Every Glance (Every Life #3) (38 page)

Or the ability to move.

Thankfully, Sawyer gives me a little shove, and I step forward, straightening my suit jacket and clearing my throat. Simon, who is sitting just to the right of his mom, is trying to muffle a giggle.

Devyn’s gaze snaps to mine, and her jaw drops only slightly.

Yes, sweetheart, you’ve been duped.

I take a deep breath and blow it out, forcing myself to get past the fact that the entire room is probably waiting on me to slump into the floor. Unconscious. “First of all…” I take another slow breath. “…I want to let you all know how much it means to me for all of you to be here today and to be such an important part of Devyn’s life and mine. You have all been an integral part in making today happen, and some of you have made me the man that I am today. Without my closest friends, I know I wouldn’t be standing here right now.”

I take three determined steps to the mantle and carefully retrieve the wooden box, lowering it carefully. “And that brings me to why I’m standing here in front of all of you today.” My eyes lock on Devyn’s watery eyes. She’s getting the general idea now, I think, but she hasn’t seen her surprise yet.

“Devyn, we may have a history, but when you walked back into my life seven months ago, we started rewriting it. And I have to say that I’ve never been happier than the moment you came back into my life and brought with you the coolest kid I’ve ever met. The both of you immediately became my reason for breathing every day. I didn’t know what my life was missing until the two of you made it complete.”

I watch a glistening tear trail down Devyn’s cheek as I place the wooden box in her lap. “Six months ago today, we were at Sawyer and Makenna’s wedding and Shane was born that same evening. Everything that happened that day further proved what you had already been making me feel…that a family of my own was all I’d ever really wanted. And I made a decision that very night that would steer our course straight to this very moment.” I pause to touch the lid of the box. “Open it.”

With a quivering lip, she looks up at me, searching for answers and only getting a smile in return. Her eyes fall to the small latch on the front as her finger flicks it up. Lifting the top as if something in there is going to bite her, she finally lets out a sigh when she sees it’s just a small black flash drive. She picks it up and studies it carefully.

“What’s this for?” Her voice is a mere whisper. I know she was probably expecting a ring to be in there, but I hope to quell her disappointment soon.

I hold out my hand, allowing her to place it in my palm, and I take it to the front of the room to plug it into the side of the television. Nodding to Wes to turn on the television, I move to the other side of Devyn and kiss her damp cheek. “Just watch.”

The television blinks to life and a video begins with me on the screen. I’m sure Devyn realizes the video was taken at her house, but what she doesn’t know yet is that it was filmed six months ago today.

“Devyn,” I begin, the dim light barely allowing a clear view of me. “Today is the first of many that I’ll be doing this, but I need to explain my reasons, so you’ll get the whole picture. Sure, I could just walk into your bedroom where you’re sleeping to tell you these things, but I have reasons why I’m not going to. You see, today, Sawyer and Makenna got married and Callie and Wes had their first child. And me? I realized that I couldn’t wait another second to have what they have.”

In the video, I look exhausted as I pause to scrub my face with my hand before I continue. I remember filming that first night, the first of many, and knowing without a doubt that it was the most important thing I’d ever do.

“Tonight at the wedding, I almost asked you a question, but I’m glad I didn’t. If it hadn’t been for Simon, I probably would have.” Devyn scrunches her eyes and peers over at him, clearly wondering what he did to deter me, but Simon just silently beams at her. He was happy to play such a big role. “He shared a secret with me that you had dreamed that we got married and that you said our marriage would be like being married for the first time. It was that moment that I knew I couldn’t ask you the burning question in my heart.”

Devyn looks back and forth from me to the same man on the screen and covers her mouth with her hand.

“I couldn’t because I want to live up to that statement. I want the whole experience to be different for you, not just the marriage. I want to date you, to court you, to show you companionship and romance and love. You’ve never really had that, and I want to be the man to give that to you. So today begins the first of many…six months’ worth of days to be exact. Only because I don’t think I can wait a year.”

“Devyn, I wanted to do this to show you that, even though by now you’ve probably thought that I’ve taken steps back, the whole time I’ve had this goal in mind. You deserve to have a real relationship and not be expected to jump right into marriage. But throughout this entire process, I wanted to be able to give you proof that my intentions were clear and unfaltering. More than anything in this world, I want you and Simon to be my family. So for the first time of many, I want to ask you...”

The video goes black and soft music begins. Devyn is glued to the screen, but her hand reaches out and clamps onto mine like a vice.

The date of that first night flashes on the screen, and I reappear, lying in Devyn’s bed. Rolling over with the camera, I kiss the peacefully-sleeping Devyn lightly on the forehead and whisper low enough that it won’t disturb her. “Will you marry me?”

Devyn squeezes harder and sobs softly, starting to turn to me, but I stop her. “Keep watching.”

The date of the very next day flashes on the screen, and I’m holding the camera while cooking dinner. “Hello, beautiful,” I say. “I’m just making spaghetti for you and Simon because you’re on your way over here to watch a movie. As a matter of fact, I hear your car outside right now, so I have to make this short. I love you, Devyn. Please, marry me.”

“I remember you coming to the door with your phone in your hand and a weird look on your face,” Devyn laughs. “I can’t believe you—” Her words fall away as the next day comes into view, and the next, and the next.

Each day, at some point, I stopped for a few seconds to ask her to be my wife. Some days, I’m in my office at the clinic or in an empty patient room. Other days, I’m out and about or at home. I can’t keep my eyes off Devyn as the realization of what I’ve been doing sinks in. She’s laughing through her tears, watching me make a fool of myself in every clip.

“It’s three o’clock in the morning.” I look half asleep and stoned, lying on my pillow with only the light of my camera to brighten the dark room. “And I’m just now getting home from the hospital and getting in bed, but I’m missing you. I can’t go to sleep without asking you to be my wife.”

The next day, the clip shows me sitting in her living room with her in the kitchen in the background. “Marry me, Devyn,” I whisper.

But it’s not always just me in the video. There’s one of Stan and Ella asking her to marry me so that they could have a pseudo daughter-in-law and pseudo grandbabies. Then there are her sisters on another day, which was a little weird with Kyler being a part of it, but she wanted to show her support of us. Sawyer, Makenna, Wes, and Callie all had their turns begging Devyn to marry me, so we could finally round out the group and they could finally see me settled and happy. Even Devyn’s parents had their turn on screen.

“Hi, Mom.” Yesterday’s date is followed by Simon flashing on the screen. “Dalton finally let me do a video, and he says he saved the most important spot for me. You know I’ve been okay with this from the beginning, but I wanted to say that you’re the best mom in the world and I know what you’ve gone through for me. I’m glad that you’re finally happy, and it’s cool to see you smile for a change. That’s why I want you to marry Dalton…so you’ll smile every day. And it doesn’t hurt that he let me drive down Sawyer’s driveway in his lap yesterday.”

“You weren’t supposed to tell her that.” I whisper on screen from behind the camera.

“Oops. I was totally safe, though, Mom. I love you.”

The camera turns on me, and I’m smiling sheepishly. “And I love you, too. Please, marry me, Devyn.”

Finally, the screen shows today’s date and the video ends just as Sawyer is handing me the tulip bouquet. I move around in front of Devyn, and I scan the room of smiling faces before I kneel before her, resting the fragrant flowers delicately in the crook of her outstretched arm.

“I can’t believe you’ve been doing this all this time,” Devyn says through a watery grin. “I would’ve said ‘yes’ the first night. You’ve been making me crazy on purpose.”

“Maybe a little.” I reach into my pants pocket and feel the platinum warmed from my body heat. Pinching it between two fingers, I slip it from my pocket and hold it in front of her. “But there’s nothing I won’t do to prove how much you and Simon mean to me. You have changed my life…changed
me.
I want to be your best friend, a husband, a father. I want to be everything you need me to be. And this is my promise to you that I’ll spend every day of my life making sure that I fulfill that for both of you. I’ve already asked you over 180 times, and I’m hoping that this is the last. Devyn, will you please be my wife?”

She looks up from the ring with the answer showing in her eyes. With a nod, she flings both arms around me, and the room erupts in cheers. Even Simon jumps up and gets in on the embrace.

And right there, in that very moment, with Devyn and Simon in my arms, everything clicks into place. I finally have a family of my own and a renewed hope that there’s so much more to come. I don’t know how I’ll possibly have room in my heart for more, but I’m willing to test its boundaries.

Wiping her eyes and pulling away from me, Devyn takes a deep breath and blows it out slowly. “Can I talk to you alone for a second?”

I feel a weight deep in my gut. Those words are rarely associated with anything good. “Uh, yeah, sure.”

Curious stares follow us into the library, where Devyn shuts the door after we enter.

“Sit down,” she orders, wringing her hands nervously.

I stumble over to the nearest chair, unsteady on my feet. “What’s wrong?”

“Something happened, and I couldn’t put off telling you another second. I’ve been trying to find a way to talk to you about it for the last few days, but I didn’t know how. You weren’t exactly giving me much confidence with all the mixed signals you were sending me, and I honestly didn’t know where we stood. I understand it all now, but I was seriously beginning to wonder if you’d changed your mind about us because I didn’t think you were ready for the next step.”

My mouth suddenly feels as if it’s full of cotton, and my brain isn’t far behind. “Whatever it is, Devyn, just tell me. We’ll figure out a way past it and make it work.”

Without a word, she crosses the room to her purse and pulls out a folded slip of paper. I don’t know if I can say it without completely losing all composure, but everything you need to know is right here on this page.

I take the paper between my fingers and look up at her. She’s already on the edge, barely holding back her tears, and I feel my eyes welling up, as well. Whatever is on this page, whatever truth it holds, I know my love for her won’t change. There’s no doubt about that.

My chest heaves in and out on the verge of hyperventilation, and before I lose all nerve, I slip a finger in the fold and open it. It takes my eyes a moment to adjust to what I’m seeing in the printed picture, but I’ve seen quite a few of these before.

I jump up from my seat, opening my mouth to speak, but I can’t form a coherent thought.

“I found out a few days ago.” Devyn wipes a tear away from the side of her nose. “I wasn’t sure how you’d take it, but after today, I knew it couldn’t wait another minute. It’s not something I meant to happen right now, but I—”

“Devyn,” I interrupt, reaching out to drag her against me. “I’m going to be a father?”

The grim line of her mouth turns up into a soft smile. “Yes. I’m four weeks.”

“We’re having a baby?” Simon, who was obviously eavesdropping, bursts through the door excitedly. Of course, he yells it loud enough that everyone else hears it and races to the doorway to join him.

I hold up the ultrasound picture, feeling my grin splitting my face so hard that my cheeks burn. “It appears that we are. You okay with that?”

“Yes!” He punches a fist into the air and jumps up and down.

Everyone is cheering and hugging and flooding into the room to congratulate us on both the engagement and now the baby. Simon is the first to us, begging to see his brother—so he believes—in the picture.

I, on the other hand, only have one thought in mind.

“Hey, Simon.”

He looks up at me with his eyes full of wonder. “Yeah? Uh, I mean…sir?”

With a wink, I lean in to him, my son. “I have something important to tell you.”

His eyes scrunch in confusion.

“Puffin.”