Page 200 of The Perfect Love

I stare at her in disbelief. “I think I would’ve remembered that.”

“No, I mean… we agreed that marriage matters more than a wedding, but regardless, a piece of paper won’t change how we feel or act. Then I think we said we’d just do it whenever we felt ready. So haven’t we sort of been engaged?”

“No. Literally no. Not at all. An engagement should be… well both people in the couple should know. Probably should have a ring.”

“I have this.” She wiggles her middle finger where a rose quartz ring that I got her for her birthday sits. It was handmade by a local artisan and meant to reflect strength, love, and compassion. “And it means a lot more.”

At that, I roll over, pinning her hands above her head. “Are you telling me you want to get engaged or that we are engaged?”

She smiles that slightly devilish smile that makes me crazy. “The second one. But not in a let’s tell everyone and plan a wedding way. In a we’re both open to the next phase of our relationship, and when it feels right, we’ll get married.”

“Bold of you to assume I won’t drag you down to the courthouse right now.”

She laughs. “It’s Sunday afternoon.”

“I’ll find a judge. Or a boat captain.”

“Trev…”

I capture her lips in a rough, sloppy kiss. “I love you. And I will marry you anytime, anywhere. But you’re right. Not today. I don’t want the big crazy wedding either, but it would be good to have your family there and my mom and Hyla.”

“Agreed,” she whispers. “Until then, I’m yours. But I’m pretty sure I have been for a while.”

“You’ve been mine since the moment we met, even if you didn’t know it yet.”

She takes my face in her hands and looks into my eyes. “Some part of my heart knew. That’s what kept drawing me to you. That tether between our souls was always pulling me right to you.”

“Right where you were supposed to be.”

“Right wherewe’resupposed to be.”

She kisses me again, and I’m lost to her. But then again, I always am. I’m always ready to get on my knees, crawl to her, worship her, treat her like the goddess she is.

Hitting those trees and upending my entire life was worth it to get to her.

I will never lose sight of how lucky I am to have all this—to have this sort of love. I’m grateful to my dad for teaching me what it means to be a man—to protect, care for, and love deeply. Loving without anything held back and being grateful for every day is the greatest way to honor him and keep his memory alive. Chelsea and I do that, and I can’t wait to see how that love continues to grow and how it’ll shape the future neither of us saw coming, but that we found and dreamed of together.

26

Epilogue

4 Years Later

Chelsea

“And what are yougoing to be when you grow up?”

“A boss.”

“Of what?”

“Whateva I wanna.” Our three-year-old daughter, Brooke, toddles away, pleased with that answer and herself.

Trevor and I look at each other and laugh. Raising a fierce little girl who knows her power is not for the faint of heart. I challenge anyone to deny Brooke something and not be on the business end of a very,verysassy glare.

“You’re already the boss, aren’t you?” Liz says, walking into the kitchen and sweeping Brooke into her arms.

When we first moved home from college, we lived in an apartment near Ida for a bit, but once I was pregnant with Brooke, Liz asked if we’d consider moving into the house with her.

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