Chapter 27 - The Proposal We Ruined Together
Our engagement began with an argument over who got to propose.
Rachel insisted she had thought of it first.
I argued that purchasing a ring before discovering hers established operational priority.
She called that the least romantic sentence in human history.
I agreed.
So we compromised.
Neither of us proposed.
Not immediately.
We put both rings in the safe at North Line.
Then waited.
The delay lasted nine days.
On the tenth, Dad ruined everything.
He came into the workshop looking for sandpaper.
He opened the safe because I had foolishly given him the combination months earlier.
He saw two ring boxes.
He walked into the café holding both.
“What are these?”
Rachel nearly dropped a latte.
I stared at him.
Dad looked from me to Rachel.
Then back.
“Oh.”
Tasha started screaming.
Luke, who happened to be eating breakfast, jumped up.
“You idiots are engaged?”
“No,” Rachel said.
“Apparently not,” I added.
Dad slowly put the boxes on the counter.
“I’m gonna leave.”
“No,” I said.
“You’ve contributed enough.”
Customers were staring.
Rachel covered her face.
“This is horrible.”
I started laughing.
She looked at me.
Then she laughed too.
I picked up her ring box.
She picked up mine.
“Well?” she said.
“Right here?”
“Why not? Half the county already knows.”
Tasha held up her phone.
Rachel pointed.
“Put that down.”
Tasha lowered it.
I opened Rachel’s ring.
Simple.
Beautiful.
Exactly right.
She opened mine.
A plain band.
I had intended something more elaborate.
Looking at her, I realized elaborate had become overrated.
“I had a speech,” I said.
“Was it good?”
“No.”
“Thank God.”
Everyone laughed.
I took a breath.
“Rachel Bennett, I love that you never needed me to rescue you.”
Her smile softened.
“I love that you asked me to become somebody safe instead of simply telling me I was.”
Her eyes filled.
“I love your terrible soup recommendations.”
“Miller’s bread was excellent.”
“I love that you argue with me.”
“You enjoy that too much.”
“And I love that when you’re scared, you tell me now.”
A tear rolled down her cheek.
I continued.
“I can’t promise I’ll never get angry. I can’t promise we’ll never hurt each other’s feelings. I can’t promise life will stay easy.”
The café went silent.
“But I promise I will never make fear the price of loving me.”
Rachel started crying harder.
I slipped the ring onto her finger.
Then she looked at me.
“My turn.”
She took my hand.
“Ethan Carter, you are deeply irritating.”
Luke clapped.
I glared at him.
Rachel continued.
“You leave cabinets open. You own too many pencils. You think every broken object is personally asking for your attention.”
All true.
“But you taught me something I didn’t know I needed to learn.”
Her voice shook.
“Someone can show up without taking over.”
My eyes burned.
“You help me without keeping score. You listen when I say no. You have done hard work nobody could do for you.”
She slid the ring onto my finger.
“And when you fail, you don’t demand that everybody pretend you didn’t.”
That one nearly broke me.
“I want ordinary Tuesdays with you,” she said.
“Good coffee.”
“Bad coffee sometimes.”
“Arguments.”
“Furniture.”
“Trips.”
“Quiet.”
“Whatever comes.”
Then she smiled.
“Will you marry me?”
“Yes.”
I kissed her.
The café applauded.
Dad cried openly.
Luke pretended to record him.
Dad threatened to break his phone.
Then immediately apologized for the threat.
Growth.
That night, after everyone left, Rachel and I sat on the café floor.
“You know what I’m scared of?” she asked.
“The wedding?”
“Marriage.”
I nodded.
“Me too.”
She looked surprised.
“Really?”
“Of course.”
“Why?”
“Because I know promises don’t protect people by themselves.”
Rachel leaned against me.
“What does?”
“Nothing completely.”
“That’s bleak.”
“Sorry.”
“No. Keep going.”
I looked at our rings.
“Maybe the point isn’t guaranteeing nobody ever gets hurt.”
“What is it?”
“Knowing what we do when they are.”
Rachel considered that.
Then nodded.
“I can live with that.”
May you like
For once, I did not try to make the future safer with a better answer.
I just held her hand.
