Chapter Twenty-Five
Chapter Twenty-Five
Victor
The morning sun creeps into the bedroom, casting a warm glow on the walls of the room, waking me up with one thought burning in my mind — today is the day. This is the day I ask Nikki to be my wife. It’s been burning inside of me for a very long time.
I’ve been planning this for months, and I’ve roped in half the town to help me out. I didn’t want to do this when we were busy or stressed. Our marriage will be about love and commitment, not stress. Having the town help me hasn’t made this any easier though. This town has a very difficult time keeping secrets. Trying to keep one is like holding water in your hands. It will seep through.
Amazingly enough, we’ve managed to keep it from her. That tells me how supportive the entire community is for the two of us. It’s great when you have a whole town behind you. They’ve been nothing but supportive for our business venture, and they’re the same when it comes to our relationship. It’s why we’re here, somewhere we matter, somewhere people care. I wish the whole world felt this same sense of peace and community. We’re all people, and we should always lift one another up, instead of pulling people down.
It’s so much harder to rise than it is to fall. That’s why so many people fall. That’s why evil reigns. That’s also why it’s important to choose wisely when making friendships and entering relationships. A person can be pulled under so much easier than they can be lifted up.
I slip out of bed quietly so I don’t wake Nikki. She stirs when I leave the bed but doesn’t wake. I look at her as a soft smile plays on her lips while she reaches for me. She frowns, but then settles back down to sleep. Damn, I love this woman more than I ever thought it possible to love anyone.
I take a quick shower, get dressed, then slip from the house. I head straight to the Mermaid Café, where our secret-keeping committee is gathered. I smile as I walk in the doors. It’s early, and yet I’m still the last to arrive. When something good’s going on, the townspeople get excited.
Eileen, Vivian, and Martha — Seaville’s self-appointed matchmakers — are here, along with Robert, Dale, John, and Chief Mitchel. John’s holding a huge, beautiful bouquet of wildflowers that I bet he and his wife picked together. It’s so much better than anything I could get from a florist and Nikki will love them.
“Today’s the day!” I say with a booming voice that has everyone instantly clapping. I beam at them. “You all know your parts?” I’m nervous. I don’t know why I’m nervous but I am. I have no doubt this is what we both want, but whenever you’re asking an important question of someone you’d be a fool not to somewhat fear the answer won’t be what you want or expect.
Eileen’s the first one to step forward, a gleam in her eyes. “Of course we know, darling. We’ve been waiting for this day for far too long.” She gives me a disapproving look, making me laugh. “Everything’s all set. We’ve got you.”
Vivian scowls at me. “I lost fifty bucks on you, Victor. I thought you’d propose six months ago. You took far too long. But yes, we’re all set now... even if it’s far past time.”
I laugh, shaking my head. “Good to know my love life is now a betting pool.”
Dale chuckles, leaning back in his chair. “You know everything in this town is a betting pool,” he tells me. “You also brought this on yourself. You should know better than to ask for help in this town. You’ll get more than you ever wanted or need. We’re all ready to make this the best proposal to ever happen here. We have your back.”
I beam at all of them. “I really do appreciate all of you. I couldn’t do it without you.”
Martha nudges me and sends a wink my way. “You just make sure you get down on one knee, handsome. I don’t like this new age crap. Some traditions shouldn’t be broken,” she demands. “We came for a show, and we demand one.”
“You have nothing to worry about. There will be a beautiful show with a very happy ending.”
My plan is simple yet grand at the same time. Nikki thinks we’re hosting a small celebration at our restaurant. She believes it’s a thank-you to everyone who’s helped make our restaurant a success. She has no idea this celebration is all about her. She works harder than anyone I’ve ever known, and we should have far more celebrations in her honor.
As I head back to the restaurant to put the finishing touches on everything, I feel my heart pounding in my chest. I’ve faced a lot in my life — combat, injuries, isolation, losing my way and finding it again, loss. Even with all of that, nothing has ever made me this nervous. I love this woman with all of my heart, and while I truly believe there will be a happy ending to all of this, the spike of fear is overwhelming. I don’t want to walk through life without Nikki at my side. I can face anything with her. We have so many more adventures to take together.
Luckily, the day flies by in a blur. I managed to send Nikki to the city on a shopping run so she wouldn’t come in. She’s not a big shopper unless it comes to the restaurant. She absolutely loves buying for this place, which works to my advantage.
The restaurant is soon filled with flowers and twinkling lights. I have live music setting up, and the entire town has pitched in to help. By the time evening falls, the place is packed with friends, family, and half our community. Everyone’s buzzing with excitement, waiting for the big moment.
Nikki arrives, looking radiant as always, her eyes lighting up as she sees the crowd. She laughs as she makes her way toward me. I lean down and kiss her, my nerves out of control. Damn, I didn’t think it possible but my love for her continues to grow.
“This is a lot of people for a small celebration,” she says. “Then again, it’s Seaville so there’s no keeping people away from free food and drinks.”
I laugh with her. “You know how information flies here. One person gets an invite and three others tag along,” I say.
“You’re right, of course. It’s perfect anyway. This place is here because of our community, so it’s only fitting we have them all when we celebrate. You did amazing. If I’d known this many people were coming, I’d have put off shopping and stayed to help.”
“You do more than enough. Enjoy the party tonight,” I tell her.
The music begins and people start dancing. I can barely focus as I try to keep my body from shaking. My eyes are for Nikki only, who moves over to chat with Sasha and Sia, completely unaware of what’s about to happen. I nod to Eileen who gives me a thumbs up and a wink. She starts shushing everyone, getting their attention.
“Ladies and gentlemen,” Eileen calls. “Can I have you all quiet down for a moment?”
Everyone goes silent, which is a feat of its own. Nikki looks up with confusion. She moves back over to me. “What’s going on now?”
I give her a smile as I take her hand. “You’ll soon find out.”
She nods, but looks puzzled. She really doesn’t know. This warms my heart. I want this to be special, want her to know how much time and effort I put into this. I want her to know she’s worth everything, that she’s the most important person in the world.
“We’ve all gathered today for something extraordinary, for something special... for something that’s taken way too long.” I give her a glare. She’s going off script. I should’ve known. I shake my head, but fight a smile.
My heart thunders in my chest, and as Nikki looks at the crowd, I drop down on one knee. When she turns, her eyes go wide as her hand flies to her mouth. Tears instantly spring to her eyes as the people around us gasp. Our little committee has kept this a secret so most of our friends are just as surprised as Nikki... including her besties who’ve been sending me death glares for months as they’ve waited for me to make an honest woman of their best friend.
“Nikki,” I begin, my voice surprisingly steady despite my rapidly beating heart. “From the moment I moved back home, you’ve turned my life upside down in the best possible way. You challenge me, inspire me, and make me a better man every single day. I never thought it possible to find someone as perfect as you, but I should’ve been aware, because you’ve always been at my side. You’re my partner in every way, my best friend, and the love of my life. In front of all of our friends and family, I want to ask you the most significant question of my life. Will you do me the honor of becoming my wife?”
I pull out a ring from my pocket, a single diamond on a woven band that I know she’ll love. There’s a beat of silence as tears flow down Nikki’s cheeks. Then she gives me a wobbly smile as she drops down in front of me and throws her arms around my neck, sobbing against me. I hold her and wait. The room’s so silent a spoon could be heard dropping in the kitchen.
“Yes, Victor, of course I want to be your wife,” she finally chokes out.
The silence ends as the room erupts into cheers and applause. I hold her for several moments before she leans back. With shaking hands I finally slip the ring onto her finger, then pull her close to me again. The absolute joy I feel in this moment is indescribable. I pull her face to mine and kiss her, sealing our promise to each other. I get to spend the rest of my life with this fantastic woman. What a blessed man I am.
When we finally manage to pull away from each other, the noise around us is deafening. Many people are making comments of about time , and we always knew this would happen . I chuckle. I wish I would’ve known. We could’ve been spending so much more time together. But this night isn’t about regrets. It’s about now, and about the future we get to share together.
Nikki laughs through her tears and I’m unwilling to keep my hands from her. “I love you for now and always,” she says.
“I love you for eternity,” I tell her, my own voice choked.
We finally rise from the floor and champagne is passed out to all. We see Eileen, Vivian, and Martha off to the side looking slightly bummed. We make our way over to them. It’s a rare thing not to see smiles on their faces, so we want to make sure nothing’s wrong.
“Are you ladies okay?” I ask.
“I thought you’d be beaming right now since you take credit for us being together,” Nikki says.
Vivian gives us a dramatic sigh. “We’re very happy for you both.”
“You don’t look happy,” I tell them.
“We’re just bummed because we can’t figure out who to set up now. Everyone seems to be getting hitched already. We might need to bring some new blood to town.”
It takes a moment for their words to set in, and my mouth hangs open as I look at them. They’re serious about this. They live to matchmake. Maybe they really do have a gift. I don’t want to admit it, but their antics have brought us together.
Martha gives a somber nod. “You were our last big project. What will we do now?”
Eileen pats my arm. “We need a new mission. Our work is never done.”
I finally laugh as I shake my head. “I’m sure you ladies will find someone to meddle with soon enough. Keep your eyes open and your heads high.”
Nikki leans in with a huge smile. “Maybe you three should take a vacation. I’m sure that will revive you and give you some ideas. Besides, love will still happen naturally without you ladies.”
Eileen perks up at this idea. She then shakes her head. “Love needs a little push. It needs us. I do like the idea of a vacation though. Great idea.”
Nikki and I laugh, then turn away to leave the meddling trio to their own devices. I lead the love of my life to the dance floor and pull her close. We’ll always dance together, that’s essential to life. I can get through anything as long as I have Nikki at my side. This town might be full of mischief and mayhem, but it’s also full of love. I wouldn’t have it any other way.