Page 29 of Forever Yours

My stomach flutters with nerves. The last few years with Liam have been a dream come true. He opted to get his undergraduate degree first and then was drafted into the NFL. We managed to make a long-distance relationship work this last year of school. I packed in enough classes to graduate a year early, and I’ll be entering a Masters program in Atlanta, near where Liam plays for the Falcons. We recently picked out a place together, and I’m so excited to make it ours. What if Liam has suddenly decided he doesn’t want to take that step with me?

Liam stops in front of the large white gazebo that students lovingly call, “The Marriage Curse Gazebo”. The ‘curse’ evolved from a couple that was separated during World War II and had their first kiss after being reunited right here in the gazebo. School legend has it that if you kiss someone in this gazebo, you’re meant to marry them. Hence, why most guys on campus avoid it like the plague.

I gaze up at the structure in awe. My heart beats faster. Is Liam…what if Liam?...

He tugs my hand and I follow him up the stairs of the gazebo. I can see my mom, Brian and Reina, all watching us from underneath a nearby tree.

Liam clasps both of my hands and brings me to stand in front of him. “I’ve thought long and hard how to do this. To be honest now that the moment has come every idea of what I wanted to say sounds stupid. I’m fuckin’ nervous as hell, Sophie. Forgive me if I don’t get this right.”

He gets down on one knee and my hand flies up to my mouth. He can’t be…is he? My eyes fill with tears.

“Sophie Ann Richards, I have loved you for as long as I remember. With or without a ring, you are my family. You are my best friend, and the woman I want to call mine forever. I don’t have a lot of fancy words to give you. All I have is my promise to always love you and to always treat you like the princess you are.” He pauses and takes a deep breath. “Sophie, will you marry me?” His words, combined with the ring box he’s holding out, have me gasping out loud. He opens the ring box. Inside is a gorgeous ring with a light pink stone in the middle, and diamonds on either side. Without conscious thought, I throw myself at him.

Unfortunately, he didn’t expect my launch, so we end up on the floor of the gazebo, with me hovering over him, and smothering him with kisses. “Yes, yes yes! Oh my God, yes!” I kiss him on the cheeks, his chin, his nose, and finally his beautiful mouth.

He takes in a gulp of air when we end the kiss. His lips curve up on one side. “So, that’s a yes then?” He chuckles and I start laughing. Big, fat tears of joy rain down my face and drip onto him.

“That’s a hell yes, Liam! I can’t wait to marry you.” I kiss him a little longer this time and when I stop, he tugs a strand of my blonde hair behind my ear. The pink hair is a thing of the past, even though I did love it.

“You are the love of my life, Sophie. I’m sorry I waited so long to tell you. Thank God you were smart enough to tell me how you felt, even if you were drunk at the time.” He lifts one brow. “We’ll think of a better story to tell our kids, though.”

“Kids?” I giggle. “Maybe let’s worry about the marriage part first.”

He lifts his head up a little to give me another small kiss. “I want everything with you, Soph. I want it all.”

And that’s what we have. Within each other’s arms, we have all that I could have ever hoped for.

Stay Tuned For Reina and Bryan's story...Coming in September!!!

Bonus Epilogue

Liam, Ten Years Later

“You ready, babe?” I call out to my wife. As usual, my girls are taking forever to get ready. It’s Riley’s first day of school. I’m both nervous and excited to see my girl off to her first day of being a big kid.

“We’re ready.” Sophie makes her way carefully down the staircase, holding the hand of our first-born. Her stomach is round with our second. She’s having a girl again. God, who would have thought I would have a houseful of girls? But I wouldn’t have it any other way.

I reach out for Riley, and she runs the last few steps into my arms. “You ready, puddin’ pop?” I ask and gently bop my little girl on the nose.

Her blonde pigtails swing as she shakes her head no. She looks so much like her mama as she bites her lip, and her big blue eyes fill with tears. “I’m scared, daddy. What if nobody wants to play with me? What if they’re mean?’

I put her down and kneel down so that we’re face to face. “How could anyone not love my little girl? Riley, everyone will love you and you’re going to have the best time.” I lean in and whisper. “And if they are mean to you, your daddy will come to the school and take care of it.”

I look up just in time to catch Sophie rolling her eyes. “No, your daddy won’t.” She pats the top of Riley’s golden blonde hair softly. “Baby girl, you’ll have a good day. When you get home, you can help me with baby sister’s room.”

Riley starts bouncing in excitement. She loves any mention of her baby sister. “Can we put unicorns and rainbows in her room?”

The doorbell rings before I hear her mom’s answer to that one. “Wonder who that is this time of the morning,” I mutter.

I raise an eyebrow when I see our neighbor Gayle and her little boy Jessie on our front step. “Hey guys, we were just getting ready to take Riley to her first day of school. What are y’all up to?”

Gayle sends me an apologetic glance. “Jessie here wouldn’t go to school without checking on Riley first. He wanted to make sure she wasn’t scared for her first day. He asked if we could walk with y’all.”

I glance down at the small boy. His brown eyes look up at him solemnly. “Mr. Collier, I needed to make sure Riley isn’t scared. First days are scary.” His puppy dog eyes implore me to understand his plight. “She’s my best friend so I have to protect her.”

“Sounds like another little boy I used to know,” Sophie murmurs as she comes to stand beside me.

I shoot her a disbelieving look. “They’re five and six. It’s not the same.”

Riley bounds around us and grabs Jessie’s arm. All the adults laugh as they enthusiastically start talking about school. “Let’s go, I guess,” I say gruffly, watching my little girl’s blonde pigtails bounce up and down. The sullen girl from earlier is no more. With Jessie’s presence, she’s happy as a lark. I sigh and shove my hands in my pockets.How can my baby girl be growing up already?

“Looks like history might be repeating itself.” Sophie winds her arm through mine as we walk behind the two little ones and Gayle.

“I’m not ready for her to be that old,” I mutter. “Hell, I’m not ready to be that old.”

She stops me with a tug on my arm and I look down at her. “If Jessie turns out to be half the guy her daddy is, she’s going to be one lucky girl.”

I lean down and nuzzle her neck. I caress her swollen stomach with the palm of my hand and feel a tiny kick nudge against it. “I’m the lucky one,” I whisper. “So damn lucky.”