Page 25 of Off Duty
Epilogue
McBee
A few yearslater
“Isn’t it so magical?”I nuzzled more into Sean’s side as he held meclose.
“New York City at the beginning of the holiday season is prettyspecial.”
Standing in Rockefeller Center watching the tree being lit for the first time each year was one of my favorite traditions that Sean and I shared. The chilly air, the families gathered together, the lights, the smells, the sounds—it all added up to holidaybliss.
“Let’s get married,” I blurted out as the tree ignited into its splendid Christmasglory.
Sean grabbed my shoulders, whipping me around to look him in the eyes. “No.”
“What?” I pulled away fromhim.
He chuckled as I started to throw a mini fit. “No, I will not marryyou.”
“Why?” I stomped my foot, about to freak out onhim.
“Because you’re drunk on the season, swept away by the moment. I am not going to get all the way down to the courthouse for you to freak out and realize it’s not what you really want.” He stood there, waiting for me toreply.
“I am not just drunk on the magic and shit.” I crossed my arms and puffed out my lowerlip.
“I do not need to marry you for you to be mine forever. That deal was sealed when you crawled into the back of our cop car. I do not need to marry you to love you, to grow old with you, to fight with you in the middle of Rockefeller Center with hundreds of people around. I am not marrying you until you know, and I meanknowthat you will only be happy with my last name and a piece of paper binding us together.” He dropped to one knee, pulling a small black velvet box out of hispocket.
“Sean?” I put my hands on his wide shoulders as he looked up atme.
“I want to be with you, from now until always. I want everything and anything with only you. I am devoted to you unconditionally. So, I figured we might as well make it mildlyofficial.”
I tried to pull him to his feet, but he stayed kneeling. Glancing around, I saw people were starting to stare as Sean opened the box to a gorgeous white gold necklace with a diamondheart.
“I didn’t know what symbol to go with, so Myla helped me pick this out.” He slid the chain around my neck, helping me put it on as I started tocry.
“I love you, Sean.” I put my hand over the small heart as he continued to look up atme.
“I am not asking you to marry me. I am not putting a ring on your finger. I do not need any of that, but I do need you to know how serious I am, how devoted I am to this, to us. I love you, JessicaMcBee.”
He clambered to his feet, scooping me up into his arms. He twirled me around as the gaggle of people around us clapped and cheered. They probably all thought we’d just gotten engaged, but to me the moment was even better than an engagement. It was my happily ever after; it was what I truly wanted. Maybe down the road my mind would change and Sean would actually put a ring on my finger, who knew? Right then, all that mattered was that we promised to be together. That was enough, because at the end of the day, a promise is a promiseforever.
