Page 41 of A Holly Jolly Mix Up
“Because you get to write the next chapter,” I say, my heart pounding in my chest like a war drum.
On bended knee, I pop open the box to reveal the ring that once belonged to my Meemaw.
Her hands fly to her mouth again as she gasps and tears start to spill over onto her cheeks. “Andrew...” she whispers, her voice choked with emotion.
“Jane Brooks. Since the moment I met you, I was intrigued by you. And every day since, I’ve fallen more in love with you. You light up my life in ways I never thought possible. I want to spend the rest of my life with you, making more memories, writing more chapters in this story—our story. Will you marry me?
Her eyes are brimming with tears now, but her smile is radiant as a thousand suns. She nods slowly at first and then more vigorously as the words sink in.
“Yes,” she breathes out, almost a whisper but louder than anything I’ve ever heard. “Yes, Andrew.”
The smile that breaks across my face is so wide it feels like it might split me in two. I slide the ring onto her finger and pull her into a warm embrace.
“I love you, Jane,” I murmur into her ear.
“I love you too, Andrew,” she replies, her voice slightly muffled against my chest.
As we lean into a sweet, lingering kiss under the twinkling Christmas lights, the rest of the world fades away. It’s just Jane and I and the beginning of our timeless tale.
And so we add another chapter in our book. But this one is different. This one is just the beginning. The beginning of forever. And I can’t wait to keep writing our story together. I’m ready to fill this book with tales of us. Of laughter, of adventure, of quiet moments and loud ones, of everything that makes Jane and I…well, Jane and I.
THE END
