Page 150 of Road Trip to Forever
“Because this will be over, and I don’t want it to end.”
“Ah.” I pull her close and rub my nose against hers. “That’s the best part, honey. It’s not an ending. It’s just the beginning.”
She finds the last two words at lightning speed, a newfound determination to her searching. I add the final punctuation mark, the last question mark on the page, and I hand the paper over to her.
“Start from the top,” I say.
“Are you sure? I was going to start from the bottom.”
I pinch her hip. “You’re going to be the death of me, woman.”
“Lola,” she reads. “When I give you this, I will have spent almost three years on this project. Hopefully by now I’ve built you a library to fit all the romance books I’ve bought you, but books aren’t why we’re here. I’ve had this paper in my wallet since the night we first kissed, tucked right next to the photo of us at Disney World.
“You fell asleep with the cutest smile on your face. It was hard to leave you in bed, but I needed to start this note. It began on a napkin from the kitchen in our AirBnb, and it’s ending with you here today, piecing every word together so they finally form something coherent.
“I don’t know where to begin to describe the depth of the love I have for you. It’s greater than the bottommost point of the ocean. More vast than the corners of the sky. I have loved you from the moment I first met you. I have loved you every second since, and I’m going to keep loving you for the rest of our lives.
“You mean everything to me. You are my entire world. Without you, I cease to exist. You once asked me how I was sure, how I knew you were the one, and it’s pretty easy to answer. Even if you never picked me, even if you ended up with someone else down the road, there was no one else I would ever want. In every world, in every story, in every version of us, it was always you. Only you. I would always find you.
“I guess this is the time I should admit that I purposely forgot to remind you to grab your sweatshirt from the car when we were camping in North Carolina so you’d be forced to cuddle with me. I wanted to sleep beside you that night, and then every night after. I want to sleep beside you until we’re ninety years old, looking back on a life well-lived together.
“I love you so much, pretty girl, which is why I’m going to wrap this up and ask you what I’ve wanted to ask you for thousands and thousands of days.
“Lola Jones. Will you marry me? Today?”
When she finishes, I reach into my pocket and pull out the box, opening it.
“I meant everything I said.” I take Lola’s hand in mine and kiss the tip of each of her fingers. She’s shaking, and tears are falling down her cheeks. “Every syllable. Every word. Now I just need to know your answer.”
“My answer?” She wraps her arms around my neck. “My answer is yes. Hell yes. Yes, yes, yes,yes. A million times over. I love you, Patrick. I love that you think of me all the time. I love how wonderful of a cheerleader you are. Most importantly, I love that you love me back. All of me. Even the imperfect parts. I cannot wait to be your wife.”
“And my best friend forever,” I add.
“And your best friend forever,” she repeats. “Always.”
“I’m a little late with the marriage pact.” I slip the ring on her finger and rub my thumb over her knuckle. “By a couple of years.”
“You had to be sure.”
“With you, I’ve always been sure.”
“Are we really doing this? Right now?”
“You told me you didn’t want a wedding. Just something for us. Here are your dandelions, sweetheart.” I pluck a bunch from the ground and glance at the sky. Dark clouds have started to roll in, covering the sun, and I smile. “And I think you might get your rainstorm.”
“Who’s going to officiate? We’re out here alone.”
“The only person I could trust to be sworn to secrecy. A former non-believer but now a hopeless romantic who volunteered his services and promised to not tell the rest of our nosy friends until we’re ready.”
Jack steps out from behind a tree and smiles. He’s wearing a suit, something I absolutely did not ask him to do, but I love him even more for it.
I tap Lola’s backside and she stands, brushing blades of grass from her dress. I slip my hand through hers and nod to Jack as he approaches.
“I could have done without the blanket information,” he says.
“And I could have done without you banging in my guest bathroom,” I answer.
His smile stays in place. “Call it even?”
