Chapter 23 #2
My oldest friend grins down at me. “Right? Anyway,” Ian bows, extending his hand, “may I have this dance?” He wiggles his thick eyebrows, making me giggle. “I know I’m not Oliver, but hopefully I’ll do for the present.”
Taking Ian’s hand, a wave of gratitude washes through me. With a sigh, I look up at him and rest my palm on his shoulder. “Thank you.”
Confusion takes over Ian’s features as he tilts his head in question. “For dancing with you?” We move together to the rhythm in that easy manner we’ve always had.
I shake my head. “For everything. For always being there, from that very first day when you moved in next door. For not letting my family scare you away from hanging out with me. For supporting me when no one else did. For pushing me to go meet Oliver. I wouldn’t have him if it wasn’t for you.
” Tears threaten to fall from my eyes, and I blink them away.
“Callie … ” he whispers. My dearest friend looks back at me with nothing but love.
Releasing his hold on my waist, Ian spins me around.
“I’ll always be there for you, don’t worry.
You’re the little sister I never wanted.
But I am so proud of you,” he says, catching me.
“And you deserve to be happy. Never forget that.” I watch my friend’s eyes flicker to somewhere above my head toward the front of the room.
The song comes to a close, no new tune replacing the previous melody. But no one questions the DJ. No one moves. No one breathes.
A quick look to my left and right reveals that Ian and I are surrounded by my family, each one of them watching us.
No, not us.
Me.
I turn back to my friend, a confused frown in place. “What’s going on?” I whisper.
Ian says nothing. Instead, he pulls me in for a tight hug before spinning me around to face the stage.
A gasp catches in my throat. Goosebumps break out across my skin. My heart ceases all movements, unsure if it even remembers the most simple of operations.
There, on the raised platform, stands Oliver.
My feet beg my mind to remember how to move, if only to run to Oliver’s waiting arms.
But Ian keeps me anchored in place, holding me steady while my knees threaten to give out.
With a wireless microphone in one hand, Oliver waves to the crowd with the other.
No longer in his university lounge pants from earlier, my favorite person somehow manages to look effortlessly stylish in dark navy chino pants and a fitted gray sweater.
“Hello everyone,” he says, “I apologize for the interruption. I promise this will only take a moment.” It takes less than a single breath for the lights to come up and my love’s eyes to meet mine.
A breathtaking smile breaks out across his handsome face.
“You see, I met this woman. This incredible woman. For all intents and purposes, we began seeing one another. Now, we may not have gotten together under typical circumstances, but I knew I continued to crave her company each time we would part ways. Over time, I began giving in to little indulgences here and there where she was concerned, before I was finally able to admit the truth to myself.” Oliver’s eyes lock onto mine. “I had fallen in love with her.”
My heart kickstarts, waking from its ill-timed slumber and taking off in a gallop.
Eyes wide, I watch as Oliver descends the small staircase from the platform.
The crowd parts for him in a manner so reverent, it’s almost biblical—my personal salvation coming to claim my heart and soul here for all to see.
And I’ll let him.
Step by measured step, Oliver makes his way to me.
Each stride is a test of my patience. A trial that I am actively failing.
When Oliver is only a few paces away, he continues, “Then, one day, and for only a single moment in time, I found out how I would feel if I were to lose her. And I knew then that this was it. That she was it for me. If there had ever been any doubt in my mind, logic and love cast it out.” Oliver closes the remaining distance between us, stopping only breaths away.
His familiar scent of cinnamon and apples holds me captive as Ian steps away.
Oliver beams down at me, his gentle hand brushing a piece of hair from my face.
In my periphery, a figure steps out from the crowd and heads toward us.
When Prescott is close enough, Oliver moves to hand him the microphone, exchanging it for something smaller and more easily concealed under those large fingers. “Thank you,” Oliver murmurs to my brother.
Prescott takes the microphone and steps away, giving us a false sense of privacy.
I never believed the fairy tales—the princesses who spoke of time slowing or stopping altogether when their true love asked for their hand. But as the man I love drops down to one knee, tears stream down my cheeks while the rest of the world falls away.
Here, it’s only Oliver and I.
Here, in this perfect moment, we are infinite.
Taking my hand in his, ocean blue eyes filled with adoration and longing search mine.
“Calloway Leora Rutherford, from the moment we met, we were a team. We looked out for one another, protected one another. Defended one another. Callie, you are strong, fiercely loyal, and wholly good. I don’t believe I’ll ever be able to thank John and Ian quite enough for bringing you into my life. ”
Wet laughter bubbles from my lips, Oliver grinning right along with me. My hand not in his wipes away my tears, doing its best to clear my vision so I won’t miss a single moment.
“I promise to always trust you and support you. You will never have to wonder where my loyalty lies, because it will always be with you. My love. Callie.” Using one hand, Oliver opens the tiny blue box with gold filigree around the edges.
Nestled among the cushions sits the most beautiful ring I’ve ever seen.
A large oval center diamond surrounded by tiny teardrop diamonds on either side rests on a thin yellow-gold band, sparkling under the lights. “Will you marry me?”
A permanent smile takes over, erasing years of confusion and doubt. The tears flow freely now, and I no longer bother trying to stop them. Sniffing, my head nods of its own accord. “Yes,” I laugh blissfully.
Relief evident on his face, Oliver removes the ring and slips it onto my waiting finger. My favorite laugh is quickly drowned out by the clapping and excitement of everyone in the room. Standing, he slides the box back into his pocket and I simply can’t hold back any longer.
As soon as he’s at his full height, I launch myself into Oliver’s arms.
And he catches me, just like I knew he would.
Lifting me from the ground, Oliver’s arm wraps around my waist to tuck me as close to him as possible. Desperation and joy and love pour from his lips as they find home with mine, while the other arm snakes under my seat, giving me additional leverage.
My hand slides around Oliver’s neck and into his hair, pulling him closer still. The other moves to his chest, where the wild beat of his heart causes the rhinos stampeding through my ribcage to frenzy, heat and excitement surrounding us.
When he brings me back to Earth and sets me on the ground, that beautiful smile greets me as he leans away. Fingers linked at the small of my back, those blue eyes sparkle. “Hi,” he whispers.
My cheeks ache from my grin threatening to break the laws of physics. “Hi.”
“Are you ready?”
I laugh. “To marry you?”
“For our engagement party,” he grins. Oliver’s gaze breaks away from mine, willing mine to follow. “You didn’t think your Mom originally wanted a hot cocoa fountain and dessert bar, did you? Or all the plant babies?”
Looking around, both of our families, John’s family, and the Fairchilds all rush toward us, arms open in congratulations. As we get pulled in every direction for hugs and kisses and overwhelming love, the countdown to midnight begins.
“10! 9!”
Sandra kisses her son on the cheek and looks at me with shining eyes before wrapping her arms around me. John, Rindy, and Jo take turns hugging us tight, saying their congratulations.
“8! 7!”
Connie, Imogene, and Blythe manage to squeeze me within an inch of my life, giving a whole new meaning to loving someone to death.
“6! 5!”
Prescott and Chris clap Oliver on the shoulder and take turns shaking his hand while welcoming him to the family. Marshall congratulates his son, pulling us both in tight.
“4! 3!”
Ian and Aaron encircle me in one giant hug. They give my sisters and soon-to-be sister a run for their money when it comes to lovingly depriving me of air.
“2!”
Mom and Dad each press a kiss to my cheek. Their excitement may be more understated than everyone else’s, but I still wouldn’t change them being here for the world.
“1!”
Finding the man I love among our sea of loved ones, I drift back into his arms. “I love you, Oliver,” I whisper.
“I love you, too, Calloway,” he murmurs against my lips.
My grin widens, and his follows my lead. “You know, this holiday was better than I ever could have hoped for.”
Oliver chuckles as he closes the final breath between us.
“Happy New Year!”
Our lips meet across every challenge we’ve faced, joining where our future begins.