Nora laughed. “I doubt that, but I will always love your sunny optimism.”
Standing here with my friends, I couldn’t help but smile. They were my family, and I loved them so much.
I held up my drink. “I’d like to propose a toast.”
My friends all raised their glasses.
“To love. Whether between friends, or lovers, or both, may we all experience it in abundance.”
We clinked glasses with a chorus of cheers, and drank.
Corban squeezed me against him and kissed my head. “I’ll be right back.”
I chatted with my friends for a little while, finishing my drink and enjoying their company. I’d already made the rounds, talking with Elliott and his wife, as well as our other colleagues. And I’d had a very pleasant chat with Molly and Martin when they’d first arrived. In the months since Corban and I had officially started dating, I’d spent a lot of time with his sister and her family. Molly was excellent company, and I held a great deal of affection for her daughter.
But as much as I’d enjoyed our celebration tonight, it was getting late, and I could feel my social battery running low. I glanced around, wondering where Corban had gone.
Besides, Erwin would be hungry soon. And we had a busy weekend of unpacking ahead of us. Corban and I had just moved into a house together—a charming three-bedroom in a quiet neighborhood near Woodward College.
As if in answer to my silent question, Corban appeared at the bar. He raised his hands and spoke over the din of the small crowd. “Excuse me, everyone. Can I have your attention?”
Our little group quieted, everyone turning to face Corban.
“Thanks. I just want to thank you all for being here tonight. As you know, Hazel and I got some good news at work recently. It’s really exciting, and I have to say, I couldn’t have done it without her.”
He held out his hand, beckoning for me to join him. Our friends and family clapped as I walked to the bar and clasped his hand.
“I also have a confession,” he continued. “Tonight isn’t really about the grant. It was just a good excuse to invite you all here.”
A hush settled over the room, as if everyone, even the bar’s other patrons, listened intently. My heart felt like it skipped a beat and my breath caught.
Corban pushed his glasses up his nose, then reached into his suit jacket. Someone gasped. Maybe it was me. He drew a small box out of his inside pocket.
Oh my god. This was happening.
“Hazel, I spent my whole life walking around with a hole in here.” He tapped his chest. “Until I met you, I didn’t think there was anything that would fill it. I know we had a bit of a rocky start, but I wouldn’t change a thing. I love you. I love your curiosity about the world and your brilliant mind. I love your big heart and your loyalty to everyone you care about. I also love your cookies and your cinnamon rolls. And of course your brownies.”
Everyone laughed and he grinned at me. Tears began to fill my eyes.
“I already talked to Erwin and he gave us his blessing.” He lowered down onto one knee and opened the box, revealing an engagement ring. “Hazel Kiegen, I want to love you forever. Will you marry me?”
“Yes.” I nodded enthusiastically, not sure if I was laughing or crying. Perhaps both. I kept saying it, too overcome with emotion to stop. “Yes, yes, yes.”
Cheering and applause erupted around us as he stood. I threw myself into his arms and melted into his strong embrace.
“I love you,” he whispered into my ear.
My voice was shaky with happiness and excitement. “I love you, too.”
He let go and I held up my hand so he could place the ring on my finger. Through tears of joy, surrounded by the cheers and applause of our family and friends, I smiled at him.
I’d dedicated my career to studying human relationships. But not even science could have prepared me for the magnitude of this moment. For the depth and power of experiencing true love.
Corban cupped my face and kissed me. Then there were toasts, and hugs and congratulations from our family and friends. Elliott gave me a fatherly embrace and shook Corban’s hand. Molly exclaimed that she couldn’t wait to have me as a sister and made me cry all over again. My girlfriends hugged me tight and admired my ring. Everly couldn’t seem to stop crying until Shepherd gently ushered her away.
When the excitement died down, Corban brushed a strand of hair over my shoulder. “Ready to call it a night?”
“Yes.”
“Me too. Plus we need to feed Erwin.”
“I wouldn’t worry about him,” Nora said. “He can afford to miss a meal.”
Corban raised an eyebrow. “Erwin isn’t fat, Nora. He’s just very fluffy.”
She laughed. “Whatever you say.”
I slipped my hand in his and gazed up at him. I couldn’t imagine loving him any more.
We said our goodbyes and headed home. I held out my hand, admiring my ring, unable to stop staring. Wearing his ring wasn’t just the logical next step in our relationship. It was, of course. But it was much more than that.
It was trust and commitment. A sign of loyalty and love.
It was perfect.
There were three things I knew with absolute certainty. The scientific method was still humanity’s greatest invention, vodka martinis were best served dirty, and Corban Nash was a remarkable scientist, the most amazing man I’d ever known, and the one true love of my life.
Epilogue
Corban
“Being deeply loved by someone gives you strength, while loving someone deeply gives you courage.” ~ Lao Tzu
Three years later.
“Uncle Co-ban, Auntie Hazel, can we go now?” Kate jumped up and down in the entryway as soon as we walked in the door.
“Hey, squirt.” I ruffled her hair. “Aren’t you forgetting something?”
She stopped jumping and looked up at me. “What?”
“Your costume.”
Putting her hands on her stomach, she looked down at herself. Her stick-straight hair was black like her dad’s, and she wore it in two pigtails. She was dressed in nothing but a white tank top and bright pink underwear.
She giggled and smiled at me. Her hair and dark eyes looked like Martin, but that smile was all Molly. “I fo-got to get dressed.”
Hazel laughed, and I put an arm around her. “Yeah, I do that too sometimes.”
“You also forgot to eat your dinner, little miss.” Molly waddled out from the kitchen, hugely pregnant with their second baby. “No trick-or-treating until you get some food in your belly.”
“Okay, Mommy.” She ran for the kitchen, her bare feet padding against the floor.
“I swear, she’s your kid, not mine,” Molly said. “Three and a half years old, and she already gets so absorbed in what she’s doing, she forgets everything else.”
“Is she forgetting to eat in favor of doing math problems?” Hazel asked.
“You know what’s weird?” Molly asked. “Kind of. Remember that toy abacus you bought her? Lately she spends hours playing store with her stuffed animals, and I think her favorite part is figuring out how much their pretend purchases cost. She moves the little beads across the line, and I swear to god, she already understands addition and subtraction. She’s three.”