His heart sank a little. She wasn’t exactly jumping into his arms.
He couldn’t bear to lose her. “You’re an incredible person, and I’ve seen that more and more as I’ve gotten to know you,” he said. “What you’ve been through...and yet you still put a smile on your face and help other people as best you can.”
She waved a hand and looked away.
He cleared his throat. “I admire you, but it’s not just that. I’m crazy attracted to you, Amber. You’re...” He swallowed. Was he really going to say it? “You’re the sexiest woman I’ve ever known. You’re beautiful, and exciting, and a little bit wild, and I...I really, really want to be with you.”
“Now you’re making me blush.” A smile tugged at the corner of her mouth.
He smiled, too, but only a little. He didn’t feel confident of her response to what he was about to ask, not at all. “You’ve been wonderful to Davey, and he loves you for it. You’re already a great mother to Hannah, and...” He looked over his shoulder, making sure she was there as planned. “And she’s on board with this.”
“On board with what?” Amber’s eyes widened and she looked at her daughter.
Hannah gave them a big smile and a thumbs-up. She had her phone facing their way, videoing them. Not what Paul would have preferred, but no doubt Amber would like that.
Paul pushed on. “I haven’t told Davey yet, because I didn’t want to get him excited until I knew how you felt. But I know him, and nothing would make him happier than to have you as his mom.”
She pressed a hand to her lips then, her eyes getting shiny.
“You’re a mystery, and a puzzle, and I don’t feel like I’ll ever figure you out,” he said. “But I would love to, I’d be completely honored to be allowed to try.”
“Paul...” A shadow crossed her face and she pressed her lips together.
She was going to say no.
He had to go on, though. He had to see this through, to at least ask. “It’s gotten to the point where I can’t imagine a future without you. I want to be with you all the time. Which is why I wanted to ask you...” He pulled the ring box out of his pocket and then sank down onto one knee. “Will you marry me?”
AMBER SUCKED IN HER BREATH. Had she heard Paul right?
She looked around and it seemed like a lot of people she loved were there, nearby, standing around, but they were out of focus. All she could see clearly was Paul, kneeling before her, holding open a box that seemed to have some kind of a ring inside.
He was watching her, his eyes resolute, like he wasn’t going to give up and go away. She reached out and touched the sleeve of his shirt. Soft flannel.
So it was real, then. This was really happening.
But there was a barrier, a big one. “What about my health?” she asked him, keeping her voice low. “I’m good now, but there are no guarantees. What about Davey?”
Paul drew in a breath, let it out and nodded. “I know. But the thing is, he already loves you. And I do, too. And love’s more important than fear, whether we have months or years or decades to love each other.”
His words made her heart stop and then expand in her chest. She felt tears prickling in her eyes, and she couldn’t speak. She just looked at his dear, strong face and thought about what it would be like to wake up next to him, every morning for the rest of her life.
He lifted an eyebrow. “Do you at least like the ring?” he asked.
The ring! She hadn’t even looked at it, not really, and she leaned closer to see it through her tears. And she gasped. The band was twisted, like the rings she most liked to wear, with a heart at one end, and embedded all the way with diamonds. It looked handcrafted. She’d never seen an engagement ring like that, which meant he must have searched high and low for it, or paid a ton, or both. “I love it,” she said, her words little more than a croak because her throat was so tight. She looked into his eyes. Paul was so steady, so humble, so good. What he was offering, what stood in front of them, filled her with joy. “What’s important is, I love you.” She tugged at his hand, wanting him to get off his knees and come closer.
Dimly, she heard the collective sigh as he rose and sat beside her and pulled her into his arms. “Thank you,” he said. “At least you care. Can I keep trying? Can you spend more time with me and Davey and see if you might want to make it permanent?”
Yes, he was humble. She shook her head against his shoulder and felt him tense. “I don’t need to spend more time,” she said, lifting her face to his. “I already know that I would be thrilled and honored and completely happy to be your wife, and Davey’s mom.”
The happiness she saw on his face, just before he pulled her close, was surely mirrored on her own. And then he lifted her face and kissed her with all the tenderness in the world, a kind of tenderness she’d never experienced before, beautiful, rich and complex, interlaced with passion.
“Daddy, you’re kissing Miss Amber!” Davey rushed over and threw himself against them. “Me, too! Me, too!”
Amber laughed through her tears as she wrapped an arm around this dear child and pulled him close. He cuddled against her, not questioning, full of a child’s trust, a trust she knew she’d work to be worthy of for the rest of her life.
And then Paul lifted Davey onto his lap. “What do you think,” he said, “about Miss Amber being your mommy?”
Amber cringed a little. What if Davey said he didn’t want that,
