The Break-Up Diet: A Memoir (36 page)

“I ask you to marry me and now you're running away?” he called after me laughing.

I ran past a family playing a board game on a blanket, my feet spraying sand in my wake. “Congratulations!” they called out as I passed.

I followed the plane through the camera lens and snapped the picture. When I lowered the camera, Josh stood in front of me holding a Kit-Kat chocolate bar.

“Congratulations, Mom.” He gave me a hug.

“Did you know about this?” I asked.

Josh nodded. “Steven asked me a couple weeks ago if he could marry you. He told me about the plane thing, but I didn't know he was going to do it today.” He looked across the lake at the small plane banking for another lap. “It's pretty cool, huh?”

“Very cool,” I said.

“Tell him I'm keeping the candy bar. Now I know he was just trying to get rid of me.” Josh opened the wrapper and took a bite. “I'm going to return the kayak.” He jogged over and pushed it into the water.

I walked back toward Steven. As I approached, I saw he had been watching Josh and me.

We curled up together on the blanket and watched the plane circle the lake a few more times until it disappeared into the setting sun.

Steven propped himself on an elbow. “So, are you sure you really want to marry me?”

It was like someone asking if I was sure I ever wanted to breathe again.

“Absolutely. I think I'm the luckiest girl in the world.” I leaned to kiss him. He returned my nibbling kisses with a deeper press of passion.

When we pulled apart, his eyes danced. “If you're actually going to marry me, I hope you like to travel because I want to show you the world. Think you can handle that?” he said.

Steven reached into the back pocket of his jeans, withdrew an envelope, and handed it to me. I lifted the flap and pulled out a Continental Airlines flight itinerary with the final destination labeled CDG—Charles De Gaulle Airport: France.

“I want you to meet my parents. They bought a villa in Belcodene when they retired. We leave on Friday for three weeks. That is, if you're not too busy to go,” he said.

I felt like I died and landed on Fantasy Island. The plane just left, and all I needed was Tattoo, the little guy in the white suit, to show me to my bungalow.

“What about Josh?” I asked.

“I want them to meet you both.” Steven reached to fan out the pages in my hand: there were three.

My head spun. I'm a full-time writer. I'm in-love. The most amazing man in the world just asked me to marry him. And now I'm going to Europe. My fairy godmother out-did herself this time.

“I can't believe this is real,” I said.

Steven tucked the pages into his pocket. “Believe it. This is as real as it gets,” he said.

I was still stunned. “Are you sure you want to marry
me
?” I asked.

Steven cupped my face in his hands. His kiss was gentle and lingering. He whispered against my lips, “I'd marry you a hundred times just to show you how much I love you.”

part six

afterword

harmony in the universe

If someone had told me on the morning Kevin broke up with me that in twenty months I would be engaged to marry someone else—someone who really was my soul mate—I wouldn't have believed it. I would've insisted things like that only happened in the movies, not in real life. And definitely not to me.

Perhaps it was serendipity. Fate. Destiny. Faith. Chance. Karma. Whatever it's called, I realized it really does exist.

In the journal entry “Fortune Cookie Wisdom,” there was a story about a wine party I attended. Well, it wasn't until six months into my engagement to Steven that I found out Lana, the hostess, was a remodeling client of his. Steven had been invited to that wine party, but didn't attend because he went out of town. Had he been there, I would've met him in June, before I was emotionally ready.

Was it coincidence that we both would've been in that exact place at that exact time? Was it coincidence that he didn't go? Steven and I have discovered many other places where we've crossed paths in the last ten years and never met. It just wasn't the right time.

It's funny to me now. Funny that I fought so hard against letting go and moving on, when all along, that was what I was supposed to do.

If I had a chance to say something to Kevin, it would be: Thank You. Thank you for knowing it wasn't right.

Because now I know what right feels like.

Dear Reader,

I'd love to hear from you. Please stop by
The Break-Up Diet
website at
www.thebreak-updiet.com
. I have a special gift for you—
The Break-Up Survival Guide
. It's a free, downloadable e-book that you can keep for yourself and forward to your friends, especially the ones who desperately need it!

At
The Break-Up Diet
website, you can also read and comment on the blog, share your break-up stories, and send me an email. For book clubs, you'll find a link to guided reading questions about compelling, woman-centric themes found in the book, and information about how to schedule a visit for me to speak with your group.

Thank you for supporting my tiny voice in such a noisy world.

Love, Peace, and Happiness,
Annette