75. Isabel
It was funny how life could change in a heartbeat. One minute you’re baking bread in a convent and next you’re engaged to a dashing man you love more than anything else.
Roman was nervous as he went on one knee in front of me, his hair still mushed up from his long nap. And despite all that, there was an elegance to him that made my heart tremble in response.
“Isabel, my sweet,” he said. “Mother of child…”
I giggled.
“Love of my life.”
And then I cried.
“Will you be my wife, please. I promise to make you happy and to love you until the day I die.”
And all I could do was nod because the funny feeling in my throat and chest made it impossible to speak. And when Roman opened the small satin box he held, I gasped.
“I thought a lot about which ring would be perfect for you, honey badger,” he explained. “And then one night it came to me. So I sent the cameo off to Italy and had them replicate it to make a ring. And I chose the emeralds because they match your eyes.”
The sob that slipped past my lips was one of pure joy, even if it sounded like I was the saddest woman alive. “It’s the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen. Thank you, my love.”
He kissed me softly. “I like that you call me your love, my sweet. I like it a lot,” he murmured into my mouth. “And thank you for saying yes.”
“Should we call Meg and tell her?” I asked. “I was supposed to text her earlier but then someone threw a pebble at my window and changed my life.”
“Yes, then I can tell my brother he’s going to be an uncle. But before we do that, there’s something else I have to tell you.”
“If you tell me you’re about to become a monk, fair warning, I will remain in the convent and we’ll see how long it takes before they kick us both out of Chatoise,” I teased him.
Roman laughed, and took my hands in his. “Two days ago I met with your father, Francis Gray.”
My jaw dropped. “Francis Gray. The priest?”
“Well, he’s an archbishop now. I wanted to meet him because it was important to find out if he deserved to be in your life.”
“An archbishop?” I gulped. “Holy shit.”
“I’ll say,” Roman smiled.
“And what did you think?
“He’s a wonderful man, Isabel. And he can’t wait to meet you.”
“Won’t he get into trouble, telling the world he has a daughter?”
“Well, here’s the thing. The archbishop didn’t hesitate to choose his daughter over the Church. Like I said, he’s quite a guy. I think you’ll like him.”
“What does he look like?” I wanted to know.
“See, I knew you were going to ask that. Francis let me take a picture.”
And then I was staring at a picture of Francis Gray, the man my mother loved her whole life. He looked exactly the way I thought he would. Best of all, I could see something of myself in him. I didn’t try to bite back the tears. “My bear…my mom named the bear after Francis.”
Roman cuppedmy face and gazed into my eyes. “You know what would make this day even more perfect?” he said.
I smiled.“So far this would be hard to beat, but let’s have it. I’m all ears. And in case you’re curious, having sex while pregnant is totally a thing. So if that’s what you were thinking, that would totally make this day even better…”
“Well,no more sex right now and let me tell you why,” Roman said. “Beccause I was thinking we should get married. Here in Chatoise. Tomorrow night. And I hope you say yes because we have a wedding to plan and only one day to do that.”
I crawled onto Roman’s lap, and kissed him.
“Just to make sure, so no sex until we’re married,” I said. “Is that what we’re going for here?”
And Roman laughed and then kissed me. “Yes, honey badger. We’re going to wait until tomorrow night when I can carry my bride over the threshold and officially make her mine.”
* * *