“I was going to go get breakfast. I just wanted to see if there was something in particular that you wanted.”
“I was worried about you.”
“I know, I’m sorry. I should have called.”
“And you shouldn’t have let Rob answer your phone.”
“Things got a little out of hand last night.” He tucked a loose strand of hair behind my ear. “I’m sorry that I worried you, Penny.”
I didn’t want to fight with him. I was just glad that he was home safe. Maybe we could talk more about it later. I wasn’t sure if him going out with Rob every night was a good idea. I wanted for him to be happy. But not if he was putting himself in danger. “What time is it?”
“7:30.”
I was still tired. But I wanted to hang out with him. Now that his brother was living with us, we didn’t seem to have nearly as much time together. “Can I come with you?”
“If you want.”
I yawned and got up off the couch. “Just give me a minute.” I quickly got ready and met him in the kitchen.
He wrapped his arms around me. “I missed you last night.”
“I missed you too. What did you guys end up doing?” I already knew the answer. He got completely wasted.
“We went all over the place. Thanks for convincing me to go out. It’s a lot of fun hanging out with Rob. And Brendan’s actually alright.”
“Why do you never seem like you’re hung over?”
“I have a high tolerance to alcohol.”
I bit my lip. I had convinced him to go out. So I couldn’t be upset with him for having a good time. It wasn’t fair that I had been worried when I was the one who kept telling him it was okay. I had thought he was going on another weird secret mission. But he wasn’t acting mysterious at all this morning. He just seemed like his normal, perfect self. Whatever it was that he had done last night must have been normal after all. Just a bar and too much alcohol. I had a tendency to read too much into things. “When did you get home last night? I never heard you come in.”
He grabbed my hand and led me over to the elevator. “I only just got in. Which is why I so badly need some coffee.”
“Or some sleep?”
“We got a hotel in New York. I’m not that tired. I just need some caffeine.” He smiled at me.
“Wait, you went to New York? Why?”
“I had some secret stuff to do.”
I laughed. “Yeah, I got that.” I looked up at him. “I like you when you’re like this.”
“Like what?”
“Playful. I think that maybe Rob is a good influence on you.”
“I’ve always thought he was a bad influence on me.”
“Well, in a lot of ways he is. He drinks too much and he says awful stuff. Really, you do drink too much when you’re with him.”
“It won’t happen again.” He rubbed his thumb against my palm. The way he was looking at me made it easy to believe him.
“But you’re happy when he’s here. So in that way, he’s the best possible influence.” I looked down at the floor for a second and then back up at him. “Are you sure you want to move? Rob just got here and I don’t want to make you leave if…”
“Penny. I was just thinking that I can’t wait to move.” He smiled at me. He held my hand as we stepped off the elevator and led me toward the side exit of the parking garage. “And actually, I wanted to talk to you about that. The reason I went to New York was to talk to the dean at NYCU.”
“About what?”
He rubbed his thumb against my palm again. “About you, of course.”
“But I didn’t even apply yet.”
“I know. But I told her all about what happened. She seemed sympathetic. And impressed with your transcript. If you still want to go, you’re in.”
“Really?”
“Really. So, what do you say?”
I hadn’t even realized that we were walking hand in hand on Main Street. There was no one around. It was the weekend before Halloween and it wasn’t even 8 a. m. on a Sunday. No one would be up for hours. This is what I wanted. I wanted for us to be able to be us. That was only going to happen super early on the weekends if we stayed here. But New York was different. In New York we could be whatever we wanted to be. It was our fresh start. And I wanted that with him.
“Did you bribe her with lots of money?”
He laughed. “I didn’t need to.”
“So you didn’t donate any money to the school?”
“I didn’t say that either.” He gave me an innocent smile.
“You’re infuriating.”
“No, that’s you.” He squeezed my hand. “So, what do you say?”
“I say we should start packing.”
“I was hoping that would be your answer. Maybe we can go back up in the next few days to look at apartments? Something cozy of course.”
“That sounds perfect.”
“I guess there’s just one last thing I need to do here.” James stopped outside the coffee shop where we had first met.
“What, get a cup of coffee?”
He smiled at me and walked into the coffee shop, holding the door open for me.
When I walked in, I froze. There were rose petals all over the floor and there had to be at least a hundred candles. The whole shop was empty except for us.
“Penny.” He grabbed my hand again.
I turned around and he was on one knee. Oh my God.
“This wasn’t just where I first met you. This is where I fell in love with you. You took my breath away when you bumped into me. It was something that I’ve never experienced before. I’ve never been so attracted to someone in my life. It’s very distracting when you blush.”
His words made me blush even more.
He looked down for a second and then back up with me. “You made me realize that I hadn’t been living. Really living. Because life without this feeling, the feeling that you give me, isn’t a life that I’m interested in at all. You chose me even though I told you I wasn’t good for you. You’ve always seen the good in me, which was something that I couldn’t see in myself. You made me realize that it doesn’t matter who I was before. It’s about who I’ve become. Because of you.”
“Yes.”
He smiled up at me. “I have more to say.”
“If you’re asking me to marry you, the answer is yes.”
He laughed and kissed each of my knuckles. “I’m yours, Penny. I’ve always been yours. I love you with all that I am. And I don’t want to go another day without knowing that you’re mine. Not just for today and tomorrow and the next. I want you by my side forever and always. Penny Taylor, you are the love of my life.” He let go of my hand and pulled out a small box from his pocket. “You asked me if I was a believer in fate. I am now. I don’t know how I ended up as a professor in Delaware. But I know why I did. Because you were here. And my life would always be meaningless if I had never met you. Because without you, I’m not whole. Penny.” He grabbed my hand again. “Will you marry me?”
“Yes.” I threw my arms around him.
He laughed and pulled me down into his arms.
“James, I love you so much.” I put my hands on both sides of his face and kissed him. This is what I had wanted to do the morning we first met. But everything we had been through, all the ups and downs, had led us to this moment. And this moment was perfect. I wouldn’t have wanted to change a thing even if I could.
“Don’t you want to see your ring?”
“How did you do all this?” I turned and looked at the candles and rose petals. “How did you know no one would be here this morning?”
“It’s closed today.”