Page 49 of Come and Get Your Glove
This proposal idea was actually all Bella’s. I had asked her earlier this week what she thought about me marrying her mom. She got teary eyed and was excited, but she had one request. She wanted to help with theasking part. I thought that was fun. I was thinking about dinner and a quiet proposal at home since Kaci is such a homebody. Bella came up with this idea, and I liked it so much better.
It’s a little bit crazy.
But it feels like a full circle moment to me. “So you know what to do. Let Frankfurter out of the bedroom after a couple of minutes. We all pretend to try to catch him, but only let your mom grab him.” I cut a glance to Rigsby before I say, “Got it?”
“Got it,” they say in unison, both of them pitching back giggles.
Across the hall, the bathroom door opens, and I toss a finger to my lips to silence any talk of our plan before I step out of the room. I align my steps with Kaci’s. “Did you want to watch a movie or something?” I casually ask, doing my best to sound bored. “It seems like the kids are playing well for now. I know Rigsby’s not going to be ready to go any time soon.”
Her gaze wafts to the bedroom door and back to me. “I don’t know if I have the attention span to get into a movie right now. Maybe we can just watch some reruns or something that I don’t have to pay attention to.”
“Sure.” I nod, and we walk to the couch, taking our usual spots. She flicks on the TV and places her legs on top of mine as we snuggle into our favorite TV watching position. She flicks through a few of our favorite channels. Nothing catches either of our eyes, and she continues clicking through channels. “Boy,” she says after a couple of minutes. “I didn’t think it would be this hard. Nothing is on.”
“Nope,” I agree. “Lately, if it’s not hockey or hockey adjacent, I just don’t care to watch it either.”
“What about the History Channel?” As soon as she switches the channel, the bedroom door flies open, putting my plan into motion.
My heart slams into my chest.
Everything is so real.
I want it to be real.
I’ve never wanted anything more, but I wasn’t prepared for the flood of emotions that would come with knowing my entire world is about to change.
Rigsby screams first, “Frankfurter come back!”
Bella flies out of the room, dragging her feet. “Frankfurter!”
Kaci’s gaze whips behind her as the ferret flies by the couch and ducks under the coffee table, not stopping until he leaps on the table, then to the top of the fridge. “Is he scared?” Kaci swivels on the couch, her feet drop to the floor, and she stands.
Everything is going according to plan. She’s already headed to the ferret.
“I don’t know what happened,” Bella goes on like we had rehearsed. “He has some sort of sore on his belly. I tried to look at it, and he acted like he was hurt and ran away.”
“He’s hurt?” Kaci frowns as she advances toward the fridge.
“I didn’t notice anything earlier, but we better check him out.” I stand, pretending to also be concerned but I hang back, allowing her time to grab him.
Both kids run to the fridge, dancing on the tips of their toes as Kaci swipes him from the top. It’s actually surprising he doesn’t resist more because he usually makes a game out of being caught, but he loves Kaci.
“What in the world?” Kaci’s words drift out, confusion laces in her tone. “Bella, did you tie something around him?”
“No.” Bella’s reply is fast and truthful since it was me who had tied the little ribbon around his belly.
“He has a string wrapped around him.” Kaci narrates, her finger tracing the red yarn. “He must have gotten wrapped up in something. No wonder he’s upset…” Her voice trails off as her gaze freezes on the yarn, and she gasps.
“What is this?” she asks weakly. I step behind her and place my hand on her low back to steady herjust in case.
“It’s an engagement ring!” Bella blurts out. That wasn’t rehearsed at all, but it’s cute, and I release a nervous laugh.
Kaci looks at me expectantly. “Is this for real?”
Kaci seems to be stuck in a state of shock as she is just holding the ferret out in front of her. I take Frankfurter from her and pull the string to release the ring into my hand. Then I pass the ferret back to Rigsby, and turn to Kaci, her eyes brimming with tears. I didn’t expect to feel my heart in my throat like this.Phew.I’ve thought about this moment so many times—each time I got emotional but that was nothing compared to this.
Taking a deep breath, I adjust the ring, pinching it between my thumb and forefinger. My knees actually weaken, so it’s a relief when I drop down on one and hold the ring out to her. With my free hand, I take Bella’s hand and pull her next to me.
I swallow, letting my gaze linger on the ring for a moment before I look up to her. All I can manage is a tear-filled rasp, “Kaci, I love you. I don’t want to imagine my life without you and Bella. What do you say, will you marry me?”
With tears in her eyes, she takes my hand, squeezing it, and whispers, “Yes.”
I don’t wait another second to take her into my arms, and we kiss each other as if we both understand what the other needs. My heart overflows with all the love this woman gives me. I know life isn’t perfect. If anything, life has been a little crazier since Bella and Kaci came into my life, but I wouldn’t want it any otherway. Thanks to Kaci and Bella, I’m the luckiest man in the world—even without a lucky glove.
