“Shh,” I whispered. “It’s still nighttime. A noise woke me up, but now I need something to help get me back to sleep.”
“Mmm…. well, since I’m now awake, too, I guess we both need another nightcap, huh?” And with that, Matty rolled over, pressing his naked body against mine. Despite being drowsy, we quickly came together again, once more not able to hold back. We moved together much more slowly this time, though, savoring each other. “You’re so wet, Leah. Oh my God, you feel so good,” Matthew moaned as he gently circled his hips, making the sensation even more intense. I wanted the feeling to last forever, but eventually neither of us could hold back and we came within seconds of each other.
“I could get used to be woken up like this,” Matty said with a huge smile on his face as he rolled onto his side, and, just like he had the first time we’d slept together, rested a hand on my stomach as he looked down at me. He leaned down to kiss me gently, and I honestly think I could have had him again if I thought he was up for it. But seeing the sleepiness on his face, I rolled onto my side so we would switch positions, and once again I snuggled into him. “In fact, I expect this kind of service regularly once I move here,” he added as he twirled a lock of my hair.
“Yay…. move here!” I said with a satisfied smile on my face. “I cannot wait until you are here permanently.”
“Neither can I, Leah. I know I will have to give two weeks at my firm, although my dad may be so pissed that he tosses me out the day I give notice. Fortunately, I am only renting an apartment, which I can easily give up. I should be moved out here by the end of the month,” he said as he let go of my hair and started running his fingers up and down my back. “I just need to figure out a place to live.”
“Well, I’m sure you’ll find something,” I said with a giggle before jumping out of bed, grabbing the blanket, and wrapping it around myself. I started towards the bathroom, but Matty grabbed me from behind and pulled me back onto the bed.
“Hey, I’m not taking any chances of losing you ever again, Leah. I want to be with you. I intend to be with you. Forever. I want to marry you. And married people live together.”
I was stunned. Did Matty just ask me to marry him? Or did he mean he wanted to marry me someday? Was I just purposed to, or was I just informed of an eventual proposal? I didn’t know for sure which had just happened, and I wasn’t sure how I felt about any of it, at least how the options were worded. All I knew was that I could not think of anything to say.
“Ahh, none of that came out right at all, Leah; I’m sorry,” Matty touched my cheek and reached down to grab his underwear from the floor. He was suddenly wide awake, and, thinking I’d angered him, I was expecting him to just leave. Instead he pulled me up into a standing position, wrapping the blanket carefully around me to cover me up. He then bent down on one knee and took my hand. “Let’s do this properly and at least half-way dressed. Leah Andrews, I love you. I have loved you for over twenty years. I want to spend the rest of my life with you.” Matty took a deep breath and asked, “Will you marry me, Leah? And not later; I mean to marry you now, this week, today if can, tomorrow if I have to wait. Leah, please say you’ll be my wife.”
I stood silently, looking down onto Matty’s eager face. Tears welled up in my eyes before I took a deep breath and whispered, “Yes! Yes, yes, yes, a million times yes, Matthew!” Matty leapt to him feet and embraced me, rocking me back and forth. I could not believe what had just transpired; not just the proposal, but also my response. I was usually so hesitant, always over thinking everything. But not this time. Forget the fact that we had only spent three days together after being apart for sixteen years. Forget the fact that there were still things I didn’t know about Matthew as an adult compared to when I had known him as a teenager. Forget the fact that my family, friends, and co-workers were likely to think I had lost my mind. I knew what I wanted. I had always known what I wanted: Matthew Boyd. And I was not going to take any chances of losing him again. I was going to hold onto him with both hands and never let him go.
As I clung to Matty, I realized that for the first time in my life, it didn’t matter to me what anyone else thought. In that moment, I didn’t care about anyone or anything other than being with Matthew. The pain of the weeks and months and even years after he had moved away finally sank back to the furthest corners of my mind.
I had spent years silently mourning what I believed deep down was the loss of my soul mate. I wondered why God would take away the one thing that made me happy. I convinced myself that it was because I wasn’t good enough or deserving enough, that I was a bad person and was being punished. I had always been so ashamed that I was hanging on to something and someone who I would likely never see again. And even if we had reconnected
