“Oh, they’re beautiful,” she said, burying her face in them.
“And these are from me, although now I’m embarrassed to give them to you. They don’t quite measure up to the bouquet from the king.”
“They’re wonderful and in fact I think they’re better because they’re from you.”
She kissed me and then rested her head against my chest. I let my hand coast down her back and sighed contentedly.
“That’s nice of you to say,” I murmured, “but I know it’s not the truth.”
She tilted her head and nipped at my chin.
“If I say they’re better, then they’re better and you can’t argue with me.”
I pulled her close and tucked her head under my chin. “Okay. You’re the boss. I bow to your superior opinion.”
“As you should,” she replied. “I have a Ph.D. now, so technically, I’m smarter than you.”
“Yes, you are,” I replied. “You chose me, didn’t you?”
Frankie laughed and burrowed into me, and I kissed the top of her head and leaned back against the tree.
“Do you want us to set up here?” Olivia said.
“What?” Frankie asked, pulling away.
“The picnic,” Olivia replied with a grin.
“I don’t think we can have a picnic right here,” Frankie hissed.
“Of course we can,” Adam said, as he spread out a blanket.
“You guys are crazy,” Frankie said.
“No, we just wanted to make this special,” I said. “Besides, don’t you know what tree this is?”
“Of course I know what tree this is,” Frankie said as she plopped down on the blanket and started rummaging through the picnic basket.
“Great, then this will mean more to you.”
“What?” she asked, looking up.
Francesca
“Good, then this will mean more to you,” Lucas said.
I looked up at where he was standing only to discover he was no longer standing, but kneeling, on one knee, holding out a box with the most beautiful antique ring sparkling on the velvet inside.
I looked into his eyes and saw so much love there it made my heart skip a beat—okay; I know that’s not really possible, but still, my heart definitely skipped.
“Lucas?” I whispered.
“I love you Francesca Ophelia Davenport.”
“That’s not my middle name,” I said absently as I stared at the ring again. It was so much more beautiful than the one he gave me for our fake engagement.
“And yet, I still love you,” he said with a smirk. “I want to marry you. I want to spend the next sixty years with you at my side.”
“Only sixty years?”
“Okay, the next hundred years,” he said with an eye roll and then before I could say anything else he corrected himself. “The next millennia. I want to spend the next millennia with you beside me.”
“Don’t be silly, we won’t live that long.”
His head dropped, and his arms dropped, and I grinned.
“Frankie,” Mom hissed.
“Sorry, sorry, go on. You were saying?”
“Marry me, Frankie.”
“Okay,” I replied and then tackled him to the ground and kissed him.
“So that’s a yes, then?” Dad asked.
“That’s a yes,” Mom said. “Now can we eat? I’m starving.”
I laughed and hugged Lucas one more time before sitting up and sticking out my hand so he could slide the ring on.
“This is real, right?” I asked. “You’re not just asking me to pretend to be your wife?”
“No, Frankie,” he said, kissing me. “This is real and now that the ring is on your finger, you’re stuck with me.”
I looked up at him and beamed. I didn’t think I could remember ever being as happy as I was right in that moment.
“There’s no one else I’d rather be stuck with,” I said. “And that’s Dr. Frankie to you.”
THE END