15. With This Ring

15

WITH THIS RING

Flora pulled Beau and me over to the Christmas tree, the backs of our legs warmed by the fire crackling behind us. My breath caught at the look on her face—half nerves, half hope. And her eyes were shining as she gripped my hand in hers.

"You've planned so many weddings, Paige," she said, "so I want you to close your eyes and imagine what our wedding might look like. What it feels like, what it sounds like, the things that would make you happy. Can you do that?"

I laughed nervously but complied, feeling wings beating deep in my belly. My planning brain took over, sweeping along details and scenarios from past ceremonies that I loved, tossing the ideas that I loathed.

Until I recalled that those day-of details had never been important to me. Not when the most vital and precious thing in my life was the two people standing right here.

"This is a little blasphemous to say, given that I am a wedding planner," I started, "but I never fantasized about any of the things I help people make decisions about every day. Never cared about flowers or seating arrangements or what I would wear. I only ever pictured…community. A day celebrating queer love, what it means to carve out space for yourself in a world that wants to keep you invisible. Embracing a love that's beyond limits, as fresh and new as a sunrise. And I always wanted to be marrying the two of you."

A great surge of emotion had me fluttering open my eyes and blinking back tears. Beau's smile was larger than the Christmas tree we were standing next to.

And Flora was holding a ring in her hand. Her fingers trembled as they clasped mine. "Paige, I love your strength and your courage. I love how beautifully you give yourself to others, even if that means helping me at my bakery at four in the morning. I love how you start dancing as soon as we summit a hiking trail, how eagerly you chase adventure, how safe and protected you've always made me feel. And yes , I live for those red lips of yours and always will."

I was no longer in my body but floating above it, watching the woman of my dreams place a silver ring at the very tip of my finger.

"I'm head over heels in love with you. Will you marry me?" she asked.

Even with all that lay ahead of us, there was no hesitation and not an ounce of worry.

I knew what I wanted, knew what I deserved.

I always had.

"Yes," I blurted out. "Yes, please. "

She beamed and kissed me, then carefully slid the ring onto my finger. Then she turned to Beau, now holding a second ring.

"Beau. I love that giant heart of yours and how wonderfully you give love to everyone around you. You make me laugh every single day, and I adore your compassion, your kind soul, your ability to comfort your patients when they need it. I'm so proud of every single thing you've accomplished, and I'm really proud of all the ways you've shown up for me in this relationship, even when we were confused and scared." She did the same thing, hovering the ring over his finger. "I love you with every fiber of my being. Will you marry me?"

He gripped her face. "Yes. And I'll say yes every time you ask."

On it went.

Next, Flora gave Beau two rings. They were mismatched and clearly ones she'd brought in her jewelry bag for the weekend, which only made it more intimate. The one I wore was still warm from her skin.

He cleared his throat and took my hand. When our eyes connected, I couldn't help but smile at his obvious nerves. "The day I realized I was in love with you, I wanted to run outside, shout to the world that what I felt was no fleeting crush, but something real and solid. That I loved every part of you—your brilliance, your confidence, your joy. All your nerdy movie tattoos, the way your hair shines in the moonlight. So I'm fully prepared to shout to the world how much I love you now, to anyone who'll listen, for as long as they let me."

I laughed, the back of my neck growing hot.

He took my hand and held out the ring. "I love you so much, Paige. Will you please, please, marry me?"

"I would be honored," I said, and he crushed me to his chest in a massive hug. The ring slid to the top of Flora's, and tears slid down my face.

When he twisted toward her, a gentle understanding swept over me. Of what she was trying to say, trying to show, about the true meaning of this specific gesture.

A brand-new start for three explorers, mapping their way to someplace singular and dazzling.

"Flor, I remember that road trip we took to Moab, when we watched the sunset together, and I felt this…this weight of love I'd never experienced before. I thought you were the most beautiful thing I'd ever seen, and I was so scared to tell you, so scared you'd turn me down. Instead, you taught me how to love better, how to be better. And I'd like to watch sunsets with you for the rest of my life. Will you marry me, darlin'?"

She pressed onto her toes and gave him a long kiss. "Yes," she whispered. "Always yes."

Then they faced me expectantly and Flora dropped the final two rings into the palm of my hand. I understood their significance as more than just a symbol but a promise. To live and love as boldly as we were able.

I swallowed a few times, a futile attempt to rein in my wild emotions. So I let everything show on my face—all my late-night worries, my secret desires, every fantasy and furtive wish.

I took Flora's hand in mine, admiring the ring she was already adorned with. "I love that you feed all the stray cats that live by the bakery and cook special treats for every dog that comes in. I love that your first instinct when a friend is in need is to bake them their favorite dessert, that every part of you comes alive in a kitchen where you practice your craft. On every hike, I forget my water bottle, and you always remember to bring it for me. You're the first to drag us someplace fun, the first to hug, the first to celebrate the small joys with your whole heart. I love you so much I can't imagine my life without you. Will you—" My voice broke. "Will you marry me?"

"Yes," she said, kissing me. "Yes, yes, a million times, yes."

She wiped the tears from my cheeks then allowed me to slip the second ring onto her hand.

I looked at Beau, and Flora stepped behind me and wrapped her arms around my waist. I took his hand, bolstered by the heat of her body curled around mine. He winked at me, as playful as ever, and it sent a burst of nervous laughter spilling from my lips.

"Beau, I love your spirit, how every day with you is as fun and silly as you are," I said. "I love how you're quick to come to the rescue, for your friends and for your patients. How your sense of wonder is boundless, and how appreciated you make people feel, just by being themselves. I love that your first question to me is usually if we should get a tattoo. You're always there to make me laugh, always there to tease, to show me how to reach for what I deserve. I love you, Beau, and I would be absolutely overjoyed if you married me."

His jaw ticked, his eyes shining in the glow of the holiday lights. "I would love to marry you, Paige Presley."

He immediately brought us close, wrapping his long arms around us as we laughed and cried. The weight of those rings on my fingers was effervescent, no heavier than the bubbles in our champagne glass.

It was the strength of Beau and Flora, holding me tight, that grounded me in that moment. The three of us. Together and ready to fight for each other.

The clock over the mantle chimed.

"Well, would you look at that," Flora said softly. "It's midnight. Happy New Year, my darlings. We made it."