when all is said and done | e.d.

epilogue pt. 4

harper

*december 19*

"why are we here?" i ask, clutching my coat tightly to my body, shivering slightly. "it's very cold. i'm worried about us getting pneumonia."

we're on the river walk because ethan told me that he wanted to admire the christmas lights strung all around the city. he dragged me out on a thursday night in the freezing cold.

"shh, just look at them," he says, turning me to see the pretty lights on the streets around us.

"very nice," i nod, unimpressed. "we have christmas lights at home. let's go look at those."

"harper," he laughs out, but he sounds slightly nervous. "let's stay out here some more."

i give in, just because i love him. i can see my breath as we walk to the middle of the river walk and look at the water below. small snowflakes fall from the sky, landing in both of our eyelashes.

"it's actually really nice to see the city lit up and still busy," i say quietly.

a random feeling of calmness and gratification comes over me as i close my eyes and let the lights cast onto my face.

i reach out to grab ethan's hand, but i don't grasp it.

when i open my eyes, he's not in front of me either.

"ethan—" my words are cut off as i spin around and see him smiling a little at me, a small black box tucked in his palm.

my breathing stops.

"what's that?" i get out weakly, staring at the box. my knees feel weak.

"too nosy for your own good," he chuckles out, and begins to kneel down. i clap my hand over my mouth and force myself to not pass out. my eyes could be as wide as dinner plates.

"harper brown," he starts, his voice low and slow. "i'm so happy to call you mine every single day. we have been through everything— a mixture of ups and downs, then a couple more ups for good measure."

i manage to laugh a little, but i still can't speak.

"so," he says, nervously scrambling to hold the small velvet box out. he opens it and i gasp at the diamond in front of me. it's vintage and very very me. simple, but captivating.

"will you marry me?"

i nod quickly, pushing happy tears out of my eyes. "duh, you idiot."

he laughs, standing back to his feet and taking the ring from the box. he slips it on my trembling fingers, and almost drops it.

"of course you would be nervous doing this," i can't help but joke. "you're shaking."

"shut up, so are you," he teases back, and the ring slips on with ease. it fits perfectly.

i bring it up to my eyes to admire it more. the diamond sparkles in the city lights, and i'm truly speechless.

"i love you," is all i can say.

but maybe it's the time to tell him one more thing.

"i saw the ring online, and there was only three of them in the united states by this jeweler guy, so i thought you'd like it and—"

"ethan—"

"if it doesn't fit, we can get a new band for it, but since it's older then we might have to wait awhile because it can be hard to replace those—" he continues to ramble aimlessly, his words morphing into each other.

"baby—"

"i've has this ring for a long time, actually. grayson was keeping it safe so i figured that tonight would be a good night to—"

"i'm pregnant."

this stops him entirely, and i bite back a smile as i wait for his reaction.

he blinks, not registering the news. "what?"

"i'm pregnant," i hold my hands out at my side and let them drop down.

then the realization hits.

his face forms into probably the most genuine smile i've ever seen on him, and he raises a curious eyebrow. "actually?" he whispers.

i nod. "yes."

"you swear? pinkie promise? i don't believe you until you pinkie it." he holds out his pinkie.

i lock mine with his and he gasps slightly.

"i've known for just a little bit, but i was waiting for the right time to tell you."

he steps back, tugging at the tips of his hair. his eyes are slightly shiny and wide. "wow. this is— wow. i'm speechless. i don't know what to say."

"how about— wow, harper. i'm so happy," i joke in my version of his deep voice.

he laughs, bringing me into the tightest hug ever, and i feel my feet lift off the ground a little.

"i love you. i love you so much," he says, and his voice is filled with nothing but pure joy.

i get set back down, and immediately lean up to kiss him. it's a long one, slow and meaningful. my hands cup his cheeks, and then tangle in his soft hair.

tonight contains two celebrations.

"this is real, isn't it?" he mumbles against my lips.

i nod. "fortunately, it is."

he sighs contently, pulling me into his chest again.

"how long have you known?" he asks.

i shake my head. "not long at all. i found two weeks ago and wanted to make sure it was real before i told you. but... now is fine too."

"when do you think it was... you know... conceived?"

this makes me laugh. "remember your friend's halloween party? we drank too much and were careless, i guess..."

"hey, you looked very sexy in that sandy olsson costume. what did you expect?"

"not a baby, that's for sure," i remark with a giggle.

"i'm going to name it nando— like my car."

"no you're not."

"you're right. i'm not."

we both laugh, and i feel his chest vibrate.

"i don't know what news to tell grayson first," he says.

i pull away and put a serious face on. "the engagement. that's it. not the baby."

he nods. "i promise. it's going to be hard keeping it from him."

"how about this: he's the first to know as soon as we get confirmation from a doctor?"

ethan grins. "deal."

my heart grows warm at the thought of us expanding our little family.

and suddenly i forget all about the cold wind against my face.