Chapter 10 The Proposal
Tessa's heart was pounding so hard she could hear it in her ears.
The moment she looked into Jamison's eyes, she knew.
Something was different.
Something important.
The nervousness she saw there wasn't a man preparing for a difficult negotiation.
It was the nervousness of a man about to place his entire heart into someone else's hands.
And that realization brought tears to her eyes before he even said a word.
"Tessa."
His voice was soft.
Gentle.
Almost reverent.
The way it always came when he was talking about something that truly mattered.
She smiled through the tears already gathering.
"Yeah?"
For a moment, Jamison simply stared at her.
Taking her in.
The woman who had changed everything in him.
The woman who had unknowingly walked into room 415 carrying a turkey sandwich and a paperback novel.
The woman who had sat beside him when nobody else did and prayed for him.
The woman who had loved him before she knew about his money.
About his success.
About his status.
She had simply seen a lonely man.
And stayed to keep his company.
That fact alone still humbled him.
"Tessa, do you know what the doctors told me after I woke up?"
She laughed softly.
"That you were a difficult patient?"
Jamison grinned.
"That too."
The laughter eased some of the tension.
Some.
Not all.
Because what he was about to do still terrified him.
"They told me my recovery didn't make sense."
Tessa smiled.
"You told me that."
He nodded.
"They called it remarkable."
His eyes softened.
"I called it you."
The tears she'd been fighting escaped.
"Tessa, before you, I was surviving."
His voice lowered.
"That's all."
The breeze moved gently through the trees around them.
Families laughed nearby.
Children played.
Yet somehow it felt as if they were the only two people in the world.
"I had money."
He shrugged.
"More than enough."
His smile faded.
"But I didn't have peace."
Tessa listened silently.
"I didn't trust anyone."
His voice thickened.
"I didn't let anyone close enough to hurt me again."
The irony made him laugh softly.
"And then somehow the woman reading romance novels to a supposedly unconscious patient broke through every wall I had."
Tessa wiped her eyes.
"Jamison..."
He took her hand.
Holding it tightly.
"I fell in love with you long before I admitted it."
Her heart squeezed.
"Probably around chapter three of the first book ."
She laughed through her tears.
"You remember that?"
"Of course, I remember everything."
His answer was immediate.
Certain.
Absolute.
And she knew he meant it.
Every book.
Every conversation.
Every prayer.
Every moment.
He remembered all of it.
Jamison slowly stood.
Tessa's breath caught in her throat.
Her hand flew to her mouth.
"Oh My."
The smile that spread across his face was nervous and emotional all at once.
Then, to the surprise of absolutely no one except himself, Jamison Edwards dropped to one knee.
Nearby conversations seemed to fade.
The world blurred.
Tessa couldn't stop crying.
She wasn't even trying anymore.
From his pocket, Jamison removed a small black box.
The sight of it nearly stopped her heart.
"Tessa Johnson."
His voice shook.
The powerful CEO who commanded boardrooms full of executives looked terrified.
And somehow she loved him even more for it.
"You taught me what real love looks like."
His eyes never left hers.
"You taught me that trust isn't weakness."
Another tear slid down her cheek.
"You taught me that home isn't just a place."
His voice broke slightly.
"It's a person."
The tears came harder.
Because nobody had ever loved her like this.
Nobody.
"You loved me when I wasn't very lovable."
Tessa immediately shook her head.
"That's not true."
He smiled.
"It is."
Then his expression softened.
"You prayed for me before you knew me."
More tears.
"You believed in me before I deserved it."
More tears.
"You saw me before I knew how badly I wanted to be seen."
The ring box opened.
A brilliant diamond sparkled in the afternoon sunlight.
Tessa barely noticed it.
She couldn't stop looking at him.
At the man she loved.
The man who had become her best friend.
The man who had helped her believe in herself again.
The man who had shown her that heartbreak wasn't the end of her story.
It was only the beginning of a better chapter.
"Tessa."
His voice was barely above a whisper now.
Filled with emotion.
Filled with hope.
Filled with love.
"I want Sunday mornings with you."
A sob escaped her.
"I want bookstores."
More tears.
"I want movie nights."
She nodded repeatedly.
"I want random Tuesday dinners."
Another nod.
"I want vacations."
She laughed through her crying.
"I want arguments about which book is better."
"You're going to lose those arguments."
Jamison laughed.
"I probably will."
The laughter softened the emotion for only a second.
Then his eyes locked onto hers again.
Very serious.
Definitely certain.
Without a doubt forever.
"I want every chapter with you."
The tears fell freely now.
"The good ones."
His voice trembled.
"The difficult ones."
She could barely breathe.
"The exciting ones."
Another tear.
"The ordinary ones."
His smile grew.
"All of them."
Tessa covered her mouth.
Her heart felt full of emotions.
Extremely happy.
Overwhelmed with his love.
And then came the question.
The one she'd dreamed about without realizing she was dreaming.
The one that would change everything.
"Tessa Johnson."
His blue eyes shone with unshed tears.
"Will you marry me?"
The answer came instantly.
Without hesitation.
Without fear.
Without doubt.
"Yes."
Jamison blinked.
Tessa laughed and cried simultaneously.
"Yes."
People nearby began clapping.
Neither of them noticed.
Or even cared.
"Yes baby, I’ll marry you!"
The third answer came out almost as a sob.
Jamison's eyes closed briefly.
Relief.
Joy.
Gratitude.
Overwhelming Love.
All crashing down on him at once.
Slowly, he stood.
His hands trembled slightly as he slid the ring onto her finger.
The diamond fit perfectly.
Tessa stared at it for half a second.
Then immediately threw her arms around him.
The force of it nearly knocked him backward.
They both laughed.
Holding on tightly to each other.
For a while neither of them spoke.
Finally Jamison pulled back just enough to look at her.
His fiancée.
The word alone felt unbelievable.
"My fiancée."
Tessa laughed.
"I like the sound of that."
"I love the sound of that."
Then, he kissed her.
Softly.
Sweetly.
Passionately.
The kind of kiss that carried promises.
A kiss that carried forever.
When they eventually separated, Tessa rested her forehead against his.
"You know what the crazy part is?"
Jamison smiled.
"What?"
"A year ago, I thought my life was over."
His heart squeezed.
Because he remembered.
All the pain that betrayal had left her with.
The tears she'd cried in room 323.
The woman who believed she wasn't enough.
Tessa smiled through fresh tears.
"But God had a better plan for both of them."
Jamison looked up toward the sky briefly.
Then back at the woman he loved.
"Yeah."
His voice was full of gratitude.
"He really did."
And as they walked together through Piedmont Park, surrounded by sunshine, laughter, and possibility, neither could have imagined how much their lives were about to change.
Because the next chapter wouldn't be about healing.
Or falling in love.
Or learning to trust.
The next chapter would be about becoming a family.