Page 85 of Clueless
“Absolutely.It can be anything you want it to be.”
Her eyes were closed and she was swallowing repeatedly, curling her arms around my biceps as she tried to compose herself.“This is all too much.”
My heart battered my chest as I considered what was to come.Was she ready?Or would I be making a fool of myself if I dropped to one knee now?
“I could never do enough for you, not after all you’ve done for me.”
She’d changed my life.Made me believe in myself.Forgive myself for past sins.And I’d finally started seeing what she’d seen in me from the beginning, which allowed me to feel like a star when I took the stage, instead of an imposter.
“I never imagined this,” she said, sounding breathless.“Or you.”
I curled her hands in mine, bringing them to my lips before I summoned all the courage I could muster, and hit one knee.
She gasped as the tears continued to fall.“Taz…”
“Grace, one look at you and I was hooked.But I never imagined a girl like you could fall for a guy like me.”I bit the inside of my lip, trying to rein in my emotions, but she didn’t make it easy.“When I thought I’d have to live without you, life pretty much lost it’s meaning for me.”
She shook her head, squeezing my hand.
“That’s when I knew I couldn’t do this life thing without you.Over the past few months, I’ve watched my daughter fall in love with you.And thanks to you, we’re closer than I ever could have imagined.And I want, more than anything, for us to be a family, baby.You, me, Quinn, and more babies with your eyes and smile and huge heart…”
“I love you,” she mouthed.
“And I love you, more than anything, so Grace Olivia Harlow, will you make every last one of my dreams come true, and agree to be my wife?”
I pulled a velvet box out of my pocket, popping it open.It was one-and-a-half carat emerald cut solitaire on a platinum band, one her sister assured me she would love when we went ring shopping together.
She covered her mouth with her free hand, nodding frantically, squealing, and bouncing in place all at once, as I laughed with relief as I slipped the ring on her finger and tossed the box in the bed of my truck.
I picked her up and spun her around before kissing her until we had to come up for air.
“Does Quinn know?”she whispered, admiring her ring.
“She made me promise we’d Facetime her as soon as you said yes.”I chuckled.“She was a lot more certain that I was.”
She touched my face.“Did you actually think I’d say no?”
“I didn’t know.”I kissed her hand.“I hoped.Prayed.But every time I’ve talked about the future lately, you shut me down.”
“I just didn’t want you to think I was pressuring you to move our relationship forward before you were ready.We haven’t been dating that long, and I wouldn’t have minded waiting, if that’s what you wanted.”
“Why the hell would I want to wait?”I growled in her ear.“I already need you in my bed every night, or I can’t sleep.”
She giggled.“But you sleep on the road, by spooning with pillows.”
“It’s not the same.”I squeezed her ass, winking.“Pillows are soft and squishy.You’re hot and?—”
She cut me off with a kiss.“Come on, call your daughter.I’m dying to hear what she says about us being engaged!”
I smirked as I pulled the phone out of pocket and tapped the icon, pulling up Quinn in my recent contacts.
“Dad!”she squealed, answering right away.“Did she say yes?Please tell me she said yes!”
Dad.Hearing her call me that still got me every time.
I tipped the phone so she could see Grace, who was holding up her left hand, with a huge smile splitting her face.“I said yes!Are you happy?”
“Ohmigod, so happy!I was afraid he was going to screw this up!When he told me he didn’t know what he was going to say, that he was just going to speak from the heart…” She palmed her forehead.“I thought we were doomed.”
