red box in his hands.

"We've both been through a lot, and I think you know where this is going." Jackson's smile made me want to punch him in the face and then kiss it better. "Trust me, I've done a lot of stupid things, and I can never been a perfect man. I can only be myself, and I can't do that without knowing that you're always by my side."

"You're doing great so far." I complimented him through my steadily flowing tears.

"So." Jackson huffed and glanced up at me, and the look of tears glistening in his eyes made me want to cry even more. "Esther Rain Jameson, even though I am an idiot and I always will be, will you do me the honor of being my honey boo boo?"

I slapped his shoulder as hard as I could and managed to emit a laugh of sorts that was clouded with congestion. "You're so freaking stupid."

"But you totally dig me." Jackson winked at as a tear sparkled at the corners of his eyes. "So, what do you say?"

I could feel everyone's eyes on me, but I didn't feel any pressure to give my answer. After all of our time together, I never had any second thoughts about being with him.

I leaned in close, holding his face gently and wiping away the tears that spilled. From this angle, the sun that shone on his face made him look like an angel, a shining light in the darkness of my life. I don't know why he chose to stick around; he must have been crazy. But hey, my life was nothing except crazy.

"Even if we were alone."I said, scanning in the features of his face that I had examined so many times before. They were nothing but wonderful. "I would still choose you. I will always choose you."

"So, is that a yes?" Jackson smiled so brightly that it could have blinded everyone in that gym.

"Yes, you idiot." I leaned forward and placed a firm kiss on his lips as my tears dripped down on his face. "Yes."