Page 54 of Keeping You
“I've been thinking a lot about destiny lately,” he says, brushing over my knuckles. “About whether things happen for a reason, or if we make our own fate. And I've decided it doesn't really matter. What matters is that we're here, now. That somehow, after fifteen years and all the mistakes and wrong turns, we found our way back to each other. We’ve been given a second chance.”
“Luke.” I want to say more, but I don’t trust my voice.
“I love you, Callie Cooper,” he says, his voice steady despite the vulnerability in his eyes. “I think I've loved you since the day I realized you weren’t just a pesky kid anymore.”
Did he overhear my conversation with Harper? Did he see the photo?
“I know we've only been back in each other's lives for a short time,” he continues. “And I know this might seem fast. But nothing about us has ever been conventional. We started with a fake relationship that became the most real thing in my life.”
He releases one of my hands to reach into his pocket, pulling out a small velvet box.
My heart hammers against my ribs as he opens it, revealing a delicate gold ring with a single teardrop diamond and two smaller round sapphires, one on each side.
“It was my grandmother's,” he explains, his quiet words filled with reverence. “The sapphires reminded me of your eyes.”
“It’s beautiful.” Tears gather in my eyes and my throat, and my heart feels like it’s going to burst.
“I don't want to waste another second pretending.” His eyes are filled with so much emotion, I can’t even describe it. “I don't want to waste another second without you. Callie Cooper, will you marry me?”
Tears spill down my cheeks as I stare at the ring, then at his face—so open, so hopeful, so full of love that it steals my breath. “Yes,” I whisper, then louder, “Yes.”
His smile is so radiant it rivals the stars overhead as he slides the ring onto my finger. It fits perfectly, as if it were always meant to be there. He waits long enough for me to recognize the significance of this moment, for the world around us to go quiet except for the drum of my heart. Then his mouth is on mine, his kiss fierce and affectionate all at once, sealing our promise beneath the oak tree.
When we finally break apart, we’re both breathless. “I've been carrying that ring around for days, waiting for the right moment.”
“Tonight, right here, was perfect,” I assure him, glancing down at my hand where the ring catches the lights from above. “I guess we should go back inside and tell everyone?”
He stands and hauls me gently to my feet. “In a minute.” He wraps his arms around my waist. “I want one more moment with just us. Before Martha’s gossip train leaves the station.”
When we return to the party, hand in hand, my ring catches the light, and, of course, Martha spots it immediately. Her gasp alerts Gloria, and within seconds, the news ripples through the bakery like wildfire.
“I knew it!” Martha exclaims, hugging us fiercely, considering her age. “Didn't I tell you, Gloria? Didn't I say they were meant for each other?”
Harper and Nikki approach. Harper hugs me and then her brother, while Nikki embraces me tightly. “Mom and Dad would be so happy.”
As congratulations flow around us, Luke keeps me anchored at his side, his thumb brushing over my ring as if reassuring himself it's really there. I lean into him, thinking about motorcycle rides on beautiful Sunday afternoons and quiet evenings reading together.
“What’s going on in that pretty head of yours?” Luke murmurs against my hair as we accept another round of well-wishes.
“Our story,” I tell him, looking up into his eyes. “How it's just beginning. The real version this time.”
His smile is tender, private. “No more pretending.”
The festival begins in earnest outside with the sounds of music and laughter spilling down Main Street. It strikes me then that sometimes the best stories aren't found in books. Sometimes they're written in small towns with big hearts, and in second chances that were worth every minute of the wait.
Epilogue
Callie (the following spring)
As I climb into bed, one that feels too large without Luke in it, I send him a quick text.
Me:
One more sleep until forever.
I love you.
His response comes almost immediately.
