“Do you think there’s a chance for us? After everything?”
I looked at him.
The boy I’d loved in high school was still there.
But now he was a man. A good man. The kind of man who’d sacrifice his own happiness for someone else’s dreams.
“I think… that maybe we were always meant to find our way back to each other.
Maybe we just needed to grow up first.”
He smiled.
“Does that mean… yes?”
“It means let’s take it slow. I need to make sure this is real. That it’s not just nostalgia or regret.”
He reached for my hand.
“I’ve waited 16 years.
I can wait a little longer.”
Three months later, Charles and I were officially together.
Daniel was thrilled.
And you know what? I was happy.
Last week, Charles proposed.
For real this time. Down on one knee in our backyard.
With a ring.
Daniel was hiding in the bushes with his phone, recording the whole thing.
I said yes.
We’re getting married this May. Daniel’s going to walk me down the aisle.
My father isn’t invited. I haven’t spoken to him since that night at his house.
But that’s okay.
Because I’m finally living the life I was meant to live.
With the man I was meant to love.
