Page 102 of Waiting for Her

I stand there, head tilted back as I watch my big brother laugh at his own dumbassery.

“You know you love me!” he shouts through the microphone piped through the sound system.

“So glad he discovered that was available,” I mutter.

“Five minutes and counting,” Cole warns over the speaker. I’m not even sure why he’s in there other than him wanting to be here and he figured if plan A failed then he’d be ready with plan B.

I give him a thumb’s up to which he replies, “My hand signal was better, little brother.”

Bri and I have only been officially back together for about six weeks now. Most people would have probably waited a little while longer to propose to their girlfriend, but I’m not most people. And… it’s not as if we just met. We were simply in a holding pattern for… well, six years.

Energy courses through my blood, and I’m not sure if it’s from nerves or excitement. Maybe a little bit of both.

“One minute to launch,” Cole says, to which I cup my hands around my mouth and shout, “I know!”

“Just trying to help!”

I groan, wondering if this was the best idea. He’s going to have a front seat to the entire show tonight. He’s also getting more and more like my father every day, so the likelihood he’s planning to do a live broadcast tonight to the entire family is very good.

“Grady?” I spin when I hear Bri’s voice behind me. She’s looking around the field with a bright smile on her face. “Is this what you wanted to show me? When did they start stringing lights all over the field for homecoming?”

Homecoming week has no major significance to our relationship other than it was the first dance we danced together at… where I was holding her closer than a friend should. But it’s today’s date that’s significant.

“Nah, they don’t do this for homecoming.”

She turns her head to the side, and I take her hand in mine, the sign I’m ready for the rest of my plan to start to unfold.

The beginning notes ofCan’t Help Falling in Lovemeet my ears and I take a deep breath as a few members of Liberty High’s class of 2010’s orchestra and choir start joining us on the field. I may not have wanted to have an entire marching band, but figured I’d take a little page out of Mom’s romance book.

“What’s going… Grady?” Bri asks, her eyes filling with tears.

Bri

Isuck ina breath as Grady drops to a knee in front of me. He smiles, and rubs the tattoo on my wrist, looking at it for a moment before returning his beautiful blue eyes to me again.

“On this exact day sixteen years ago, a spunky girl with long dark hair stole my heart right out of my chest and never gave it back. I once thought our road was completely mapped out for us. I’ve never been so happy to be wrong.”

The choir begins singingWherever You Will Gowhen something out of the corner of my eye catches my attention. A light is on in the pressbox, illuminating Cole and Mia. Cole waves over Mia’s head, Anderson in one arm, the other he wraps around Mia once his hand is done flailing. He kisses her on the head and I choke down a laugh because I see all our family come out from behind white boards they’d been hiding behind right in front of the box.

“Seriously. They couldn’t stay away,” Grady grumbles.

I press my lips together and cup his cheek, bringing his attention back to me.

He wraps a hand around my wrist, kissing the inside of it.

“As I was saying, I’m glad I was wrong about what I thought our life plan was. Because waiting for you only made my love for you grow deeper, stronger. I didn’t even know it was possible because, Bri Jameson, I’ve loved you for over half my life. It’s the easiest thing I’ve ever done and comes as natural as breathing. I’ve asked you a lot of questions before, but this is the only one that matters.”

I press a hand against my heart, hoping to still it from leaping right out of my chest.

DJ Cole switches it up from the live music our old classmates were playing.You and Menow piping through the speakers, and I’m full on crying because it was the first song we ever danced to at a homecoming dance. We weren’t together at the time, but we both wanted more, we were just too scared to say it. The fact he remembers all these details of our past together makes me fall a little deeper in love with him.

“Bri, will you allow me to love you for the rest of our lives, and do me the honor of being my wife?” His blue eyes are shimmery when he asks, “Will you marry me?”

Before he’s finished asking I’m already nodding my head. “Yes! Yes, yes yes!” I shout and the “crowd” cheers.

Grady slides the ring on my finger, but I don’t see it through the blur of tears. Nor do I care. I remember my mom telling me when Andy proposed her ring could have turned her finger green and she still would have gladly worn it knowing the meaning behind it. I get what she meant. Hell, it could have been a piece of yarn or a blade of grass for all I care.

“I’m gonna be Mrs. Grady Ryan!” I shout, and it sounds like a herd of elephants are coming down the bleachers.

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