Chapter 27 The Plans
I woke up the next morning with the ring still on my finger. Sunlight streamed through the curtains, and for a moment, I forgot where I was. Then I saw Damian beside me, still sleeping, his hand resting on my hip. The diamond caught the light, and memory flooded back. He had asked. I had said yes.
I slipped out of bed and walked to the kitchen. The house was quiet. No children yet. I started coffee, leaning against the counter, staring at my left hand. A soft sound behind me. Damian.
"Good morning, fiancée." His voice was rough with sleep.
I turned. "Fiancée. That sounds strange."
"Good strange?"
I smiled. "The best kind."
He kissed me, then reached for the coffee pot. "Today we tell the children. Again." He laughed. "They'll probably want more pancakes."
An hour later, we gathered everyone in the living room. Leo and Max were still in pajamas. Lily was braiding Rose's hair. Rose sat perfectly still, her book open on her lap.
Damian cleared his throat. "We have news."
Max looked up. "Did someone die again?"
"No," Damian said. "Last week we told you we were getting married. Now it's official." He held up my hand. "Ava said yes."
Lily gasped. "You're really a princess now!"
Rose closed her book. "Can I see the ring?"
I knelt beside her. She took my hand, turning it gently, examining the diamond. "It's pretty," she said. "Small, though."
Damian laughed. "I'll remember that for the next one."
"No next one," I said. "This is it."
Leo tugged Damian's sleeve. "Do we get new clothes for the wedding?"
"Everyone gets new clothes."
Max raised his hand. "Can I wear my dinosaur shirt?"
"Absolutely."
Rose handed my hand back to me. "Can I help plan?"
I pulled her into a hug. "You can help with everything. Flowers, food, music. Whatever you want."
Lily bounced on the couch. "I want flowers in my hair!"
"Flowers in your hair," I agreed.
After breakfast, we called Rosa. She answered on the first ring, her voice already suspicious. "You never call this early. What happened?"
"We're engaged," I said.
Silence. Then a shriek. "Finally! I've been waiting for this call since the day he first walked into your office!" She was crying and laughing at the same time. "I'm going to be the witness, right? I already picked out my dress. It's purple. Do you like purple? I can change it."
Damian grinned. "Wouldn't have anyone else. Purple is perfect."
Rosa sniffled. "I'm so happy for you. For all of you. Those girls deserve this. You deserve this."
I wiped my eyes. "We'll come see you this afternoon."
"Bring the ring. I need to see it in person."
We hung up with promises to visit her that afternoon.
Next, we drove to Eleanor's house. The boys ran ahead, banging on the door. Eleanor opened it, flour on her apron, oven mitts on her hands. "What's all the commotion?"
Damian held up my hand. "We're engaged."
She stared at the ring. Then she pulled off her mitts, grabbed Damian's face, and kissed both his cheeks. "Finally." She turned to me, her eyes wet. "Welcome to the family. Properly this time."
I hugged her. "Thank you for everything."
She pulled back. "Now, let's talk about the wedding. I've been planning this in my head for months."
"Months?" Damian asked.
"I'm a grandmother. I have intuition." She led us to the kitchen, where a notebook lay open on the table. "I've already sketched the garden layout. White chairs here, arch here, roses along the path."
I stared at the drawings. "You really have been planning."
"I told you. Intuition."
We spent the afternoon in Eleanor's garden. The children ran through the roses while we sat on the patio, drinking lemonade. Eleanor had a notebook full of ideas. Flowers, food, music. I let her talk, nodding along.
Damian squeezed my hand under the table. "Too much?"
"Perfect," I whispered.
Rose wandered over and sat on my lap. "Grandma Eleanor says we can have a cookie table."
"A cookie table?"
"Every guest brings cookies. Then we eat them for dessert."
I looked at Eleanor. She shrugged. "It's a family tradition."
Damian groaned. "My mother has been waiting to use that tradition for years."
I kissed Rose's head. "Then we'll have a cookie table."
Lily ran over. "Can we have cupcakes too?"
"Cookies and cupcakes," I said.
Max appeared, holding a fistful of flowers. "For you, Mommy Ava."
My heart swelled. "Thank you, sweetheart."
That evening, after the children were asleep, Damian and I sat on our porch. The ring felt heavier now, more real. The day had been full of noise and love, and I was exhausted in the best way.
"Are you happy?" he asked.
"You ask me that a lot."
"Because I want to make sure."
I leaned into him. "I'm happy. I'm also terrified."
"Of what?"
I thought about it. "Of messing up. Of disappointing you. Of disappointing the children."
He turned to face me. "You could never disappoint them. Or me. You've already given us everything."
I shook my head. "I kept them from you for five years."
"And I let you go without a fight." He cupped my face. "We've both made mistakes. But we're here now. That's what matters."
I closed my eyes. "Promise me something."
"Anything."
"Promise me that if we start to drift, if we start to forget why we're doing this, you'll tell me. Before it's too late."
He kissed my forehead. "I promise. And you promise me the same."
"I promise."
We sat in silence, watching the stars. Somewhere inside, our children dreamed. Somewhere in the distance, the city hummed.
The next morning, we made a list.
Small wedding. Eleanor's garden. Fifty guests maximum. The children as attendants. Rosa as officiant. A simple dinner after. No press, no spectacle, no drama.
Leo wanted to know if he could give a speech. Lily wanted to know if she could wear a crown. Max wanted to know if there would be cake. Rose wanted to know if she could read her poem.
"Yes to all of it," I said.
Damian wrapped his arm around me. "We're really doing this."
"We're really doing this."
He kissed my temple. "I love you, Ava."
I looked at the ring, at the man beside me, at the children running through the living room. At the life we had built from nothing.
"
I love you too."