Page 37 of Hotline
I pull the ring box out of my pocket. I know she's going to adore it. And I'm going to adore the way it looks on her.
I slowly get down on one knee, wanting to savor every little moment. I want to savor the way her eyelashes bat up and down. I want to savor the way her eyes glisten in the cool blue moonlight.
Her mouth drops open and her cheeks flush. I love it. I love all of it. Every inch. Every moment.
"Opal," I say, opening the box. "I hope I've made it clear that I have every intention of keeping you in my life forever."
"About a hundred million times!" she laughs, swiping tears from beneath her eyes before they roll down her cheeks.
"This ring…" I look down at it. It's a huge diamond with delicate opal stones around it. It's unique, special, and completely bespoke, every little detail tailored to exactly to her. "This is a promise to always protect you, always adore you, always have you by my side, and always love you."
She puts her hand over her mouth.
"Oh my god."
"Marry me, Opal. Promise yourself to me forever."
"Yes!" She takes her hand away from her mouth. "Yes, yes, oh my god, yes!!"
I side the ring onto her finger. She bites her lip and shakes her head, her soft hair dancing on her shoulders.
"I love it." She throws her arms around me. "And I love you."
"You're the one, babe." I hold her so close and so tight. "You're the one."
Epilogue
Opal — Ten Years Later
I pullthe oatmeal lace cookies out of the oven. The golden, caramelized scent of sugar and honey hits my nose. My stomach grumbles.
"Can you smell that, little fella?" I say, stroking my pregnant belly.
I'm pretty much about to pop. I cannot wait to meet this little guy. He's my best friend. The person I've literally been attached to for months and months and months. I’ve been his home for almost nine months. When he finally comes into the world, he’s going to find himself in a home with many kids and all of the love in the world.
My phone rings from inside the pocket of my apron. Oh my goodness. It's my husband.
Grasping my phone to my chest, I head to the back of the house where Julian's office is, closing the door behind me softly, and walk to the sofa in the corner.
I carefully put my phone down and accept the call. A digital image of Julian springs to life.
It’s totally new tech, and my husband got in on the ground floor. It’s not perfect yet, but man it is pretty damn good.
3D pictures to go along with the voice on the other end of the phone. It’s very useful in many different ways. Having 3D phone sex with your husband is one of those very useful ways.
"Don't you have a plane to get on?" I say as I take a seat on the sofa.
"I wanted to squeeze in one last goodbye," he says.
"I hope you're someplace private," I say coyly.
"Very private," he says.
"I'm glad you called," I say, swishing a loose hair from my forehead. "I was just about to eat way too many cookies. All the kids are with their grandparents."
He scrubs a hand up and down his cheek, his beard now a little grayer, the crinkles in the corners of his eyes a little more pronounced.
The fact is, he's even hotter now than he was when I first met him.
