Page 123 of Surprise! I'm Engaged To My Boss
“Evy is a great girl, she didn't deserve to go through this. But I believe that bad times come into our lives to bring better things later on. I'm sure that Evy will find a better job in her field, that she will find someone who loves and values her as she deserves, and that she will still achieve many things in her life.”
“I believe it too, grandma.”
And how could I not believe it? Months before, when I lost a promotion at the office where I worked and found myself involved in a huge lie, I thought everything in my life was going wrong.
And it was exactly from that point on that everything really started to work out.
My grandmother came over, sitting on the bed and slapping her hand on the mattress beside her, signaling for me to sit down too. As I did so, I noticed that she was carrying a small box in her hands.
“I waited to gift you your wedding present today,” she announced.
“Oh, grandma... You know you didn't need to worry about that. My greatest gift was the love with which you took care of me for all these years.”
She shook her head, the way I knew she always did when she was trying to hold back tears. And she pushed the little box toward me.
I picked it up and opened it, finding a beautiful, delicate bracelet that looked familiar.
My grandmother then said, “It’s not an expensive piece of jewelry, but it’s quite old. My mother gave it to me as a gift so that I could wear it at my wedding to your grandfather. And almost thirty years ago, I gave it to my beloved daughter. Your mother also got married wearing it, but it went much further. Since the wedding day, she’s barely taken it off her arm. She said it was her lucky charm, her favorite piece of jewelry.”
This time, it was my eyes that filled with tears. I could picture my mother wearing that bracelet in mymind, although I couldn't tell if it was a memory or a figment of my imagination, since I was so young when my parents died.
My grandmother spoke again, “Like I said, it’s not a very expensive piece of jewelry, you don’t have to wear it to your wedding, it might not even match your dress. But after I lost my daughter, I kept this bracelet for all these years to give it to you when you got married.”
“Thank you, Grandma. This means so much to me. Of course I’ll wear it. It’ll be like having my mom with me at this special moment.”
“Oh, my dear... Your parents will always be with you.Iwill always be with you, even when I'm no longer physically here.”
I shook my head in distress.
“Don't say that, grandma. Promise me you'll be here forever.”
She laughed, through her tears.
“Well... I'll try, but I can't guarantee it.”
She brought her hand to my face in a gesture full of affection.
“I love you so much, grandma,” I declared.
“Ah, my child... I love you more than anything in this life.”
I hugged her, giving in to tears. And, as I had done as a child, I slid down until I lay with my head on her lap, while she lovingly ran her hands through my hair.
“Be happy, my child...” she wished.
I couldn't answer through my tears, but I thought I was already the happiest person in the world.
Epilogue 1
MICHAEL
I was the happiest man in the whole fucking universe.
And I never imagined I would say something like that on my wedding day.
I never imagined that I would get married one day, to begin with. Nor that I would be so nervous about it.
Nervous in a very good way.
