I turned to Mel in shock. “Wha—”
She swiped her index finger across my lips “Shhh…a few more minutes baby.”
As we stepped out the elevator onto BR&ND’s roof terrace, a cheer rose through the air, and I had a little more time to take in my surroundings.
The already beautiful space had been transformed into what looked like a stunning English garden, including at the far end, a floral archway, decorated, with white gardenias.
I turned to her again. “Mel…?”
“Just go with it, Ty. It’ll be worth it, I promise.”
She gripped my hand as she led me down the white carpet that divided the space, and on both sides, I took in the faces of our closest friends and relatives.
When we reached the end of the carpet, I was joined by Raine, Nate, and Dillon, all suited and booted, and wearing shit-eating grins so bright they could outshine the sun. Kate was waiting on the left-hand side for Mel, and she too was dressed to impress.
Holy. Fucking. Shit.
Sam had been following behind us, and when he reached the end of the carpet, he climbed onto a little white box, and addressed the gathering.
He cleared his throat nervously, but when he started speaking, his voice was crystal clear and confident as it boomed from the speakers dotted around the space. That’s my boy.
Why in the hell had I not noticed the little tie mic he was wearing before now?
“Thank you everybody for coming, especially you, Dad. Even though you had no idea what was going on.” Damned straight I hadn’t.
A spattering of chuckles rippled through the space. I smiled at Sammy warmly as he spoke directly to me.
“When I was little, all I ever wanted was a dad. That was up until two years ago, when I finally got one. And not just any dad, but you—my real dad. It was a dream come true. But I realized that when I was wishing for you, I’d had no idea what I was asking for. I’d seen Dads on TV, or my friends’ dads, but I didn’t know what it would be like to have one in real life. I just knew I wanted to be like other kids.
“Then all of a sudden I had you, and I didn’t know what to expect. I didn’t know what you were supposed to do, or what I was supposed to do, or what we were supposed to do together. I don’t think you knew, either.” He was right about that. I’d had no fucking idea, and still didn’t some days.
Another snicker rose from the crowd.
“All I knew was that I wanted you to stay and be part of our lives forever, because you’re way better, way cooler, and way more badass than I ever could have imagined. Seriously, some of my friends’ dads are so totally lame, but you’re not, and they’re all mad jealous.” Our friends and family were openly laughing now.
“Anyway, I wanted to ask you if you would please be ours—mine, Mom’s and the baby’s—forever. Dad, will you marry Mom? Like today? Here? Now?”
The laughter had morphed into crying—tears of joy, of course. There wasn’t a dry eye in the house.
I turned to Mel, quirking an eyebrow in question. I couldn’t believe that she’d organized all this, gathered all these people, even had Sam in on the whole thing, and I’d had not even the slightest fucking suspicion. I was spinning out about the magnitude of what she’d done, and what we were about to do together.
As though reading my mind, she mouthed “Surprise!” with a beautiful smile on her face.
Damned straight it was. The biggest and best surprise I’d ever had.
One of the guys passed me a hand mic, and I turned so that I was addressing both Sam and Mel at the same time.
“It would be my absolute honor and pleasure to marry you Mel, and to be a permanent fixture in yours and the baby’s lives, Sam. Let’s finish our unfinished business.”