Page 61 of Champagne Kisses
Now that she’s said yes, I pull out the Asscher cut emerald ring with opal accent stones and slide it onto her ring finger. She stares at her hand for a moment before kissing me all over again. I can taste tears, but I know they’re happy tears. We finish our game of “don’t say a word” to celebrate our engagement; I won.
Noah (Iron Man, tonight) is the first to notice we’re back from our “tour of the house” and he doesn’t hide his smirk.Busted.It might not have been the smartest to sneak off to have sex during my parents’ annual Halloween bash, but I couldn’t wait another minute to ask Maya for her hand. We’re both beaming,and Noah’s expression turns from mischievous to curious. He catches us at the bottom of the stairs.
“Well!!! What were you two doing?” he asks in a tone that indicates he knows exactly what we were doing. Noah wiggles his eyebrows for emphasis and Maya blushes ferociously and pretends to be extremely interested in her nails. That’s when he sees it: my brother, the attorney, who never misses anything, sees the ring on Maya’s finger and his jaw actually drops. He takes her hand to inspect the ring more closely.
“Holy shit! Is that what I think it is?!” Maya sneaks a look at me before we both nod.
“Yeah,” I say, beaming with love for Maya. “She just said yes.” Maya can’t stop smiling either. Noah pulls me in for a real hug, slapping my back several times.
“Baby bro! Congratulations!” He pulls Maya into our hug and she laughs warmly. “Congrats to you both! I saw a special connection the night of Damon’s dinner, but I had no idea this was coming.”
My mother (but tonight, Marilyn Monroe from “Gentlemen Prefer Blonde”) sees us embracing at the bottom of the stairs and stops in her tracks holding a bowl of pretzels.
“Congratulations for what? What did I miss?” Maya and I look each other and this time she gives me the go ahead.
“Maya and I just got engaged, Mom,” I say, and then jump back to avoid the pretzels that scatter when she drops the entire bowl.
“Oh my goodness! My youngest child is getting married! Oh my God!” Tears are in her eyes and she’s practically jumping; the pretzels are being pulverized under our feet. “Where’s the ring? Can I see it?”
Maya stops hugging Noah and I to show Mom her ring and Mom practically swoons.Thanks for the kudos, Mom.
“Oh, Adam,” she says, teary-eyed. “It’s so beautiful.” She pulls Maya and I into a hug and I’m literally overflowing with happiness. I’m so lucky to have my family here as witnesses. We’ll likely have to call Maya’s parents before the evening is done. I’ll probably have tomeether parents soon too.
For the rest of the party, Mom drags Maya and I around the house showing off Maya, her ring, and our engagement to anyone who will listen. Dad is overjoyed—I could tell he really liked Maya after she brought his favorite wine—and Henry, Jr. toasts us with champagne. We even call Damon to let him in on the news, though it’s a short call since it’s after midnight in Portugal.
The only person left to tell is Cory. I leave Maya in my Mom’s capable hands—she’d probably slap my hand away if I tried to pull Maya away—and find Cory in the back yard. He’s dressed as a pirate tonight, complete with the eyepatch and a fake parrot pinned to his shoulder.
“So…I hear congratulations are in order.” I guess I shouldn’t be surprised he’s already heard. Despite our private proposal, we are practically the entertainment for the party at this point. He extends his hand and I shake it hesitantly. He pulls me in for ahug instead. The damn parrot’s beak almost pokes me in the eye.
“I’m really happy for you, man. I know I acted fucked up last time, but seriously, Maya clearly makes you happy.” I return his hug, though I still feel defensive. My brother was supposed to have my back, but instead, he insulted the woman that’s now my fiancee.
“Thanks, man. Shedoesmake me happy.“ Cory leaves to grab me a beer from the cooler by the door. It’s still weird between us, but he’s clearly trying. I feel Maya’s hand on my shoulder and turn to her.
“Hey, babe. Did you need a break from my mom? I’m sure she’s got the wedding halfway planned already.” Her warm laugh turns strained when Cory comes up behind me holding a beer. Instead of excusing himself, he pushes past me and speaks directly to Maya.
“Maya, Adam probably already told you, but I want to say I’m so sorry for the things I said before. Really, for how I acted that whole night. I had a bad day, a little too much wine, and I was way outta line.” I doubt an apology alone will fix it, but it’s a start. To my surprise, Maya smiles openly at my idiot brother.
“Thanks so much for apologizing, Cory. I don’t have any brothers or sisters, but I assume it’s hard to see someone coming in and messing up the family dynamic. I would never want to get between Adam and his family, especially not when you’re going to be my brother some day soon.” Cory seems surprised Maya accepted his apology so readily, but I know she and Dr.Jamison have been making a lot of progress. Love and family trump heated words and stupidity every day of the week.
I kiss Maya deeply and wrap my arm around her waist before heading back inside.
“Where are we going now?” she asks. Her eyes are shining with love and trust that I know will never get old.
“Wherever you want, babe. As long as we’re together.”
