Epilogue
My eyes squint,looking down the terminal at SFO. Bright red hair floats around Liv’s head as she runs toward me, heels clicking loudly on the linoleum.
I take a few long strides to meet her, immediately catching her lips with mine.
“I made it.” She breathes against me. After three different canceled flights from LAX, it feels like a miracle she’s here. “I still can’t believe there are hurricanes in southern California. What is the world coming to?”
I grab her bags and direct her to our gate to sit down. By a stroke of luck, this flight was delayed too. I can’t even imagine how tired Liv is right now, after hosting a two-day customer event in Malibu and then another two days trying to get a flight out.
“Did you have fun with Lucy?” I ask.
“Yes! I can’t even complain about the flight situation. Not only did I have a friend to stay with but she lives in an actual mansion. The weather was horrendous, but we spent the whole time in their basement. It felt like I was at a private concert.”
“That sounds fun. I’m just glad you’re here now.”
She kisses me, a little slower this time. “Me, too. I missed you.” Another kiss. “Like…a lot. You should come with me next time.”
“Done.”
An announcement overhead grabs our attention. Flight 317 to Buenos Aires now departs from Gate G3. Guess we have to move.
Grabbing all the bags again, we walk around the terminal to our new gate. One more hour until boarding.
“I can’t believe it’s finally happening,” Liv squeals. We’ve been planning this trip ever since the day we moved in together, but it’s taken me a year to work out all the details.
“Me too. It’s weird to finally be going back after all this time. I just wish you could have met my mom.” Because that’s part of what this trip is for me, a chance to reconnect with my mother, my roots. I wish Gabby was coming but her schedule wouldn’t allow it.
“I’m going to meet her,” Liv whispers from the seat next to me. “Through everything we do. She’ll be with us.”
Fuck, I love this girl. Every time I think I’ve hit the peak, that this relationship is the best it’s ever been, she surprises me and I love her even more.
How the hell am I supposed to wait a week to put this ring on her finger? The plan is to wait until we visit the vineyards in Mendoza, but I swear it’s burning a hole in my pocket right now.
Liv’s stomach rumbles between us. “Shit. I don’t think I’ve eaten in…unclear. I’m gonna go grab some snacks. You want anything?”
I shake my head, tell her to go on and I’ll stay back to watch the bags. It feels like I need a moment to collect myself.
It’s not that I’m nervous. Liv and I are great together, and we’ve talked about the future enough for me to be optimistic about her answer. The commitment doesn’t worry me either. I’ve never been more sure of anything in my life. I want to spend forever with her.
But my nerves still arise. This has to be perfect. I only get one shot at the proposal, one chance to make it the perfect moment for her, for us. Am I overdoing it? Are the fireworks too much? What if she hates wine from Argentina and the night is ruined? Shit, what if she doesn’t say yes?
My fingers start dialing before my brain catches up.
“Let me guess. You’re spiraling again?” Gabby’s voice rings in my ear.
“Maybe.” I gulp. I may have been faking some of the confidence lately, my sister having to talk me down on a regular basis. Sometimes it just feels too good to be true. It’s hard to believe that everything’s going so well when for so long, my life was the opposite. “You really think she’ll say yes?”
“Why does this girl make you such an idiot?”
“Because I love her?”
“Fine, okay. Valid excuse. And yes! There is not a doubt in my mind she will say yes.”
“But what if she hates the ring?”
“Jesus, Gav. We’ve been over this. Even Andie said she’ll love that ring. It’s unique and special and perfect for her. And even if she doesn’t love it, she’s not going to say no. You’ve got to stop worrying about dumb shit. You both love each other. That’s it. Just focus on that.”
I take a deep breath and listen to my sister. “Yeah, I can do that.”
“Good. Please do not call me again until it’s to announce your engagement.” She hangs up.
A small laugh bubbles out of me at the conviction in Gabby’s voice. She’s right. Liv and I love each other. That has never been in question.
I let out a deep breath and feel for the pearl in my pocket. For the thousandth time, I wonder if she’ll be mad or confused that I didn’t go with a standard diamond. This just felt more…her.
I should put it back in the box, but I also can’t seem to let it out of my sight. I’ve had it on my body since the purchase was made five weeks ago, too worried about ruining the surprise if she finds it.
“Hey, beautiful,” I announce when Liv gets back. I yank my hand out of my pocket and she gives me a funny look. Shit. “What’d you get?”
“Sushi.” She holds up a bento box between us. “Wanna share?”
We nibble on nigiri and seaweed salad while she fills me in on all the details of her LA trip. As much as I miss her when she travels, nothing beats the way she loves her job right now. She’s so much happier than she was in sales. Even her general anxiety has improved.
We’re so lost in laughter we almost miss the boarding announcement, but make it just in time. I wouldn’t want to miss my first experience flying first class.
Once we’re settled in our private pod and up in the air, Liv grabs onto my hands. She tugs until we’re facing each other, but she’s just sort of staring at me. I wait for words and they don’t come, nothing but a goofy smile on her face.
I’m about to ask if she’s okay when she leans in and kisses me. It’s not a quick peck, not even a loving press like she gave me earlier. It’s the kind of kiss you only have in private, the kind that’s full of promise and fire.
The amount of money we spent on these tickets was insane, but I have zero regrets right now with the privacy these seats offer. I’m about to pull her into my lap when she finally releases her hold on me.
“What was that for?” I ask, a little breathless. She licks her lips and I find myself leaning into her for more, but she pushes her hands gently against my chest.
“I just…I love you. And those words feel so insignificant sometimes. Like I really love you. I might have even cried to Lucy about how lucky I am to have you. I just need you to know that I think about it all the time. It’s that one thought in my head that never goes away. Like a little fly buzzing around saying ‘I love him!’ ‘I love him!’ constantly.” She scrunches her face. “And I’m just honored, really. That I get to go on this trip with you. That I even get to be with someone as kind and wonderful as you, and?—”
“Marry me.”
“What?”
Shit. Fuck. Did I seriously do it again? Is it impossible for me to hold anything in when it comes to Olivia? It’s that damn “I kind of love you” all over again.
I’m frozen in place, not sure what to do next. Can I pretend she misheard me? Completely ignore it for another six days until we get to Mendoza?
“Scottie, what did you say?” Guess we’re not pretending it away then.
Fuck it.
“Marry me. I mean, will you? Marry me?” Jesus, that was god awful. I pull the ring out of my pocket and she gasps, her hands flying up to cover her mouth. Please be a good gasp.
“Scottie…” She takes the ring and examines it slowly, her eyes wide as a doe’s.
“I’m sorry. I had this whole wine thing planned and a speech and fireworks and—” I let out a breath. “I love you that much too. I think about it all the time. And I can’t really imagine not spending the rest of my life with you. You’re everything to me, Olivia.”
Tears well in her eyes. Taking the ring, I hold her hand out to slide it on her finger. “Shit. Did you say yes?”
She laughs, tears streaming down her face. “Yes! Of course I will marry you.”
She must be shouting a little because there are a few cheers and claps around us.
“Is the ring okay?”I ask. The pink pearl sits atop a rose gold band with lots of small diamonds of different cuts. “I showed Andie and Gabby but I wasn’t sure?—”
“It’s perfect. I love everything about it.” She beams. “And no one else will have the same one.”
“It’s one of a kind. Just like you, Sparkles.”
She throws her arms around my neck and kisses me again. It’s not as sensual this time, probably because she can’t stop smiling. I’m getting more teeth than anything else, but I love it anyway. Her happiness is everything.
I’m exceptionally glad I waited until we’re in the air to take my pills. I need to remember this moment forever.
We’re interrupted when the flight attendant comes by. “Excuse me, did I hear we’re celebrating? Care for some champagne?”
Liv looks at me, her arms still tight around my shoulders and grins back at the flight attendant. “Any chance you have a good pinot noir?”