Page 135 of Puck Struck
"Not for what they can produce or earn or win. Just for being themselves."
Logan nods. "I want that too."
"And I want to keep helping kids at Play It Forward and atother organizations, speaking about our experiences, showing them that their circumstances don't define their worth."
"A family business?"
"A family mission." I lean into him and breathe in his fresh clean scent. "What do you want?"
"I want to finish school and become the best sports medicine professional I can be. I want to watch Ethan grow up healthy and happy. I want to see Tessa settled and content." He pauses, trailing a finger down the side of my face. "And I want to marry you someday. Not because we have to, not because it's expected, but because I want to stand in front of everyone we love and promise to choose you every single day."
"Every single day?"
"Every single day. Even when you leave wet towels on the bathroom floor."
"Even when you reorganize the pantry at midnight because you can't sleep?"
"Even when I reorganize the pantry at midnight." He drops a light kiss on my lips. "Especially then."
The sky darkens to an inky color, a chill sweeping through the night air.
"Logan?"
"Yeah?"
"Thank you for fighting for us. For not giving up when I tried to push you away. For seeing something in me worth keeping."
"Cam." I shiver at the intensity of his stare. "You saved my life. Before you, I was just existing. Going through the motions, taking care of everyone else, forgetting that I deserved happiness too."
"And what do you deserve?"
"This. You. A love that adds to my life instead of demanding sacrifices." He waves his hand around us. "A familythat chooses each other every day. A future that feels like possibility instead of obligation."
"You've got all of that."
"No, we've got all of that," he corrects. "And we're just getting started."
Through an open window, Ethan’s laughter floats out to the porch while Tessa talks on the phone, probably to Mark, in an animated voice. Ordinary sounds of a family evening. A year ago, I couldn't have imagined this life. Couldn't have believed I deserved it. It’s all I’ve ever wanted.
Now I can't imagine any other life.
"Ready to go inside?" Logan asks, holding out a hand to me.
"In a minute." I look up at our house, our home, the place where we've built something real and lasting. "I just want to remember this moment."
"What's special about this moment?"
"It's the first night of the rest of our lives. The first night wearing these rings, the first time we've talked about marriage and kids and forever like they're definites instead of maybes. It’s pretty awesome stuff and I want to soak it in."
"They are definites," Logan says. "At least, they are for me."
"For me too."
Logan holds open the door for me and I step into the foyer. Ethan walks in from the kitchen, immediately spots our new rings, and demands to see them up close. Tessa pretends to be surprised, but I can tell she already knew it was coming.
"Does this mean you're getting married?" Ethan asks in an excited voice.
"Someday," I tell him. "When we're ready."
