Page 120 of Total Shutdown

The table falls silent, other than Collins, who continues to talk to Kendra about her plans for Smooth Running.

Let’s make some more plans together, Baby Girl.

Maybe she thought I was heading for the restroom—I don’t know. All I can be sure of is, she has zero idea I’m standing behind her right now, holding a black box open in my shaky palm, a black opal sitting in the center, waiting for me to slide it onto her ring finger.

If she’ll have me.

Collins continues talking when Kendra places a palm over the top of her hand, and she stops in her tracks, slowly turning in her seat to face me.

“Oh, holy Jesus, shit.” Her hands fly to her mouth, and the table collapses into more laughter, me included.

I take a seat at the empty table behind us since I booked out the entire restaurant to give us added privacy. “Come sit,” I say, tapping my thigh invitingly.

All our friends are here, watching, but all she can do is keep her eyes fixed on mine, and it’s everything I ever hoped for—to eventually have the full attention of the girl who, a while back, would barely give me a second glance.

She does as I asked, seating herself across my lap and wrapping her arms around my neck. Her amber perfume is a symbol of home.

She stares down at the ring, her hand reaching up to touch it.

“Uh-uh. I have this huge speech for you first,” I say.

Her eyes search mine, big pools of brown that will forever ground and excite me, all at the same time. “What if I told you that I’ve already made my decision?”

I cup her face with my free hand, pulling her ear down to my mouth. “Then I’d say this proposal is on-brand for the woman I’m desperate to be my wife. Spend a life with me, Baby Girl. Since our friends are here to bear witness—and so you can’t run away”—I chuckle softly—“give me your forever, and I promise you I’ll never stop chasing. Because I won’t, Collins. You’re the kind of woman who deserves to feel the deepest kind of love, just like you show me and Ezra. And I promise you I’ll forever give you that feeling—with my eyes, mouth, hands, heart and …” I trail off and laugh softly, Collins doing the same.

I lean to the side and drop my hand from her face, flipping it at Ezra and asking him to join us.

The kid’s in front of us in two seconds flat, eyes wide and full of hope. Sure, I could’ve asked Collins in private and away from everyone, but the truth is, I wouldn’t even be here, with the woman of my dreams, if it wasn’t for my boy or the people watching on.

“So, what do you say, Miss Mackenzie? Will you let me give you our name and call you my wife?”

She takes Ezra’s hand in hers, squeezing it gently, and the tears begin to flow. “Goddamn.” She sniffs. “I wish I’d worn waterproof liner. Yes, Sawyer. I’ve said no to you way too many times, and this time, it’s a hundred percent—not even a hesitation—yes.”

She looks between us as I pull the ring from the box and slip the opal onto her left finger. “I guess you could say my life has pivoted in the best way possible. I love you both—forever.”

* * *

The house isquiet when I creep downstairs, being careful not to wake Collins or Ezra as I make my way to the kitchen and pull open the fridge door for a bottle of water.

Just like our home at past midnight, my life feels calm—a far cry from where it was twelve months ago. That said, I can’t sleep, and I’ve chalked it up to excitement. I just got engaged to my girl, and now, all I can think about is how I want to arrange the wedding day.

If Coach thinks he’s getting his hands on the plans, he can think again. This day is one I want to remember—from the second we set the date all the way through to exchanging vows.

Unscrewing the cap on my water, I take a pull and set the bottle down. Reaching into the pocket of my shorts, I pull out my phone, the screen the only source of light in an otherwise dark room.

It’s been a long while since I scrolled through photos of Sophie. Not because I want to forget her or will ever not think about her, but mainly because I don’t need to so much—I see her in Ezra. In his smile and addictive laughter.

The irony is, in finding Collins, I also got a piece of my wife back. She lives on in my son and his sunny personality—which he once had but somehow lost along the way. Collins brought that back, and even though I’ve told her a thousand times, it’ll never be enough. I’m not even sure if I’ll ever find the right words to properly convey how much she means to me and how deep my love runs for her.

I swipe to another photo just as it disappears, only to be replaced with an incoming call.

Archer.

Knowing it’s unusual for him to be calling so late, I press Accept, and I’m immediately hit with blaring music and a million voices.

“I can’t hear you,” I whisper-hiss. It’d be pointless to yell since the only people who would hear me are the ones peacefully sleeping upstairs.

“It’s Arch …”

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