by Sarah White
The apartment feels silent and empty and I stand in a hot shower, creating my plan to get him back. I decide that I could use a few stars for inspiration and a comforting place to figure out how to tell him exactly how I feel. I put on my clothes, tie my hair back, and make my way along the side of the apartment building to my trellis, breathing in the cold night air. When I reach the top and throw myself over, I swear I can almost hear the same low chuckle I heard two months ago, and I clamp my eyes closed, trying to recreate the sound in my head.
When my eyes start to adjust to the darkness, I move toward my corner, drawn by a faint light. There’s a blanket laid out there, with a small lantern sitting on its corner, casting its glow on my mother’s jewelry box. Jackson’s voice cuts through the cold and warms my soul.
“Hey, rookie, I thought I was going to freeze before you came up here again. I wanted to know if I could have one last dance.” He opens the box and my mother’s song begins to play as he takes me into his arms and dances with me under the stars.
“Jackson, I’m sorry. I wasn’t brave enough to do what I wanted, but now I am. I know I want to make this work with you. I also want to be in control of my own future. I’ve decided I want to go to grad school.”
“I want that for you too,” he answers softly.
“I want to introduce you to my family.”
“It’s too late,” he says and my heart sinks before he can continue. “I called your father and your brothers today. I told them how much I love you and heard every one of their concerns. They adore you—don’t you ever for a minute doubt how precious you are to them. Ben isn’t going to be easy to win over but I think he’s willing to let me prove myself to him. We discussed how wonderful it would be to possibly merge our two companies in the future. I told them I was going to ask you to marry me, and while they may not have embraced me with open arms, we’ve come to an understanding that I won’t give up, and they won’t ask me to.” He hugs me tightly as the music fades away and then he slides down to one knee and takes my hand.
“This is sort of a Hail Mary play but I’m going to go for it. Rookie, I promise to love you for the rest of my life. I never believed in love at first sight until you came along. I don’t know where this road will end, but I do know that I want to travel it with you as husband and wife. It doesn’t have to be tomorrow, or even this year, but I want to commit to us and what we can become. Maddy, will you marry me?” Jackson reaches into my mother’s music box and slides a ring from around the dancer’s tutu, placing it at the tip of my left ring finger.
The ring shines up at me, brilliant in the moonlight and I admire how the filigree stars are worked into the band.
With a smile I drop to my knees, too. “Yes, Jackson, I would love to marry you.”
He slides the ring onto my finger and wraps his arms around me. I will always be his rookie, and he will always be my everything.
The End
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About the Author
Sarah White was born and raised in California. A graduate of the University of California, Los Angeles, and California State University, Long Beach, she has a bachelor’s degree in psychology and a master’s degree in counseling. Sarah spends her days as a marriage and family therapist and her nights and weekends reading and writing stories. She is a winner of the Harlequin So You Think You Can Write Contest and two Watty Awards. She currently lives in California.
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