Page 41 of Bring Me Back
“Take your time. It’s gonna take time, Beck.” I reassure him. I’m just glad he’s forming actual words. I don’t even care what he says.
“Marry me…” he wheezes.
I lied. I absolutely care what he says.
“Well, that sure was clear.” John says, coughing when Claire elbows him in the ribs. They’re both sporting wide smiles, and I feel like I’m stuck in a dream.
He didn’t really just ask me to marry him, did he?
“What?!” I squeak, tears blurring my vision.
“Come on, sweetie. Don’t make him work that hard for it, he’s got a bum lung.” John jokes, and I laugh. Claire smacks his arm, and I find myself seeing what the future holds for Beck and I right here in this room.
“Marry…me…” he says between shallow breaths, and I collapse onto the side of his bed. The relief of hearing his voice coupled with the weight of what he’s asking me is too much for my brain to handle.
“Are you sure you didn’t hit your head, too?” I ask in disbelief, my voice muffled with my face buried in the blankets. He huffs out a laugh, followed by a painful groan, and I wince at hispain.
“I…love…” he wheezes, working hard to catch his breath.
“He loves you, and he’s been in love with you for years. Being loved by you feels like coming home, and he wants to spend the rest of his life making sure you feel just as deeply seen, safe, and adored as you make others feel. You and Jax are already his family, but he wants you to be his in every way possible. Am I close?” John says, and Beck shoots him a finger gun, nodding back at his dad.
“Yep…” he wheezes, and even though this whole proposal is bizarre, it feels oddly reassuring to know other people can see the way he loves me.
“Funny, your dad said something eerily similar when he proposed to me,” Claire says with a knowing smile.
“Well, don’t keep us all waiting in suspense here, sweetheart. Are you gonna marry the boy, or not?” John says, gesturing to his son.
Beckett looks back at me hopefully, as if I would ever say no to him. He’s always been the forever destined to find me. He’s always been the one the universe knew would bringmeback to myself.
“Yes,” I breathe, and he relaxes into the bed, nodding back at me.
“Thank god…” he wheezes, and I just laugh. This isn’t the grand proposal some women spend their lives imagining. But this is exactly what I wanted. This is all I could’ve ever asked for from this incredible man. A love that is truly lifelong. Love this strong isn’t fragile. It may bend, but it doesn’t break easily. You don’t have to run from it or hide parts of yourself that feel too dark to show to other people. You never leave, even when it's hard. You stay because it matters.
Claire hugs me tightly, tears streaming down her face. We could fill an ocean with the sheer amount of tears we’ve all cried this week. Without a word, she slides her engagement ring off her finger, holding it out to me.
“Oh, no! I could never-” I say, but she shakes her head back at me.
“It’s always been my wish that my son would find someone worthy of all the love and devotion I’ve poured into this ring over the past several decades. And I’m so glad he’s found that in you. I want you to have this.” She says, and a knot of emotion building in my chest. John nods slowly behind her.
My fingers shake as I take it from her, slipping it onto my own finger. It’s beautiful, a vintage design with a yellow gold band and a round diamond set at the center. It’s surrounded by a halo of smaller round diamonds, each meticulously set to form a sunburst. To be honest, I probably would’ve chosen something very similar if I had picked a ring for myself.
“Are you sure?” I ask, clutching my hand to my chest. This is such a special piece of their love story.
“I’m positive,” she says with a wide smile.
I turn to face Beck, and he’s practically glowing with triumph. This was his plan all along, it seems. Maybe not the getting shot in the lung part, but the rest feels like it’s all been by design.
He’s a mastermind, I swear.
twenty-seven
It’s beenthree weeks since we came home from the hospital. I’ve struggled with accepting my limitations, but I’m getting there. And my lungs are improving a little more every day. Jaxon and Willow live in our home permanently now, and I couldn’t be happier with that.
Jaxon has struggled a lot with everything that happened. I wish more than anything that he’d never pulled that trigger, but what’s done is done. And I’ll spend the rest of his life helping him through the mental battles that come with taking a life. I’m all too familiar with them, and it’s a burden I wish he never had to carry.
“You’re supposed to be resting. It’s a big day today. I don’t want you to be exhausted before the ceremony even starts,” Willow says from behind the kitchen island as I slowly make my way down the stairs.
“Yeah, I heard that rumor. But I missed you.” I say, feeling breathless when I finally reach the bottom.
