“Ooh!” I said, squinting.
He grabbed it out of my hands and gave me another. “Next.”
I set it down and pulled one of his presents from under the tree. “Your turn.”
I wrinkled my nose and smiled as he tore open the paper, not nearly as daintily as I had. He held it up with a huge grin. “It’s a watch!”
I cackled. “Not just a watch. It’s a freaking Rolex!”
“Baby.” He shook his head. “It’s too much.”
“I saved. We’re good.”
He grabbed each side of my face and planted a firm kiss on my lips. “We really were made for each other. Open yours. I’m dying here.”
“This is fun, isn’t it?” I said, wiggling with anticipation. I picked up the box he gave me and opened it. I looked up at him, confused. “What is it?”
He smiled.
“Is this a joke I’m not getting? It’s empty.”
He reached over, plugging in another extension cord. The rest of house lit up. The doors, windows, and even the floorboards were aglow in every color of the rainbow.
He tapped his phone, and our song began playing from a speaker across the room.
I clapped. “Ah! I love it!”
“That present isn’t actually yours,” he said. “I just didn’t have the heart to tell you.”
“It’s not?”
He shook his head. “It’s the dog’s. I got him a new collar.”
“You did?” I squealed, looking out our baby’s new bling. Something scratched my hand, and I turned the collar. “A new tag, too?”
“No.” Josh chuckled. “Not a tag.”
I tugged on it gently, and the whole collar came loose. “Oh, no!” I panicked until I saw the gold band with the small but perfect princess cut diamond between my fingers. “Oh, my Go—Josh?”
“Avery Jacobs,” he said, shifting to get on one knee.
“Oh, my God,” I breathed, unable to say anything else.
“I …” he blinked. “I had this all planned out, and my mind just went blank.” He laughed and then rubbed the back of his neck.
I laughed and covered my mouth with one hand. “Josh!”
“I’m so damn nervous. To hell with it, Avery … Will you marry me?”
I stared at him, unable to move, unable to speak without sobbing.
“I know it’s too soon. I tried to wait, I swear to God, but … I love you more than anything, Avery. I mean that. More than anything. I haven’t been able to think about anything else but putting a ring on your finger.”
I threw my arms around him, tears streaming.
“Is that a … is that a yes?” he asked while Dee jumped on his back.
“Yes!” I said, leaning back. “Yes.”
Josh slipped the band on my finger while I wiped my cheek with the other hand.
“Don’t cry, baby,” he said, using his thumb to wipe my eyes.
“I love you so much,” I said, sniffing. “I’m just so happy that you love me. And … I’m going to be Avery Avery.”
I meant for it to be funny, but he scanned my face in pure adoration. He took my cheeks in his hands, shook his head, and sighed. “The words just don’t seem enough anymore.” He pressed his lips to mine, kissing me under a thousand twinkling lights. At last.
Long after the last flake of snow had melted and the final patch of ice had evaporated into nothingness, Avery was still struggling to plan the perfect wedding. Our schedules never seemed to let up, making nailing down the details difficult. Avery insisted on a summer wedding, wanting to wear her dress without shivering. I just wanted to be able to call her my wife—mine.
Pinching the bridge of my nose, I tossed the estimate for the cake onto the kitchen table. “This is ridiculous, babe. No cake is that good.”
Avery stood in front of the stove, the morning sun pouring in the through the window and casting a glow over her hair. “I’ve tasted her cakes. They’re good, but it’s not so much about the cake as the appearance.”
“We can just have our reception down at Corner Hole.”
She turned to face me from the stove, a spatula her weapon of choice. “You want to have our wedding reception at a dive bar?”
“A dive what? That’s blasphemy! You love Corner Hole.”
“Yeah, baby. I love it for an after work drink and to unwind. Not the place to celebrate the rest of our lives together. They don’t even serve food.”
“We can order from JayWok.”
“JayWok?” Her eyes threatened to pop out of her skull. “You want Japanese takeout for our wedding? Really, Josh?”
“Another thing you love. Now it’s not good enough? Who are you trying to impress? This day is supposed to be about us. No one else.” I pushed up from my seat at the table and wrapped my arms around her waist from behind.
She shoved the scrambled eggs around the pan. “I’m sorry.” She sighed as her shoulders sagged. “I don’t know what this wedding has done to me. I’ve never cared about any of this kind of stuff. I just … It’s an important day. Our day, about us and the beginning of our marriage. I want it to be perfect.”
Pushing her hair over her right shoulder, I pressed my lips to the back of her neck. “It will be perfect. Going into debt over a cake is not a good way to start our forever.”
She sniffed once. “I would just hate to let anyone down, and—”
“What asshole is going to be let down by our wedding? You’re too stressed out, baby. What can I do to fix it? Let me help.” I turned her around to face me, wrapping my arms around her waist. She tucked her face into the crook of my neck and inhaled deeply.