39. Nick #2
Luther parks the SUV on the side street along the empty plot of land. As I unsnap my seat belt, Willa cranes her head from side to side in confusion.
“Where are we?”
“You’ll see,” I hedge. Opening the car door, I slide out and help Willa exit the vehicle. Luther opens the back tailgate and Bruno jumps out, prancing to Willa's side, shadowing her like he always does.
I sent Johann ahead of us to set up. Following my instructions, Johann has placed lanterns around the vacant grassy lot to illuminate our path.
Located just outside the city limits of Marymount, this piece of undeveloped land is adjacent to the Women’s Reproductive Health Hospital.
Originally, it was slated to become an additional parking structure, but the soil was found to be too soft to support the weight of a five-story, concrete parking garage.
Since that discovery, it’s sat undisturbed and forgotten.
So, I worked to get the land rezoned, then spent the last few months quietly soliciting donors to financially support the project and working closely with landscape architects to design exactly what I had in mind.
“What are we doing here, Nick?” Willa questions, rubbing her hands together to combat the chill of the winter night. Gesturing to the tote bag in my hand, she adds, “It’s a little cold for a picnic dinner. ”
Setting down the bag, I take her hands in mine. “This is land that's owned by the women’s hospital, and it will be the future site of the Radford Remembrance Garden.”
Willa’s jaw slackens. “The Radford what?"
“The Radford Remembrance Garden,” I repeat.
“Yes, but what is that?”
“I hope it will become a sanctuary for women and families who have endured a pregnancy loss to find solace in their grief and offer a peaceful, beautiful resting place for their lost children.”
“Oh, Nick,” Willa shudders, her hand covers her mouth as tears fill her eyes. Sensing Willa's heightened emotions, Bruno leans against her legs, providing comfort.
I withdraw the plans from the bag and unroll them. Using my phone’s flashlight, I point out where the small pond with the fountain feature will go. Then, the beds of lush greenery and flowers, the wooden benches, the picnic area, and the small, attached graveyard.
Sniffling, Willa wipes her eyes. “It’s beautiful, Nick.” Leaning over the plans, she points to the large tree that serves as the focal point in the center of the garden, her eyes darting between the paper and the land. “What’s this? There isn’t a tree on the land here. Will you plant one?”
“Not exactly.”
She looks at me questioningly as I reach back into the bag and withdraw a silver leaf. She turns it over in her hand, her fingers brushing over the engraving. "Baby Radford?" Her questioning eyes dart up to meet my gaze.
“I’ve commissioned a metal artist to sculpt the trunk and limbs of a giant magnolia tree.
Native to the southern United States, magnolia trees are a symbol of endurance, strength, and everlasting bonds.
” I scan Willa’s face as I explain the next part, hoping that she likes the idea as much as I do.
“People can go online to order a free customized metal leaf with the name of the child they lost and/or the date of the miscarriage. Each leaf, after it’s been engraved, will be hung from the tree limbs to create a growing monument.
Additionally, all Belgrovinian hospitals have agreed to begin offering the monument leaves to women who suffer a pregnancy loss.
Each time the wind blows, it will create a tinkling, musical sound to give a voice to those children who never had a chance at life. ”
A whimpering wail erupts from Willa’s throat, and she buries her head in my chest. I hold her tightly until her sobs soften and eventually cease.
With a gulp, Willa looks at me with wide eyes. “When—” she starts before changing her mind. “Why did you do this, Nick?”
“When I heard you describe your regrets that you didn’t name your lost child or give them a burial place, I knew that I never wanted anyone else to harbor those same regrets, Willa.”
“Oh, Nick, this is perfect.” She stares out across the land, lost in thought for a long moment before whispering, “Thank you. What you’ve done is probably the best, most precious gift I'll ever receive.” She stands in front of me, wrapping her arms around my neck.
“You make me feel so heard. You make me feel like I matter.”
“No one matters more to me than you.”
“Same, Nicholas, same.”
"Truth or dare, my darling?"
"Truth."
"Do you love me?"
“I didn’t know it was even possible, but I love you more now than I did a few minutes ago.”
"Good. Truth or dare? "
"Wait! Isn't it my turn now?" Willa replies, thumping my chest with her small hand.
"Stop being difficult and answer the question, Radford. Truth or dare?" I repeat.
"Fine. Dare,” she huffs playfully, with a sparkle in her eyes.
"I dare you to share this crazy life with me forever.
I dare you to work with me to write our own rules and carve out the future we desire.
I dare you to love me for all the rest of our days as I vow to do the same.
" I sink to one knee and pull out the ring box from my jacket pocket.
"I dare you to be my wife. Will you marry me, my darling? "
With every word I speak, the blood leeches from Willa's face and her eyes grow bigger. She gasps. And then she nods and nods some more. "Yes! God, yes, I'll marry you."
Rising, I grab Willa around the waist and haul her body to mine. "Nothing will make me happier than having you as my wife." My hand cradles the back of her head as she begins crying again.
But this time, they’re happy tears. They’re tears for the future we’re building, rather than tears for what she’s lost in the past.
Gently, I slip the ring onto her finger. The gold diamond and emerald ring fits perfectly on her petite hand, just like I knew it would.
When I asked Alex and Ellie to accompany me to select an engagement ring from the Crown jewels, I wasn't sure what to pick. I went in with an open mind, albeit I assumed I would need Ellie’s assistance to steer me in the right direction.
But when I saw this ring, a ring that King Lucien gave his wife upon the birth of their first child, I knew it was the one.
Not only because it was associated with fertility, but also because the color of the emerald stone matches the exact shade of Willa’s eyes.
I knew it was meant to be. Just like we are.
“It’s gorgeous, Nick,” she sighs happily, admiring the ring. “I can’t believe this is happening.” Her eyes bounce up to meet mine as she shrieks, “I can’t believe we’re engaged!”
Hearing her excitement, Bruno barks loudly, weaving through our legs. I can only laugh at his shenanigans, especially since Willa changed him out of pajamas and into a striped sweater for our field trip.
“Come now. Surely, you knew a proposal was on the horizon. I’ve been telling anyone and everyone that I was going to make you my wife,” I chide teasingly.
“Well, yes, you have, but I didn’t think it would happen so soon.
” She crinkles her nose, which makes her look even more adorable, even though I hate how much her anxiety affects her.
“You don’t think it’s too soon, do you? We haven’t even been together for a year.
What will the press think?” A slight frown mars her features. “What will your mother think?”
“Forget everyone else. Just between you and me, does it feel like it’s too soon?”
Without hesitation, she replies, “No, it doesn’t. It feels right. It feels…perfect.”
“Then that’s all that matters, Willa.”
“How did I get so lucky to have met you?” Willa gushes, “I can’t even remember what my life felt like before I knew you.”
Isn’t that one of the greatest cosmic mysteries? How a person can go from being a stranger to becoming the most important person in your life.
After my father’s passing, I thought my life was divided into two periods—before his death and after.
But now I know I was wrong .
My life was really divided into two distinct, pivotal eras—before I met Willa and after I met Willa—because her presence has forever changed me for the better.