Page 50 of Lines We Cross
“Congrats, love,” I whispered to him, peppering his face with kisses. I didn’t care who saw me. This was cause for celebration.
Max jumped into action, dropping the phone and cupping my face for a kiss unfit for public consumption. Neither of us seemed to care, too lost in each other to notice half the diner was staring at us.
Jillayne cleared her throat and we jumped apart. “Need a refill?” she said loudly.
My face flushed pink and Max smirked with zero apology on his face. Jillayne winked again and trotted off to grab us a refill of water even though our glasses had been almost full.
“It’s all coming together,” Max announced. “Now you just need to marry me, Gingersnap.”
I huffed and pulled back. “We just started dating.” Though the idea did set my insides on fire in the very best way.
“Rae.” Max sounded exasperated. “I’ve literally known you since the day you were born. We know each other more than most couples who date three years before getting engaged.”
“Oh, that’s true. My cousin, Janie, dated her husband for six years before they got married at the courthouse. And did you know he was cheating on her the whole time?” Jillayne set our glasses down with a thunk, nearly spilling the water onto the table. She put her hands on her hips and shook her head. “The way I see it, you do the best you can to know a person and you give marriage a go. There are no guarantees in life, except for death. Live life while you can.”
With that sage advice, Jillayne spun around and went to another table.
“There you go,” Max said smugly.
I dragged my plate over to my new side of the table, not particularly happy to be ganged up on. “Eat your salad.”
Jillayne and Max had a good point. What was I waiting for? I knew I loved Max and I definitely knew he loved me back. I just had it in my head that we had to date awhile before taking that next step. I wasn’t nervous about marrying him per se. I took a bite of my sandwich and mulled it over.
“I guess I just feel like we should date a bit before getting married, you know? That’s the prudent thing to do,” I said around my bite.
Max’s fork clanged against his bowl. “There you go, shoulding all over yourself again.”
I nearly choked, setting my sandwich down and grabbing the glass of water to take a big swig. “I’m sorry?”
Max tucked a lock of my hair behind my ear. “You’ve always been the cautious one, especially because of Emerson, but living your life based on what you think youshoulddo is stifling. It’s basically living your life based on what everyone else thinks you should do instead of whatyouwant to do.” His eyes went soft and took the sting out of his words. “What doyouwant, Rae?”
I didn’t even have to think about it. “I want to marry you.”
Max stared at me for a beat. “Then let’s do it.”
My eyes filled with tears, happy ones. Tears and goose bumps that told me this was the exact right leap I needed to take to be happy in life.
“Don’t think this absolves you of proposing to me properly,” I whispered right before he kissed me silent and drew the busy-body eyes of everyone in the diner.
* * *
Two days later
“You’re getting so much better. Pretty soon, you’ll be leaving me in the dust.”
Max and I were on another run on the forest trail after I was done with work, but this time he was keeping up with me. He wasn’t even panting anymore.
“Nah, I’ll never leave you in the dust,” Max said sweetly, earning him a heated side eye. The man was gorgeous any day, but sweet-talking me with a healthy sweat going while we were high off the fresh air in our woods was my kryptonite.
It was as I was admiring the view of my new boyfriend that I nearly missed the moment I’d cherish forever. Max came to an abrupt stop, so I followed suit, a question on my lips. I glanced forward and my heart stuttered, comprehending what was happening before my brain caught up.
A trail of red rose petals led to a huge heart ringing a tree stump. A little black box sat in the middle of the stump. My breath whooshed out of my lungs and little spots danced in the fringes of my vision.
“Max,” I whispered.
He stepped around me and into the heart of petals to stand next to the stump. I blinked, taking a picture in my mind to take out over the years to relive the moment. Without breaking my gaze, he lifted a hand and waved me toward him. I followed without thinking, my legs knowing we needed to be by Max.
I stepped over the line of petals and into the heart with the guy who held mine so carefully. Emerson’s memorial was behind me, down on the rocks where it would stay for decades to come. My future stood before me, his light blue eyes looking at me with such intensity I wondered if I’d burn to ash before I got to slide the ring on my finger. He’d warned me he would ask me to marry him at the first available opportunity. My Max went after the things he wanted in life with a fierceness I admired, me being no exception.
