22. Clara

CHAPTER 22

CLARA

D awn insisted on taking Clara with her on vacation. Stan was busy, she'd said, and Dawn didn't want to miss out, so Clara had to come. It was, after all, likely the last vacation Dawn would get to have for a while, since she was going to have a newborn in no time. Clara suspected this was all an excuse Dawn used to get her sister out of the funk Luis's rejection had put her into. And honestly, although Clara would never admit it, she really did need this break. She needed to be forced to think about literally anything other than him because she couldn't get her mind off him, and it made her feel pathetic.

When they got to the hotel, Clara found out Dawn had booked separate rooms for them. "I don't smell that bad, do I?" Clara inquired with a laugh.

"Oh, you know…" Dawn looked to be searching for an excuse. Clara had never seen her so flustered. "It's just so we can sleep a little better, right? Otherwise, we'll stay up all night watching movies. You know how we are." She sped up her words as she went along, which had always been a surefire way to tell that she was lying. Once Dawn got going on a lie, she just had to barrel through it. She couldn't get it into her head that less was more. She would explain and explain until she worked herself into an explanation frenzy.

Clara decided to put a stop to it before it got out of hand. "It's okay to just say I've been a bit of a bummer to be around. It won't hurt my feelings. I know it's true."

"It's not, though!" Dawn looked so offended that Clara almost believed her. "Ugh, you'll see."

Clara narrowed her eyes at her sister. "I'll see what exactly?"

"Just…" Dawn's face went pink and she wrung the handles of her purse. "Just you'll see. Never mind, okay? Let's just get our stuff to our rooms and get out to the beach. I really, really, really want to see the beach. Got to send pictures to Stan so he feels bad about missing out."

They went to their respective hotel rooms, and Clara unpacked what she could. They were only staying a couple nights, so there wasn't much, but it felt good to unpack anyway. The room was colorful and vintage. All the décor looked like it was from the early 1900s, and she did kind of like it. There was a clawfoot tub and everything. She tried to be positive about her situation. Lots of people had their hearts broken all the time, and not all of them had wonderful sisters who took them on vacations to get their minds off things. Clara should be grateful, and she was really. But it didn't negate the hurt either.

She dressed for the beach — layers because further north the weather was less predictable — and waited for her sister, who made Clara stand outside her hotel room for some mysterious reason. Clara could hear that Dawn was on the phone with someone but not exactly what she was saying. It was fishy, but Clara chalked it up to a possible fight with Stan. Maybe that was the real reason he hadn't come along. Well, if that's what it was, Dawn didn't sound angry now, so maybe they'd made up. It would be great if Stan could join them after all. Then she'd be glad they each got a separate room, considering what Dawn had shared about the quality of their make-up sex.

Soon, Dawn came shooting out of her own room with a bag and a pair of sunglasses propped up on her head. She looked breezy, dressed in flowing white clothes like she'd just walked out of a commercial for some kind of medication with a long list of side effects the viewer was meant to ignore.

"Ready?" Dawn said. "I'm so excited!"

"For the beach?" Clara laughed. Her sister had never been so thrilled, and it was only a beach. It was the strangest thing.

"It's not just a beach," Dawn said. "It's a beach with sea glass all along it. It's famous! We're going to go down there and take all the pictures, and it's going to be gorgeous. I just know it. Remember how we talked about going to this beach when we were kids? You were determined, but then Mom and Dad had that whole thing and we never made it, and you were so disappointed."

"Aha!" Clara pointed an accusing finger at her sister as they made their way down the hall toward the parking lot. "I knew this trip was really about me."

Dawn sighed and threw up her hands. "Fine, fine. You caught me. I wanted to show you a good time after all the bull you've been through lately. But this is for me, too, you know. I want to bond with my sister. I want to see her laugh and smile the way she used to. It's going to take a whole lot of weight off me to know you're feeling better."

Halfway across the parking lot, Clara reached over and wrapped her arms around her sister. "I am feeling better, Sis. Thank you so much."

They kept walking like that, Clara clinging to her sister while Dawn patted her arms and kissed her. She was showing her pregnancy already, Clara noticed, which meant Clara would be showing soon, too. She couldn't decide whether she dreaded it or whether she'd be the most excited she'd ever been. She hoped for the latter.

The beach really was beautiful, just like Dawn had said it would be. They weren't at the main beach but a smaller, quieter one. Dawn had explained that much of the sea glass had been taken from the more popular beaches by tourists, but she knew of this less well-known beach that still had piles of sea glass all along it. When the water hit the glass, it made the most beautiful sound, like a fizzy drink, Clara thought. This beach, this place, was somewhere Clara had always wanted to visit.

"It's beautiful, Dawn." She hugged her sister again. "Thanks so much for bringing me here."

"You should start looking for your favorite piece," Dawn said with a mischievous grin. "I don't want to take too much like everyone else has done, but I figure, if we just take one, it'll be okay. I think you should pick the one we take."

Clara gazed out over the beach and started toward a spot that looked to have the most glass. The sea glass was glittering in the light of the setting sun, and she felt like a child again, going through treasure that had no value other than the value she gave to it.

From behind her, Clara heard Dawn say, "Love you, Sis. I'm going to go find a toilet really quick. The baby's starting to push on my bladder."

"Okay," Clara called back without looking behind her. She enjoyed slowly sifting through the sea glass, noting all the colors she could: blue, orange, white, and green. One blue piece in particular caught her eye. It really did look like some kind of gem, and the knowledge that it had been whittled down by hundreds of years and the current of the ocean made it all the more beautiful to her. She held it to her eye and saw the sunset glimmer through it.

Then she heard a voice say, "Is that the one?" and it wasn't Dawn. It wasn't a stranger either. She would have known that voice after only one syllable. It was Luis. She turned to see him standing behind her, his face bathed in the light of the setting sun.

"What are you doing here?" she asked and then amended. "I mean I'm happy to see you. I just didn't expect?—"

"It's not an accident," Luis said, stepping closer. When he came too close, she thought her heart might stop. There were his soulful eyes and that melting smile. And then he dropped down on one knee, and Clara gasped. "Clara Ashford…" he began.

"Wait, wait." She couldn't help herself. "This was planned?"

He shook his head and smiled up at her. "Yes. Now if you'll just allow me to continue, I have something I want to ask."

"I know what it is!" A small voice came from behind one of the large stone formations on the beach. Then a young boy ran toward them. "I know what it is, lady!" he said.

"Oh, no." Luis raised his eyebrows. "There goes the surprise."

The precocious boy, who looked to be about nine years old, started explaining everything. "There's no way this is a surprise. Look, mister. You're on one knee and reaching for something in your pocket. It's obvious you're going to ask her to marry you. I've seen it in a billion movies. Everyone has. If you wanted to surprise her, you should have done something different."

Clara held her hand over her mouth to keep from laughing openly, but it was no use. The whole scenario was beyond funny.

"Tell me how I should do this, then," Luis said. "Since you're the expert here."

The boy crossed his arms over his chest. "Firstly, she should be facing the sunset. You're making her miss it, and that's just not cool."

"Ah, that's an excellent point, kid. I can't argue with that." Luis stood and maneuvered Clara so she was facing the sunset. "Now what?" he asked the boy.

"Well, now you tell her how you really feel about her. You have to butter her up before you ask her to live with you forever. Everyone knows that."

"Oh, well then. I don't suppose you'll give us a bit of privacy?"

The boy huffed and shook his head. "No way. You need me. You're going to mess this up if I'm not here to tell you how it's done."

Clara was practically doubled over with laughter. Part of her couldn't believe this was even happening. Luis was going to propose for real. He was going to put a stop to their stupid separation. She had no doubt about it this time. The way he looked down at her, like he could barely stand to be so close without kissing her. He still loved her, despite everything she'd done, and he was going to heal both their broken hearts right now. She wanted nothing more than to let him. But the boy overseeing the whole thing was too delightful to silence.

"Go on," the boy said. "Tell her how you really feel."

Luis took both of Clara's hands in his. "Clara, I've loved you from that first night. Something like fear and ridiculous pride kept me from coming out and just telling you so. I should have done this so much sooner. I should have fought harder for you. But I love you… I've loved you. The first time I asked you to marry me, it was mostly because I wanted you to stay. And the only reason I called off the wedding was because I thought you didn't love me, and it would be unfair to force you to marry a man you didn't love. But then I talked to Dawn." He knit his brow and murmured, "Why didn't you just tell me?"

"No!" The boy cut in. "That's not how you do it. You're not supposed to make her feel bad for anything. Butter. Her. Up."

Luis couldn't stop smiling. "I'm doing my best, you know."

"Do better," his ruthless supervisor demanded.

"Okay, okay!" Luis turned back to Clara. "I cannot imagine ever loving another woman the way that I love you. The thought of settling for anyone else makes my heart so heavy. You are my one and only, the mother of my child, and the first woman who ever truly won my whole heart. Clara Ashford, will you marry me?"

Before Clara could answer, the boy cut in again. "Now give her the ring!"

Luis reached into his pocket and pulled out a small cardboard box. It surprised Clara. She expected to see that fancy ring box, that massive diamond. But when he opened the box, she could only see a plain gold band with no diamond at all.

"You deserve something real," Luis said, taking the ring from the box, "something no amount of money could ever buy. So I offer you my grandmother's wedding ring with one small modification." He held it out so Clara could see the empty setting in it. "The glass you chose will be the centerpiece of this ring. I will have it set once you've chosen your favorite. That way this ring will tell you two things. The first is that, to me, you are more precious than diamonds. The second is that, if you say yes, you will be part of my family just as much as I am part of yours." He nodded back to the boy behind him. "Which is why I wanted to introduce you to my sister's son."

Clara's mouth fell open. "This is your nephew?"

"Yes." Luis grinned. "Gabriel wanted to participate, so I wrote a script for him."

"Did you like it?" the boy said, bouncing in place to expend his excited energy. "I memorized all of it on the way here."

Clara bit her lip and fought her own overjoyed tears. "You did so, so well. You deserve a trophy for that performance. I'll have to make you one when we go home."

Luis squeezed her hands. "By home , do you mean?—"

"Yes, you idiot." Clara leapt into his arms, and he squeezed her tight. "We're going together. I thought you'd never ask." She couldn't begin to express how much his proposal meant to her. She couldn't have imagined a more perfect one. Every fantasy she'd ever had throughout her childhood paled in comparison. "I love you so much, Luis. I wanted to tell you so many times, but I chickened out again and again. Thank you so much for taking the risk. I know it wasn't easy."

"I could not possibly go on living knowing I passed up the chance to be with you," he said, sliding the ring onto her finger. "You're worth every risk in the world. I love you."

Gabriel ran back toward the rocks he had emerged from, shouting, "Did you hear? She said yes! I told you she was going to say yes!"

And as Clara watched, a group of what looked like over a dozen people slowly emerged from behind the rocks. Luis kissed and kissed her, lifting her into his arms as he did. Then he let her go and took her hand in his. "Would you like to meet my family? They've been dying to meet you."

Dawn hopped out from behind the rocks as well, grinning like a Cheshire Cat. "You little sneak!" Clara shouted at her. "I knew you had something up your sleeve." This explained the separate rooms.

"Stan's on his way!" Dawn shouted. "So you don't have to entertain me anymore."

No matter how romantic the proposal had been, nothing hit Clara quite so hard as the fact that Luis had brought his family to meet her. She knew how much his family meant to him. They were the reason for everything he'd ever done in his life, everything he'd ever built. And now his siblings were all surrounding her, introducing themselves, their children, and their parents, who were hugging her too hard and kissing her cheeks.

She carefully placed the blue stone in the box the ring had come in and tucked it away in her pocket. Her wedding ring was going to be unlike anyone else's, and every time she looked down to see it, she would be reminded of this day — the day Luis finally fought for her, the day he made her part of his family, bringing them along just to seal the deal. She was bathed in the light of the setting sun, and the love of his family and her sister, who had all planned this out so carefully with no promise it would go as planned. They all took the risk for Clara, and it felt so wonderful to mean that much to so many people.

She wrapped her arms around Luis's neck and planted another kiss on his lips. "I will never forget this, not as long as I live. I think this is already the happiest day of my life."

"Well," Luis murmured into her ear, "I can't wait to spend the rest of my life trying to top it."