Page 147 of A Better Place

“Sorry, sorry. I just— Whoa, okay. Yes! Yes, I will!” I squeal.

He raises his eyebrows at me. “Never asked a question, beautiful.”

“James!” I shout and would stomp my foot if it was physically possible.

He pulls on my hands, encouraging me to stand up.

I rise to my feet on shaky legs and wipe the tears from my eyes, cheeks and chin. I laugh through a wobbly smile and nod my head, letting him know I’m ready for him to continue.

“Like Jack said, I kind of had something different in mind, but honestly? I just can’t wait any longer. And I’m really getting tired of carrying this thing in my pocket everywhere I go,” he admits.

He digs into his right front jeans pocket and reveals to me a beautiful vintage engagement ring. The diamond is nestled into a four-prong setting with scroll engraving on the white gold band. It’s the most gorgeous ring I’ve ever seen in my life.

“Man, you’re really doing this? Now?” Tate asks.

“Shut up, man. I wanna hear this,” Will shushes him, making me giggle.

James doesn’t even look at them; he just smiles up at me, complete with his cuts and bruises that he willingly endured for us, taking my left hand in his.

“Carly, I’ve told you before… you’re everything I need. But I have a confession to make. That was a bit of a lie. I don’t just need you. I need Lily and Jack and you. We haven’t known each other that long, but there’s a funny thing I’ve realized. When your heart has been sleeping for as long as mine was, when it finally awakens, it’s not willing to be put aside for any longer.

“From the moment you tripped over your shoes and into me, I was falling. I fell for your eyes that held so much sadness and hope. I fell for your smile. Every time it was aimed at me or I was the cause of it, I felt like I was bulletproof. I fell for your heart that held so much hurt, and I knew… I just knew that you built walls around it. I also knew that I would be willing to take as long as I needed to in order to chip away at that wall. I fell for your laugh, your strength, your happiness when it seemed like you had nothing but Jack to be happy about. I fell for the quiet moments you let me in, even if you didn’t realize it. I fell in love with the taste of your kiss, the scent of your skin, the feel of your touch. I fell for every phone call, text, and every minute I was in your presence.

“I fell for you so hard, Carly. And I’m still falling. Would you do me the absolute honor and let me fall for you for the rest of our lives? Will you let me love you and cherish you? Will you let me protect you from birds and dance to old records and teach Jack how to cook and feed you endless amounts of chocolate? Will you let Lily and me into your and Jack’s life forever? Will you let me move forward with you? Will you marry me?”

“Oh hell yes!” I scream and collapse to my knees once again in front of him, and he falls back just slightly so he’s settled back on both knees. He takes my face in his strong hands, my ring slid onto the tip of his own ring finger. My legs naturally shift so I’m straddling him. The kiss is soft and urgent, sweet and full of promise. He pulls back too soon, but probably not too soon, considering we have an audience.

“Can I put this on you now?”

I nod my head excitedly and present my left hand to him. He takes a deep breath and looks into my eyes, his own welling with unshed tears. He presses his lips together and bites it just slightly. I reach over and release his lip with my thumb. “Hey. That’s mine,” I tell him, copying what he once told me. “I love you, James David Cole. You’re everything I never knew I wanted. Everything I didn’t think I deserved. One look at you, and I had fallen, I count my lucky stars every single day that you fell right along with me. Thank you for loving me. For being patient with me. For giving me the privilege to both love you and be loved by you.”

He leans up and rests his forehead on my own, and we breathe each other in for several quiet moments before my front door bursts open. Barrett, Tess, and Lily trip over each other getting inside. Barrett falls to the floor but stands up abruptly as if nothing had happened.

“Are y’all okay? Is he gone? Did we miss it?” Lily asks breathlessly.

“What the…”

“I texted Barrett. Seemed like that was the quickest way to get everyone here,” Jack tells us.

“I feel like I should be offended, but it’s truth. I have no ability to keep a secret. I’m just proud we beat the rest of them here.”

“Them?” James asks, his eyebrows raised.

His question goes unanswered. Instead, we are soon surrounded by our children. Lily and Jack have joined us on the floor. When I thought the three-person hug was my new favorite thing? I had yet to experience the four-person hug. Because this? This hug, full of my new family, letting our brokenness rain around us while our heartbeats piece together every little hurt, this is my new favorite thing ever. The four of us hold each other, crying sad and happy tears. Letting go of the memories that sting, celebrating the new memories that make our hearts fly to new heights.

“Dad, are you okay?”

“I’m okay, baby girl.”

“Carly? Jack? You’re okay? Vince? He’s gone? What happened?”

“Yes, sweetheart, we’re all fine. Your dad made sure of that.”

“But… what happened?”

“James told us that Vince was around. He found out the night that he and Mom went on their first date. Will and Tate had seen him at some bar, I guess. Anyway, we hadn’t seen anything out of him, so he was hoping Vince left, but he also gave us a code to text. Just in case we ever didn’t feel safe or saw something that didn’t add up or feel right. As soon as I saw a car with Arizona license plates in the driveway, I texted James. He just happened to be with Will and Tate at the time. I’m not certain, but I have no doubt they broke a few traffic laws getting here because they arrived fast.”

“But… what happened when you guys got here?”

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