Page 82 of Fresh Start

“It better be. I didn’t invite everyone for nothing,” he said.

“We. You mean we,” I said.

Dawson shrugged.

“Well, yeah, technically. But I had ulterior motives when I convinced you we need to have a barbecue,” he said.

I didn’t know what he was talking about. We’d both decided it’d be good to celebrate our official move into town and hold a housewarming party. He hadn’t convinced me to do anything.

“I don’t understand.”

Dawson took me by the hand and led me through the house to the other side, into the back that was more a forest than a garden.

“You know I love you, right?” he asked me.

“I love you, too, baby,” I said and leaned into him as we watched the peaceful flora around us.

This place was so calm and relaxing. If the rest of the house hadn’t sold itself to us, our own little forest did. As soon as we cast our eyes on it, we knew this house was it.

“I know we’ve talked about this a lot and how we wasted so much time away from each other,” Dawson continued. “And it’s true. Which is why I don’t want to wait any longer.”

He held me away from him, and taking both my hands, got on one knee.

“Fuck. No. You’re not doing this,” I said.

Dawson winced.

“Why not?” he asked as he took a little dark blue box out of his back pocket.

I put my hand in my back pocket and took out my own box.

“Because I was supposed to do this tonight. Idiot,” I said and also came down on my knee.

I looked into his eyes, the abyss that I was so lost in there was no salvation. And I didn’t need one because I was his, and he was mine. The ring, the paper, the ceremony was just for show. For someone else. We already belonged to one another anyway.

We both laughed, and I kissed him.

When I removed my lips from his, I opened the box as quickly as possible and showed him the ring I’d selected for him. A silver band with a cut running across the middle that was royal blue.

“Will you marry me?” I said before he could say it.

“Dammit,” he cursed. “Will you marry me?”

I shook my head.

“I asked you first,” I said.

Dawson opened the ring box he was holding to show me a black band with a rose gold trim.

“But how can you say no to this ring?” he asked. “Imagine it with the Death Knight costume on.”

Dawson bit his lip, and it took all my willpower not to succumb to his will and be the first to say yes.

The costume had seen things that would get us into so much trouble if it could speak.

“Fine. Yes, I’ll marry you. I guess,” Dawson said with a roll of his eyes when I didn’t respond.

“Good boy,” I said and removed my ring from the box and slipped it on his finger. “And one more thing.”

“What?” he said.

He was so cute when he pretended to be upset.

“Of course I’ll marry you too,” I said, and Dawson attacked me with his lips and tongue.

Life was good. Life was perfect. And now that we had our own house as an engaged couple, things were going to be even more perfect. We had each other, and that’s all that mattered.

Even if it took seventeen years, a betrayal and a half, and a lot of forgiveness, we had managed to start over and be each other’s light in the grim darkness of the world.

Fresh starts were good. Weren’t they?