Epilogue

Epilogue

Anderson

"A new one?" Aspen enters the kitchen staring at the mug in the middle of the table. "This time you wrapped it, why?"

I shrug, waiting by the side of the table, anticipating her reaction.

"I think is my favorite, right next to the one you gave me last week." She smiles, sighing. "Doctors Heal with Love and Band-aids."

It's cool, the band-aid has her name. Kevin and I found a guy who hand paints mugs, we just create the drawings for him. Brynn and Aspen are on cloud number nine with those things. I just have to find a place to store them all. Today's mug has a drawing of her favorite chocolates and reads,

Pediatrician, will work for candy

She pulls it by the wrapping, her brows knit together as she stares at the plastic covering. Her attention moves to me as she shakes it and it rattles.

"Hmm."

"Open it." I shove my good arm inside my pocket, the box burning my hand.

Carefully, she opens it, smiling at the treasure inside. Her eyes squint as she stares at the M&Ms, and then they open wide, taking a few out and reading them out loud. "Will you…" she eats it and then the next one, "Marry me?"

That's my cue to go down on one knee.

"Aspen Winter Zimmerman." The tip of her hand touches her lips, her eyes are wide. I kind of proposed to her at the hospital a few weeks ago, but we didn't talk about it afterwards. I had the ring ready inside my drawer before I left for the mission but I wanted to have the custom chocolates done before I could make it official.

Opening the red velvet box, I exhale the words I harbor in my heart, "Remember the first words we exchanged?" She narrows her gaze, those eyes watery but holding the tears.

"You asked, ‘When did you get here?'" I answered, "The question is ‘where have you been all this time, beautiful?'"

She laughs, shaking her head. We both know she was talking to Hugo, our dog. "My soul, along with my heart already knew who you were, that I had finally found you. Since that day, we started building this relationship, adding love to it and seeing it grow. You taught me to love. That love is an intangible feeling—totally unpredictable, unstable, and worth having and fighting for. My days have never been this bright, and my worst days are bearable because you are with me. We learned that love is the only thing that matters and that it doesn't hurt. Love is a place where we can be safe. I'm here to ask you to marry me: to be my wife, to be my safe haven, to let me be everything you need. I want to spend eternity with you while we make each other happy."

Aspen sets the mug on top of the table, bends down, and holds my hands while looking into my soul. "Yes, a thousand times yes. I…" She breaths, the tears breaking the barrier. "I…"

She can't talk anymore, the emotion overwhelms her. I take her into my arms, standing up and kissing her the way we always do. I surrender my heart to her, my soul melding with hers. Remembering this might be our last kiss, and praying for a billion more.