Page 125 of Gareth

Gareth pulled Aria close, and they smiled at each other before sharing a kiss. There was lots of laughter and talking by the others in the room, but when he ended the kiss and lowered himself to one knee, everyone fell silent around them. He pulled the ring from his pocket, where he’d placed it earlier in anticipation of that moment. It had a simple setting, nothing too large or ostentatious, because he knew that Aria wouldn’t want that.

“Sweetheart, I’m not sure you’ll ever know how much you mean to me,” Gareth began. “I find myself loving you more and more each day. You bring so much joy and light to those around you. Me included. I love your sweet spirit and how you care for others. Being able to spend every day with you has been a wonderful privilege, and there is nothing I’d like better than to spend the rest of my life with you. I love you, Aria. Would you do me the honor of becoming my wife?”

Aria’s beautiful eyes had opened wide as she stared down at him, shock evident on her face. For a moment, Gareth wondered if he’d misjudged the seriousness of her feelings for him. But then tears welled up in her eyes and spilled over.

She grasped his hand in both of hers, gripping them tightly. “You want to marry me? Really?”

Gareth got to his feet and drew her into his arms. Holding her close, he whispered, “Yes, sweetheart. I love you so much, and I want to marry you more than anything else.”

He heard Aria sniffle, then she lifted her face to look at him, a smile curving the corners of her mouth. “I love you too, and yes, I want to marry you. Being your wife would be a dream come true.”

Relief filled him, followed quickly by a rush of love. Gareth moved back just enough so that he could slip the ring on Aria’s finger, then he cupped her face gently in his hands and pressed a kiss to her lips. All around them there were cheers and clapping.

He’d planned it so that his family could participate in the happy occasion because he wanted Aria to know that they loved her, too. There wasn’t a person there who wouldn’t welcome her into the family, and she would never be alone again.

“Congratulations, my darlings,” his mom said as she approached them and wrapped her arms around them. “I can’t believe that Ifinallyget to marry off one of my children. It’s about time! And we couldn’t be welcoming a nicer person into our family.”

As other family members came up to congratulate them, Aria beamed at each of them. Gareth might not have known for sure what type of woman he’d eventually marry, but now that Aria had claimed his heart, he couldn’t imagine loving anyone else.

Now that Aria had accepted his proposal, the new year held the promise of a deepening love and even more hope for their future as a couple. It made him excited to see what lay ahead for each of his siblings. Hopefully, if love was in their future, they would experience a smoother road than he and Aria had travelled.

But even if they didn’t, he hoped they would look at him and Aria and remember that however rough a journey might be, with effort and God’s guidance, they could make it through to experience the love of a lifetime.

~ THE END ~

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