Chapter 41 #2
The restaurant has a few tables cleared out, and our friends and family are either sitting already or standing around talking. There are flowers everywhere.
“Everything looks so pretty. How fun!” She does a double take when she sees my face. “Are you okay?” She studies me closer when I don't say anything.
I have trouble swallowing all of a sudden.
“Rhodes? Are you sick? You don’t look so good. I mean, you look so handsome tonight, but…are you okay?”
I swallow again and pick up a menu specially made for this event and fan my face. She pauses to look at it.
Rhodes and Elle’s Menu, it says.
Her eyes are wide.
“It’s our party?” she says, looking around nervously.
“It’s our party,” I say, nodding.
Her eyes light up and she smiles, leaning over to kiss me. I lead her to the table in the middle before I lose my nerve. I sure hope she likes this surprise. She’s been talking about everything being out in the open, but this might’ve been going too far.
She hugs Greer and Wyndham from Serendipity on the way and waves at Calista across the room.
There’s an elaborate flower arrangement from The Enchanted Florist on the table and Elle leans in to smell it before sitting down.
“Everything looks so beautiful, Rhodes.”
“You do most of all.”
Her cheeks flush and I feel a surge of energy, my nerves falling away.
I sit down and there’s a microphone next to my place setting. I lift it, making sure it’s on, and stand up.
“Hello, everyone. Thank you for coming! I promise I'm not gonna do much talking tonight, except to let you know a little bit about why you're here, and then we’ll just have fun for as long as we want. Thanks to the staff at Rose & Thorn for opening up your place to us tonight. You’ve been so accommodating and we’re grateful.
And thanks again to all of you for coming to spend New Year’s Eve with us. ”
I look at Elle and she’s smiling up at me with such love in her eyes, it nearly takes me out.
I take a deep breath and look around the room, my eyes landing on the table next to ours. Levi is sitting between my parents, and Elle’s parents are across from them. My dad gives me a slight nod, encouraging me.
“I think any of you who have spent any significant amount of time around me knows how much I love Elle Benton.”
The room erupts into cheers, mostly coming from Penn, but Henley, Bowie, and Weston are doing their share too, as well as the other guys from the team.
“For over thirteen years now, we’ve been best friends. And it's only been recently that we have crossed over into much, much more.”
Again, with the whistles.
I laugh and Elle does too. She looks so happy and it emboldens me to keep going.
“I, for one, could not be happier about the much, much more. We had to keep it on the down-low for various reasons, so a lot of you have not even seen us together as a couple yet, but I wanted to let you know that I am so in love with this woman!”
The room explodes again, and I hold up my hand, shushing everyone.
And then I get down on my knee and there’s a holy hush, the only sound being Elle’s gasp. When I take the ring out of my pocket, her eyes are already filling with tears. She holds onto my hand and I can feel hers trembling.
“Rhodes,” she whispers.
“Is this okay, love?” I ask.
“It is so okay,” she says, her laugh shaky too.
“I love you with all my heart,” I tell her.
“Say it in the mic,” someone says.
We laugh and Penn rushes over to hold the mic for me.
“Do you wanna be heard?” he asks quietly.
“I want the whole world to hear this, but it’s only important if you do,” I tell Elle.
“Let us in on it,” Penn says.
Elle laughs and nods happily. “May as well, since we’re all here.”
“Now you’re talking.” Penn holds the mic close to both of us.
“Being with you has made me the happiest moth—man alive,” I say, rushing to clean up my language with the kids that are here.
“Every day with you has always been enough, but now, every day, knowing that you love me back, holding your hand and living by your side…there isn’t even a word for how happy and content you’ve made me. ”
There are lots of Awws over that.
“But the one thing that would make me the happiest is if you'd be my wife. What do you think? Will you marry me, Elle Benton, and be mine forever?”
“Yes,” she says, crying. “Yes!”
I glance over at Levi and he’s ready. He runs over with a flower and lifts it up to Elle.
“Be mine foh-evah too?” he asks.
She leans down and puts her forehead against his. “Forever and ever.”
He beams and I think there are a dozen sniffles going around the room, mine included. We all share a hug and when Levi goes back to sit down, Elle pulls my face to hers and kisses me.
Everybody claps as we kiss and kiss and kiss, until someone says, “Get a room!”
We break apart, laughing, and I hold up the five-carat princess-cut diamond ring. She stretches out her hand and I slide it on.
“Oh, it's so pretty, Rhodes,” she whispers. “I love it. I love you.”
I kiss her again, and then I stand up, leaning over her chair, until she lifts onto her feet and stands flush against me, returning my kiss. The girls throw flower petals on us.
That was their idea, not mine. But I have to admit, it's a festive touch.
We spend the rest of the night with our family and friends. The tables are cleared out and Rose & Thorn turns into a makeshift club. We dance with Levi for a long time and then my parents take him home to put him to bed.
When the countdown begins, I yell, “There’s no one I’d rather be bringing in the new year with than all of you!”
In Elle’s ear, I add, “But as long as you’re with me, I have all I need.”
My lips are on hers when the clock strikes midnight.
And then I take her home and ring in the new year in the best way—making love to her all night long.
Life is just getting started.