Page 106 of Old Fashioned

“I know I’m not perfect,” I started. “I know we will have mountains to climb. But if I’ve learned anything from the ones we’ve already overcome together, it’s that there isn’t one high enough to defeat us — and that there’s no one I want to be standing with at the top more than you.”

I fumbled, clumsily opening the box in my hand until the modest ring I’d bought her caught the sunlight. She gasped at the sight, covering her mouth as her eyes flooded even more.

“Sydney, I want to spend the rest of my life with you. I want to be a father to Paige, and a husband to you. I want to help you in the garden and watch you do yoga on the porch.”

“Gross,” Paige chimed in.

I laughed, and Sydney did, too, freeing two parallel tears down each cheek.

“I want to come home to you, every night, and I want to wake up to you every morning. I want to dream together, and accomplish together, and fight together, andlovetogether. And I want to grow old with you, with the family we’ve built, with a love story only we could write.”

Sydney was already nodding when I pulled the ring from its place in the box, lining it up with her ring finger on her left hand.

“Will you take me as the scarred, damaged, football-crazed man that I am and trust me to love you, to protect you, and to care for you, until our days on this Earth are done and we pass into our next life?” I asked, and I slipped the ring onto her finger, because I already knew the answer. “Sydney, will you marry me?”

She nodded more vigorously, wrapping her arms around my neck and lowering to kiss me as our family erupted into a burst of cheers around us. They clapped and whistled and my heart swelled to the size of a hot air balloon in my chest, relief finding me in a wave that nearly knocked me off balance where I was still on one knee.

“This calls for champagne!” Mary announced, and already she was up out of her chair and heading toward the house, Mom calling out to her where she could find some.

And when Sydney finally pulled back from our kiss, we were both swarmed, my brothers and family congratulating me while my mother and Mallory and Kylie and Ruby Grace surrounded Sydney, hugging her and begging to see the ring.

Paige high-fived me, pretending to be tough when she didn’t know I’d seen the tears in her eyes, too.

“Nailed it, Coach,” she said, proudly.

“Thanks for your help,” I said back, then I opened my arms, and her eyes welled with tears again as she leaned in and let me wrap her in a hug.

“I’m so glad you found us,” she whispered.

I nodded, holding her tight with a pang of something I only felt for that little girl tightening my chest. It was a longing to protect her, to fight for her, and to be a good man in her life — even if I wasn’t her real dad.

Champagne was poured and toasts were made, and when the sun began to set, we made a fire in the pit and gathered around to listen to Mikey play guitar while we all sang the words to our favorite songs.

Surrounded by my family —allof my family — I held my fiancée’s hand in mine and kissed her knuckles from time to time, both of us smiling at each other like a couple of love-sick loons. And for the first time in a long time, everything felt good and right and true.

From across the fire, I locked eyes with Noah, and we shared a nod, both of us smiling. We looked to Logan, then, who nodded to both of us, too — bouncing Tamara in his lap. Then, we all looked at Mikey, and he smiled at each of us, still keeping time on his guitar as he sang along to one of Betty’s favorite country songs.

We made it, we all seemed to say.

And in my heart, I knew there was nothing the Becker brothers couldn’t face together.

Slowly, Mikey changed the way he was strumming, slowly shifting until a soft, familiar melody met all of us. Mom’s smile dropped, but only for a moment, and then she smiled, tears in her eyes as Mikey began singing the first words of “Wonderful Tonight.”

I kissed Sydney’s knuckles again before releasing them, and then I stood, walking over to where Mom sat and extending my hand down for hers. She took it with a knowing grin, and then she was in my arms, and we swayed like we had so many nights in the living room of that old house.

It wasn’t long before Noah tapped my shoulder to cut in, and I danced with Sydney, instead — watching as one by one, each of my brothers took a turn with Mom on the makeshift dance floor.

“I think I’m marrying into the best family there is,” Sydney whispered as we watched Mikey attempting to dance with Mom while still playing the guitar. They were laughing, even though Mom was crying, too — and the love and joy surrounding that fire was strong enough to be seen and felt, like a warm blanket or a perfect summer day.

“You’ll make it even better,” I whispered back, and Sydney smiled, her brown eyes shining in the firelight.

Then, I kissed my bride-to-be, whispering that she looked wonderful tonight as I pulled her closer, and knowing I’d be singing those words for years to come.

For an entire lifetime, if I was lucky.

And I swore I’d never blink, so as to never miss a single moment of it.

The End