Chapter 63
CHAPTER SIXTY-THREE
SURPRISE
I pull open the door, making sure the doorknob is unlocked so I can get back into the apartment. I walk next door and knock. Nothing. No sound. No movement. “No one lives here,” I mutter to myself. I knock again and hear footsteps. “I’ll be damned.”
The door opens. “Valerie? What are you doing here? Did you move in here?” I’m confused—surely Sam would have told me that his mom was moving in next door.
I peek around her to see her place. It’s strange.
I feel like I’ve seen it before. I blink a few times, and it hits me.
“My stuff!” I squeal. “All of m-my stuff is here.” Valerie moves aside as I step into the main room of a place that’s the mirror image of Sam’s.
Except this place is totally decorated with all of my favorite things.
Pops’s cabinets are hanging all over the main room.
The space is four times the size of my apartment, so it doesn’t look exactly like my house, but it’s close.
My love seat sits over in a little nook with my rug, square table, and the faux Tiffany lamp I picked up at a yard sale.
I turn around in a complete circle to take it all in.
The built-in bookshelves with the secret compartment are now on either side of a large fireplace.
I step over to it, remove the items from the shelf, and press on the corner.
The door pops down exactly like it’s supposed to open.
I walk into the kitchen, and it’s the same color as my old kitchen; a cheery yellow.
The cupboards are all new and white, except for two drawers.
Those look exactly like the false-bottom drawers Pops built.
I pull them open and move the contents to the side.
I slide open the bottom, and there are my hidden treasures.
Nothing of any real value, just little things I thought were fun to hide in this spot.
I walk quickly to the bathroom off the kitchen and see my old medicine cabinet in the place where a huge mirror probably hung.
I open it up and then pull the back open and see the space Pops designed.
I look around the floor, but it’s concrete.
So, no hidden box in the parquet floor. I’m so engrossed in my search, it takes me a while to notice the audience standing inside the door.
I look up and see Sam. He looks worried. Actually, he looks panic-stricken.
“Sam?” I blink away a tear. “Why did you do all of this?”
He steps closer to me but stops a few feet short of where I’m standing. “I was worried about you living in that neighborhood. I also wanted you close to me. I knew how much your things meant to you. Lauren told me how your grandfather built all of these things for you. I wanted him here with you.”
I let out a sob. I’m not sure where it came from, but it felt like it came from my soul. “You had all of my things moved here because you were worried about me?”
“Yes. And because I love you.”
“Sam, I….” I don’t know what to say. “I can’t afford this place, Sam. It’s completely out of my price range.”
“I own it.”
“I still can’t afford it. I mean… I don’t want to owe you for this.
It’s not how you form an equal partnership.
I’ll always feel like I owe you.” I’m overwhelmed with all of this and I’m also confused.
I look away again. I’m looking at my stuff, but I’m trying to regain my composure.
I feel a tap on my shoulder. I turn around.
Sam is holding a wooden cube. It’s made out of six squares of parquet flooring.
My mouth falls open. I look at the box and then at him. “Is that…?”
“Open it.”
I take the cube from Sam and lift the lid.
Inside the box is a plastic container very much like the one Pops used in the floor at my apartment.
Inside that plastic box is a small black box.
I reach inside and pull out the smaller box.
Sam takes the parquet box out of my hand and sets it on a nearby table.
He removes the black box from my hand and kneels in front of me. “Oh, my God,” I whisper. “Sam?”
“MacKenzie. I’ve loved you since the minute you broke the head off that ice sculpture. I’ve loved you since the second you drank straight out of a bottle of Bud at a thousand-dollar-a-ticket New Year’s Eve party—”
I stare over at Lauren. “A thousand dollars a ticket? Are you insane, Lauren?”
Lauren shrugs, and I look back at Sam. “Sorry,” I say sheepishly.
Sam says with a laugh, “Leave it to you to make my proposal interesting.”
Oh, God. He’s actually proposing.
“I need to start over.” He clears his throat and does just that. “I’ve loved you since blah blah blah….”
I giggle. “I love you, Sam,” I whisper. I remain quiet so he can finish.
“That night at the New Year’s Eve party, I knew you were different—one of a kind.
I literally fell in love with you at first sight.
Then, when I got to know you, I couldn’t believe I’d found someone who was not only beautiful but also sweet, kind, and incredibly talented.
I hit the jackpot with you. That’s why I can’t wait any longer. I need to lock you down, woman.”
We both laugh.
“MacKenzie, you’re amazing and unique, and I want you in my life forever. Will you marry me? Please?”
I blink away a happy tear and stare at Sam. He’s kneeling down on his bad leg. He needs to get up off that leg. I answer him quickly. “I love you so much, Sam. Yes, of course I’ll marry you.” He stands, and I wrap my arms around his neck. I get up on my tiptoes and kiss him with my whole heart.
He pulls away. “You haven’t even seen the ring yet.”
He opens up the black box, and I gasp. Inside is the most exquisite ring I’ve ever seen.
It’s an art deco style with filigree around a huge bezel-set cushion-cut diamond.
It’s got to be almost two carats. I did an internship at a jewelry store one summer in college.
The owner taught me all about precious stones including diamonds.
That’s how I can tell it’s an old diamond and that the setting is vintage.
“It’s beautiful,” I say with awe. It’s the most beautiful ring I’ve ever seen.
“My dad gave this ring to my mom, and it was his mom’s before that. Mom wants you to have it—if you like it, that is.”
I can’t believe this is happening. “Yes, of course. I love it.” I look up at Sam’s mom. “Thank you, Valerie.”
“I couldn’t be happier that I’m passing it on to you, sweetheart.”
Sam’s not finished. “So, does that mean I can live with you in your cool house? My place is so boring.”
I giggle again. “I guess.” I shrug.
My family all laugh, cheer, and clap. I see a few tears from Valerie and Lauren. Perri is beaming. Bobby is even smiling. He and Sam came to an understanding, and now Sam’s got a little brother, too. I tear up right along with my girls.
Gill pats Sam on the back, and they do that man-hug thing.
When we all hug and get congratulations all around, Sam steps out into the hall and returns with the platter of meat.
“Got a new grill out on your deck. Thought I’d test it out.
” He moves outside, and I see he’s got a replica of his own grill set up on my deck. Our deck.
People run back to Sam’s place and gather up the rest of the food and bring it over to my place.
While they’re setting up, Lauren and I walk into my new bedroom.
The bed is much larger, but the room is blue like my old bedroom.
My quilt is on the bed, and the rest of my bedroom furniture is all there.
“Mac? Are you okay?”
“Um, I think so. I’m not sure what to think, honestly. On the one hand, Pops is still here with me, on the other hand, so much of him was in the walls of that old house.”
Lauren wipes a stray tear from her cheek. “I know. Sam and I talked about that.”
“You knew he was doing all of this?”
“Not until last week. Gill couldn’t keep it from me, so he brought me over to see it for myself.
Sam came over, and we talked for a long time.
I told him he missed a few things, like the built-in shelves, the medicine cabinet, the kitchen drawers, and the box in the parquet floor.
He was shocked at how clever Pops was, but we aren’t, are we? ” she says, leaning over to hug me.
I nod but don’t interrupt.
“He understands that this may not work for you. He said he’d move everything back to your place if that’s what you want. He said he’d live with you there. He was planning on telling you all this himself tonight, but I think he got sidetracked.” She chuckles.
I look around my space. It’s my stuff, but it’s not.
The floor-to-ceiling windows that look out onto Lake Michigan change it a lot.
“I don’t want to sound ungrateful. I’m not.
It’s just going to take some time to get used to it.
The first thing I felt when I saw all of Pops’s work was relief that it was all still here, with me. ”
“I know. It’s just feels out of context.”
“It does.” I look around one more time as Valerie peeks around the doorway.
“MacKenzie? Is everything okay?” I give her a sincere smile and then look down at the ring. It’s elegant, just like Valerie. “You may prefer to create your own ring, honey.”
“No. I love the idea that we’re sharing this ring. It has meaning, and it holds the love that you and Sean had for each other. I’m all about keeping that going.” I smile at Valerie. “I love Sam. More than I ever thought possible. I’ll wear your ring proudly because it’s part of your family.”
Valerie wipes her eyes and hugs me. “I’m so glad you’re going to be my daughter, MacKenzie. I feel blessed you’ll be part of my life,” she says, pulling me into a hug.
“I feel the same about you and Perri. I feel very lucky that I’ve got a family again.”
Lauren gets in on the hug action. She whispers, “Bachelorette party in Vegas, bitches.”
Valerie starts to laugh. “Vegas is on me, girls. I can’t wait.”