Page 119 of A Vine Mess
While I waited for the text to come through telling me Ella had arrived, I popped the ring box open and studied it one final time before I’d be able to slip it onto Ella’s finger.
I’d wound up sourcing it from a boutique jeweler in Detroit who specialized in custom rings, and it had been worth every penny. The band twisted around like vines, ultimately rising up to four little leaves that held a large, square-cut amethyst at their center. I’d already purchased her wedding band, too, which was more of the same vines, little leaves branching off with a much smaller amethyst stone in their centers.
The ring was one-of-a-kind and wholly perfect for my girl.
I couldn’t wait to see her wearing it every day for the rest of our lives.
Just as I snapped the box closed and dropped it back in my pocket, my phone buzzed in the other, and I withdrew it to find a message from Delia.
Delia Delatou: She just pulled up! Good luck!
“Fuck,” I breathed into the empty room.
There was no reason to be this nervous, but I couldn’t quell the anxiety squeezing my chest. Couldn’t quiet that little voice in my brain saying, “What if she says no?”
I’d never survive.
“No,” I said, shaking out my limbs. “No. She’s going to sayyes.”
Footsteps on the stairs had me straightening and making a last-ditch effort to pull myself together.
Her key slid into the lock, and I watched the handle turn as she opened it and pushed inside.
Then came to a stop in the doorway, hand flying to her mouth as she took in the scene.
When her eyes landed on me, widened in shock, she said, “What the fuck?”
I chuckled, all the nerves and anxiety leaving in an instant.
“Hi, Wildflower.”
“Hey, Wills,” she replied. “What’s all this?”
“Come here and I’ll tell you.”
She dropped her bag in the entry and walked slowly toward me, her head swiveling as she attempted to process the flowers, the petals, the candles.
Me, waiting for her.
“Is this like a birthday surprise or something?”
“Or something,” I grinned, hauling her against me when she was within reach. “Happy birthday, baby.”
“Thank you,” she whispered, rising to give me a kiss—which I ended before it could get too heated.
Ella frowned. “What’s going on?”
I didn’t respond, just stepped away from her and dropped to a knee.
“No,” she breathed.
I only smiled, turning the ring box over in my hands as I stared up at her.
Even in her ripped jeans and Delatou & Danvers tee—the one she’d stolen from me all those months ago and refused to give back—she was a goddess. I’d happily stay in this position for the rest of my life, worshiping at her feet.
“Ella Jane Delatou,” I began. “You are…everything. The most breathtaking woman I’ve ever had the pleasure of knowing, both inside and out. I knew from the very first second I laid eyes on you in the flower shop downstairs that you were meant for me, and while it took us a while to get here, I don’t regret any of it. This time with you has been the sweetest and most joyful of my life, and I’m hoping, exactly as you’ve given me every day of the past four and a half months, you’ll give me the rest of your years too.” With shaky hands, I opened the box, the ring sparkling in the flickering candlelight, and Ella gasped again, tears instantly filling and spilling free from her eyes.
“Wills…”
