by Sydney Logan
“The way he looks at her . . .” I whisper, suddenly overwhelmed with emotion. “It’s like—”
“Like she’s his entire world. It’s the same way I look at you.” Caleb softly strokes my cheek. “That’ll be us, thirty years from now. I promise.”
I want to believe him, but it’s so hard. My parents weren’t the best examples of a solid, loving relationship. Could our love withstand all the crap that life is bound to throw at us? I want to believe that Caleb will love me just as much as he does right now . . . maybe even a little more.
My eyes linger on his parents. Can we really have what they have?
“I want that,” Caleb says softly against my ear. “And I want it with you.”
The song ends, and Sherry and Tucker return to the table. They’re headed home tomorrow, so I offer to take Eli back to the apartment so that they can spend time together, just the three of them.
“Absolutely not,” Sherry says with a grin. “You and I need to finish our conversation. And I’m sure Caleb and his father have some things to talk about, as well.”
“We do?” Tucker arches his eyebrow, but his wife shoots him a look that clearly screams play along, prompting him to clear his throat.
“You know, guys, I thought I saw an arcade next door. Why don’t we check it out while the ladies order dessert?”
Eli’s suddenly all ears. “Galaxy Games. It’s awesome!”
“What is this? Divide and conquer?” Caleb smirks.
Sherry nods. “Yes. Now go away.”
He grins and kisses both of us on the cheek before following his dad and Eli toward the exit.
The waiter returns, and Sherry asks for the best dessert on the menu and two forks. He returns with a gigantic piece of strawberry cheesecake and places it in the middle of the table. Sherry giggles like a schoolgirl before taking a bite.
She moans appreciatively. “Delicious.”
With a laugh, I take a bite and wait for the inquisition to begin.
“You look nervous, Skye.”
“I am, a little.”
“Why?”
“Well, I love your son, for starters. And nothing about our relationship has been traditional.”
“That’s why it’s so perfect. Caleb’s never been traditional about anything. He started playing piano when he was five. Guitar by seven. When he was in third grade, I’d get calls from his teacher because he wouldn’t do his class work. He wrote music instead. We made him play basketball, but then he dislocated a finger which interfered with guitar playing, so that was that. He refused to ever play another sport. We finally stopped trying to force him into this well-rounded individual and just let him be who he wanted to be. He was much happier after that, and so were we.”
“Letting him move so far away from home must’ve been hard.”
“It was, but his Aunt Carol’s here, so that relieved our anxiety a little. We knew she wouldn’t let him starve to death. Belmont was always his first choice, so when he received his scholarship, it was really a no brainer. Nashville is where he’s always wanted to be.”
“He’s a wonderful teacher. You should be very proud.”
“Oh, we are. I admit this recent wedding business left us pretty upset with both him and Juliana, but their hearts were in the right place. Thankfully, he met you, and he was forced to see reason.”
“I encouraged him to go through with it.”
“I know. That must’ve been very hard.”
I nod.
“You’re very good for him, Skye. I do worry that he won’t be patient.”
“What do you mean?”
Sherry smiles thoughtfully at me. “My son is desperately in love with you. It’s quite obvious. And I’m afraid the Lynch men are very impatient when they fall in love. Frankly, I’m surprised he hasn’t proposed yet. Tucker proposed to me on our first date.”
My eyes widen, and she laughs out loud.
“What did you say?”
“I said no, of course! But then we went out again . . . and again. By the fourth date, I was regretting saying no. Good thing he asked again. It didn’t take long. We’d only been dating a month when I finally said yes.”
“Wow.”
“I see the way Caleb looks at you. The Lynch men are loving and faithful. You will be cherished always, and so will your children.” Sherry stops suddenly and smiles to herself. “What a sense of déjà vu. This is the same speech Tucker’s mom gave to me.”
I quickly brush away a tear.
“I’m not trying to push you into anything you aren’t ready for. I just want you to be prepared. I know my son, and I know how he thinks. As a wedding planner, you probably see many marriages come and go, and there are a thousand reasons not to ever get married. I just don’t want one of those reasons to be that you’re afraid he won’t love you unconditionally, because he will. Never doubt that.”
It’s quite a speech, and it does nothing to quell my anxiety. Is it possible Caleb’s actually considering proposing?
“I don’t think we’re there yet. I mean, it’s so soon. We haven’t even discussed marriage.”
Sherry smiles knowingly.
“Trust me. You will.”
Dad and I find a table while Eli plays every game in the arcade. He only speaks to us when he needs cash, giving us plenty of time to catch up. We talk about Luisa, teaching, and my music, but invariably, the conversation always returns to Skye.
“She’s really something, son.”
“She really is.”
Dad chuckles. “Hell of a way to meet the love of your life. I would’ve paid big money to have been a fly on the wall the day she found out you were the groom. I mean, what are the odds?”
“I know, right? It’s a small, small world.”
He sobers. “She is, isn’t she?”
“Is what?”
“The love of your life.”
I nod. Isn’t it obvious?
“You mother thought so.”
“Mom is very perceptive.”
I scan the room and find Eli standing at a Pac-Man machine. Modern, state-of-the-art games surround him, but leave it to him to find something from the eighties.
“So, when are you proposing?”
I don’t even bother denying it.
“Soon.”
“How soon?”
“Whenever Lynsey gives me the green light.”
“I know you explained this, but let me see if I understand. You’re planning a wedding, but you haven’t even proposed yet?”
“Actually, Skye already planned it.”
“Unknowingly.”
“Right.”
Dad laughs just as Eli returns, asking for just one more dollar. This is the tenth time he’s asked for just one more, but Dad just smiles and pulls out a twenty. Eli thanks him, and they bump fists before the kid’s gone once again.
“Son, you obviously know Skye better than I do, but she strikes me as the kind of woman who doesn’t like surprises.”
I nod. It’s my greatest fear—that Skye will be so upset about my and Lynsey’s teamwork that she’ll tell me to go to hell when I ask her to marry me.
“It’s supposed to be romantic,” I mumble.
“Oh, it is. It’s also nuts.”
“I just love her so much, Dad.”
“I know you do. We Lynch men are notoriously impatient when our hearts are involved.”
I think about my parents and how Dad proposed on their first date. Mom made him wait a whole month before saying yes.
“Maybe we just know when it’s right.”
Dad lifts his Coke and our bottles clink.
“Maybe we do.”
I’m not sure why, but it’s very hard to say goodbye to my parents at the end of the night. Maybe it’s the emotion of the last few days catching up with me. I can tell they feel the same way. After sharing a hug with Skye, Mom reaches for me, holding me a little tighter than usual. While we wait for their cab, Dad keeps asking me questions about the
city, just to keep the conversation going. When their taxi arrives, I promise to visit California as soon as my schedule allows. Mom tells me to be sure to bring Skye when I come, which lets me know they already love her, just like I knew they would.
It’s nearly midnight, and the apartment’s quiet except for the sound of running water. Eli’s asleep, and Skye’s in the shower. After finding what I need in my briefcase, I stand outside on the terrace, looking at the full moon and thinking about my parents.
Dad loves to tell the story of the night he first proposed to my mom. He’d taken her to a movie, walked her home, and immediately dropped to one knee.
My mom laughed.
Loudly.
A month later, they were engaged. Two months after that, they were Mr. and Mrs. Lynch.
So impatient.
But I get it.
Life is so freakishly unpredictable. Luisa is proof of that. You can be healthy and happy one day and planning a funeral the next. Time is precious and sacred, and when it’s gone, it’s truly gone.
I don’t want to waste one second with Skye.
“What are you doing out here?”
Turning around, I find her standing in the doorway, with a satin robe tied around her waist. Her hair’s wet and she doesn’t have a bit of makeup on. I don’t care, but she might. If I do this now, she may never forgive me.
That’s a chance I’ll have to take.
Our proposal story won’t be like my parent’s. Because of my impatience, it won’t be funny or cute, but it will be honest and real.
I pray she won’t be disappointed.
I pray she says yes.
Slipping my hand into my pants pocket, I let my fingers slide along the white gold band. It’s lived in my briefcase since the day Juliana gave it back to me. On my best friend’s hand, it’d just been a prop—a visual reminder of the lie we’d concocted, all in the name of making her mother smile just a little while longer. But tonight, it’s so much more. Tonight, I’ll be using it for its intended purpose and placing it on the finger where it was meant to be all along.
I offer her my hand, and Skye steps out onto the balcony with me. Taking a long, steadying breath, I gaze into the eyes of the woman I love and drop to one knee.
Her breath hitches.
“This isn’t how I planned this. Honestly, I didn’t have a plan at all. I just love you, and if I’ve learned nothing else this week, I’ve learned that life is too short to wait for the perfect moment. I think, sometimes, we have to create those moments and hope they’re perfect enough . . . and I really hope this moment is perfect enough because I don’t know what I’ll do if you say no.”
Skye’s eyes fill with tears.
“Caleb, I—”
“Please just let me say this. You are the love of my life. You’re it for me, pure and simple. I know you’re scared. I know this is fast. I know you worry that we’ll end up like all those couples you’ve planned weddings for who don’t even make it past the honeymoon. I know you’re afraid we’ll end up like your parents, but we won’t. I won’t let us. I knew from our very first date at The Boombox that I’d waited my whole life for someone like you. I knew then. Even though my life was complicated and messy, I knew you were the one, and it killed me that I couldn’t have you.”
“You had me,” she whispers tearfully. “You had me then.”
“You had me, too. And you’ll have me for the rest of your life. Will you marry me?”
All she does is nod, but it’s enough, and she gasps when I pull the antique ring out of my pocket and place it on her finger.
“That’s beautiful.”
“Do you like it?”
“I love it . . . but, when did you . . . I mean—”
I smile and shake my head.
“It belonged to my grandmother. This ring has been waiting for you for a long time, too.”
“Oh, Caleb.”
She leaps into my arms, and we hold each other tight.
“I can’t believe you said yes.” I press my forehead against hers and gaze into her shining eyes. “Come to think of it, you didn’t—”
“Yes!”
It’s music to my ears.
Lifting her in my arms, I carry her to the bedroom and lay her down on the blanket. My eager hands reach for her robe, and I quickly loosen the sash around her waist. The satin falls away from her body, and my hands reverently ghost along her bare skin. Skye grabs the hem of my shirt and pulls it over my head before reaching for the zipper of my jeans. Within seconds, we’re skin to skin, heart to heart, and I sigh in contentment as her body covers mine.
“I’m going to make you so happy, Skye.”
“You already do.”
“Do I really?”
She gently traces the outline of my lips with her fingertip.
“You really do.”
We make love, and it’s the wildest combination. Sweet and hot. Tender and passionate. When our bodies find their release, and our racing hearts have returned to a normal rhythm, I’m stunned to hear Skye’s quiet sobs.
“What’s—”
“I’m sorry,” she says softly, burying her face against my neck. “Happy tears, I swear.”
I protectively wrap my arms around her and promise she’ll only cry happy tears for the rest of her life.
Two weeks later, I’m teaching piano scales to a little girl in enrichment class when I get a call from Lynsey.
“Mission accomplished.”
“I have no idea what that means.”
“It means I’ve found the dress.”
My fingers freeze on the piano. “You have it?”
“I’ll have it next week.”
I stand up from the piano and tell her to keep practicing while I rush out to the hallway. The music room’s beyond loud, and I need to make sure my ears aren’t deceiving me.
“Next week? You’ll have it by next week?”
“With specific instructions to send it directly to me. And let me tell you, it was a pain in the ass. Of course she’d pick a dress that’s one of a kind. Out of desperation, I called Antonio. At first, he was offended that we wanted a dress that couldn’t be found in his store, but when he heard it was for Skye, he became a man obsessed. He was ready to contact the designer, but then he got a call from a bridal shop in London just this morning. They have it. It’ll need a little hemming, but Antonio’s seamstress will take care of that.”
“That’s fantastic! I owe him so big.”
“Antonio mentioned that. He’s really looking forward to sending you his bill.” Suddenly, her voice drops an octave, and her tone is serious. “Everything’s ready, Caleb. The dress was the last thing on the list.”
I lean against the wall. I’m actually feeling a little lightheaded.
“I guess all I have to do now is get her to the church without totally blowing the surprise.”
“About the church . . . I wanted to talk to you about that. I think I might have a better idea.”
The emotional rollercoaster continues for the next few weeks, but at least these emotions are happy ones. Nick and Jill returned home with renewed hope in rebuilding their relationship. All of us, including Eli, realize that their problems are far from resolved, but they both seem committed to working on their issues with a counselor so they can repair what’s broken and be the best parents they can be.
It really gives me hope about the entire institution of marriage, which is good considering I’m now engaged.
Engaged.
Many times throughout the day, I have to stare at my gorgeous ring, just to remind myself that I’m not dreaming. We’ve even set a date.
In three months, I’ll be Mrs. Caleb Lynch.
We had immediately called his parents, and then mine. My dad and mom, while stunned by the news, seemed happy for us and promised to be here for the ceremony. Next, we’d told Lynsey, and her scream still echoes in my ears. Interestingly, she hasn’t mentioned a word about it since, which I find odd. To be honest, my
feelings are a little hurt that she hasn’t offered to help me with the planning. I mean, I’m her best friend, and this is what we do. Is it crazy for me to expect her to be at least a little excited about all this?
“You did ask her to be your matron of honor,” Caleb reminds me over lunch the next day. We’re sharing a sandwich at an outdoor café just down the street from his school. “Maybe she’s afraid she can’t handle both jobs.”
“No way. Lynsey lives for chaos, especially when weddings are involved. Trust me. It’s very strange.”
“Hmm.” He muses quietly before tossing his empty sandwich wrapper on his tray and quickly changing the subject. “I know we called your parents, but are you sure I don’t need to meet your dad? Get his blessing? I don’t want to jinx anything.”
If we jinx anything, it won’t be because we didn’t get my father’s blessing.
“Skye?”
Looking up, I find Caleb gazing at me with a worried expression on his face.
“Do you ever get scared, Caleb?”
“Scared of what?”
“Of this. It scares me how much I need you. How much I love you.”
“Why is that scary?”
“Because I don’t want to screw it up.”
Caleb takes my hand in his. “We won’t screw it up.”
“We could. Your parents are awesome, but my family doesn’t have the best track record when it comes to marriage. Look at my brother. He and Jill have been together for more than a decade and they’re still trying to figure it out.”
Caleb squeezes my hand reassuringly. “Why are you still worried about this?”
As thrilled as I am to be wearing his ring, I can’t deny nerves catch up with me from time to time, and my imagination starts to run wild.
“My mom cheated on my dad. I’ve never told anyone that—not even Lynsey. That’s why we don’t talk much, and that’s really why I chose to live with him when I was given the choice. And that’s why I’ve never really believed in soulmates because I know how much my father loved my mother. He still loves her, and that love should’ve been enough, but it wasn’t. Every boyfriend I’ve ever had ended up breaking my heart in some way, and my brother’s marriage fell apart. It’s like the Douglas family is destined to live unhappily ever after, and I don’t think I’d survive it if I screwed this up.”
