you this again.”
Cole guided me to sit on the bed before he knelt before me. “Mara, I have always loved you. Over the years we have known each other, the love I have felt
for you has only grown stronger and deeper with each breath I have taken. I'm
offering you this ring as a promise to love you and take care of you until the day
I die. I want to spend the rest of my life with you, and only you. No matter what
this life holds for us, I want to face it together.”
I put my hand over his lips and said, “If you let me speak, I can answer you.
You don't need to sell yourself to me. I realized I loved you when I was twelve,
and you hung the swing for me in the front yard. I've only loved you more each
day. Last night made me realize how I have been holding back out of fear of losing you. I can't keep doing that. I can't push you out of my life and end up making what I feared most come true. I can't be, and will not be, in this world
without you.”
Cole kissed my hand as he removed it from his lips. “You won't be without
me, Mar." Cole joined me on the bed, grinning from ear-to-ear. "I can't believe you finally admitted you love me. You have made me the happiest man in the entire world.”
He held me in his arms and pressed his lips to mine. Our soft kisses quickly
turned stronger as I pulled him towards me. With Cole, I felt safe, and I was able
to ignore the negative voice that kept telling me I didn't deserve his love.
My feeling of contentment was loudly interrupted by a high voice. “Gross!
Gram they’re up here kissing.” Meg called down to my grandmother.
“Don't be like that, Meg. She has finally agreed to marry me.” Cole stood up
and ran his fingers through his hair.
“It’s about time, Cos,” Meg quipped, still standing on the ladder. “I thought I
was going to be old and gray before she ever stopped being silly.”
“She's right here.” I gave my sister a stern look. “We'll have plenty of time
for this discussion later. Did you come up here for a reason, other than being sassy?”
“Well, if you weren't such a crab, I would tell you breakfast is ready.” Meg
stuck her tongue out at me and quickly scrambled back down the ladder.
“We better tell Gram the good news,” Cole said, unable to hide the
excitement in his voice.
"Why don't you go ahead and get your breakfast? It won't be long before I follow.”
"You haven't changed your mind, have you?" Cole's face paled.
Kissing him on the cheek, I said, “I've never been so sure of an answer. Go
on. I'll only be a minute."
What we would face was not going to be easy, but I had to believe we were
stronger together than apart. With that knowledge, I called after him, “I love you,
Cole.”
Watching him descend the ladder, I reached into my pocket to pull out the picture of my parents.
“What else are you hiding from me, Eliza?” I asked, glaring at the image of
my mother. Afraid I would find out soon enough, I put the picture into my jewelry box, and then went downstairs for breakfast.
Chapter
Nine
