Page 89 of Weathering The Storm

I reach into my pocket. “I got you something.”

“Yeah?”

He turns to look at me, and I hand him the gloves.

They’re good ones, like the pair he bought me last fall. We haven’t been out on a commercial gig since last season, so he hasn’t had a chance to replace his old ones. It’s getting colder now though, and he’s gonna need them.

He takes them, turns them over in his hands, and I watch his face. The small, sentimental smile. “What, do these have their own built-in generator or something?” he teases. “Individual finger warmers?”

Jesus, my cheeks are shaking when I smile back at him.Bad. “No. They’re pretty damn warm though. Try them on.”

He slips on the right one first, testing the fit of the fabric. “No kidding, these are nice.” He pulls on the left one next. “Thank you—”

He cuts himself off and goes completely still, looking back at me with wide eyes that say so much, yet nothing specific enough to ease my nerves.

As smoothly as he put the glove on, he slips it back off. The ring falls out of the finger of the glove into his palm. A plain platinum band.

“Nicky…” His voice is made up of breath and effort. “What is this?”

“I know it’s sort of fast. I know we haven’t talked about—” I stop and start again. Fucking hell, I knew I was going to botch this, even though I’ve run the words through my head a million times at this point.

“I’ve had that ring for a month, trying to figure out the perfect moment to ask you. But that ended up being impossible, because I loveeverymoment with you,” I start over, getting onto one knee and closing my hand over his. The ring warms between our palms. “And I want a lifetime of those moments. You’re my best friend, Seth. You are…everythingto me. And I love you.”

Seth looks at me, eyes glassy as he squeezes my hand.

“Will you marry me?”

Seth pulls me in by our joined hands. Cupping the back of my head and kissing me so deeply I wonder if he can feel the pounding rhythm of my heartbeat against his smiling lips. “I’ll marry you right now. You’re the Captain. Make it happen.”

I laugh breathlessly. Out of relief, out of excitement. Out of the fact that there’s a wet puppy nose and slobbery tongue invading our personal space. “You know that’s an old myth, right? I’m not ordained.”

Seth strokes the back of my head as I pull back, taking the ring from his hand and turning it over. Something wells up inside of me as I slip the band onto his finger, polished metal against his warm summer skin tone.

This time next year, and every year after that, there will be a tan line in its place.

I wonder if he’s thinking the same thing as he looks down at the ring, then back at me. “My mother would probably kill me if she didn’t get an invite, huh?”

“I don’t know who’d be more pissed—your mother or mine.”

“Or Jorg. Missing out on an open bar.”

I’m still coming down on adrenaline and soaring high on dopamine, so I laugh excessively. Then laugh even louder when Squid starts gnawing on the platinum band.

“I waited four years for you.” Seth kisses me again. “I guess I can wait a little longer.”

Epilogue

Seth

It’s November 12th. The anniversary of the storm and, from this day forward, our wedding anniversary, too.

I didn’t think I’d be anxious in the moments leading up to the ceremony. I’m ready to be married to Nick. I’m the sort of person who’s always known what I want in life, and I’ve never been as sure of anything as I am about him.

But I’m filled with nerves as I wait for him outside the Great Room at Otter Trail Lodge, so that we can walk down the aisle together. Jittery with anticipation at the thought of being able to call him my husband instead of my boyfriend or my partner.

On the other side of the double doors, our small group of guests are seated and mingling. A few different conversations muddle together, but all other sound disappears when I hear footsteps.

Nick rounds the corner. It’s the first time I’ve ever seen him so cleaned up, and I doubt it’ll happen again anytime soon, so I make sure to take it all in. His hair, trimmed and neatly styled. His jaw, clean-shaven. The tailored burgundy suit hugging his broad shoulders and tapered hips. The black tie and dress shirt that match my own suit, and the white rose pinned to his lapel, like the deep red one pinned to mine.