“The truth?” I ask because it sounds too serious.
That’s when he gets down on one knee and opens his fist showing a gorgeous ring with round and marquise-shaped emeralds surrounding a princess cut diamond.
“I want to be part of your dream. This time, I don’t plan on making your dreams come true, more like work with you to create dreams of our own. I want you to continue being my partner, not only in business, but also in life. I promise to be your lover. To bring you coffee with your favorite pastry every morning. Kiss you awake as the sun rises and kiss you to sleep as the night falls.
“My promise is to love you for always and forever and to grow with you as a person and as a couple. I promise to wash your hair when you’re sick, and never go to bed angry…unless it’s an excuse to have makeup sex. I want to make a life with you, create a family, and raise children who’ll be loved no matter what they decide to do for their future.”
“But…” I’m astounded by this. We were supposed to discuss our relationship, but…he’s proposing. There’s no doubt I want to spend the rest of my life with him because even when we weren’t together, I knew we were still one person at the soul and heart level.
“I know you deserve better,” he says before I can say anything, and it’s breaking my heart. He really thinks he isn’t worth loving. Except he’s the most wonderful man in the world.
Sitting on his lap, I hug him.
“You know what I deserve?” I kiss his nose. “I deserve a man who wants me, who desires me exactly the way I am, whoever I am in the morning or when I’m moody because I haven’t eaten at all.”
I kiss his jaw and give him a peck on the lips. “I deserve a man who values my opinion, trusts my gut, and believes that we can have a family together. I deserve to be with a man who believes in me so blindly, he helps me reach my dreams and dares to dream with me.”
Kissing his ear, running my mouth along his jaw. “I deserve a man who loves me and takes the emotional and financial load I’ve been bearing for years and says, ‘here, we can both carry it.’”
I hold his face and stare deep into his eyes , “You might think I’m mad for learning that you helped me all these years but now, after I sat down and thought about it, I’m grateful to you for being the one person who was there for me carrying the weight when it was too heavy.
“I love you, Henry Lloyd Merkel Aldridge and of course I want to be your wife.”
I tilt his face, and I place my lips on top of his. But of course, he takes charge of the kiss almost immediately. He kisses me so deeply, possessively, hungrily, but most of all lovingly.
Henry
I can’t believe she said yes. I had an entire speech if she said no, but who could argue with the woman after everything she said. I mean, I thought I couldn't fall more in love with her, and she proved me wrong. After a long, desperate kiss that ends with us fucking on top of her desk, we start getting dressed.
“So, you got a letter?” she asks, and I nod.
“Have you read it?”
I shake my head.
Confused, she asks, “Why not?”
“I feel like I want all of us to receive them at the same time. I don’t know. It feels strange to have it while none of my brothers has received one yet.”
“Should I wait too?” she asks looking at her letter.
“Let’s discuss it as a family,” I suggest. “Shall we go home?”
“Yes. I doubt I can get anything done today. It’s Friday, and…” She shows me her finger, “I’m engaged. Third time’s a charm, right?”
“I’m the only man who has asked for your hand in marriage. So technically, I feel as if I am your only one.”
“Wait, you asked Dad?” She frowns. “He said yes?”
“Of course I did, and I talked to your scary brothers too. Eva threatened to cut my balls off if I ever pull a stunt like I did with Martina. Alexa couldn’t be here, but she texted me a threat. It was all so scary that I feel like part of the family already.”
“When…how?”
“They came to Portland last Monday. You’ve been so busy with Martina that you didn’t notice,” I explain and smirk victoriously. “I spent half a day with them.”
When we arrive at the mansion, everyone is waiting for us. After congratulating us, we ask them to take a seat and explain what happened with Parrish and what we decided to do with the letters.
Hayes glances at me.
“What?” I ask.
“Earlier, when he arrived in town, he came to the practice to give us our letters too,” he says.
“Did you open them?”
He shakes his head. “No. Blaire and I were wondering if we should wait for everyone to get theirs.”
Blaire turns to Sophia and suggests, “You should open yours. We can save the rest.”
“Why hers?” Pierce protests.
“Because he doesn’t know me,” Sophia answers and Blaire nods. “He sent me a generic letter.”
Sophia pulls her letter out of her purse, shows it to everyone, and taps on the three words written on the envelope, To Henry’s Wife.
“It’s not fair for me to open this if Beacon doesn't have his yet,” I state, and Hayes agrees.
“Why do you think I’ll receive mine last?” Beac protests.
“You’re the baby, and maybe he’ll deliver yours at the end. The point is that one of us won’t receive it until…who knows when, and we should wait,” Hayes is the one who answers. “I agree with Henry. Let’s vote.”
It doesn’t surprise me that everyone agrees to wait until we all have our letters. Once it’s settled, Sophia takes a deep breath before opening it. Carefully, she breaks the seal on the front, pulls the paper out of the envelope, and unfolds it. She scans it before she smiles.
“What is it?” Blaire asks.
She hands it to me and when I read it out loud, I think everyone is as stunned as I am.
Henry’s wife,
I was William Aldridge, Henry’s father. He probably doesn’t have anything good to say about me. I don’t blame him. This might sound out of place, but I have two requests of you:
1) Show him that you love him. I missed my chance to do so, but I did love him. He was my first. His mother used him as a pawn, and I let my pride take over instead of my heart.
2) Help him be a better man than I ever was.
3) Remind him every day that he has a family who loves him.
Yours,
William T. Aldridge
“He loved me?”
“He made a lot of mistakes,” Sophia says, taking the letter from me and putting it back into the envelope. “You just witnessed what a man like your grandfather could do with their children. I bet your parents loved you. They just didn’t know how to love you freely.”
Leave it to Sophia to find a way to absolve my parents ,and I believe she’s right. Not because it might be the truth, but because it is what my heart needs today.
“I love you, Sophia Aragon. Marry me tomorrow?”
She laughs. “I’m good at organizing stuff, but not that great. Let me talk to Mom before I make any decisions about the dates, okay?”