“Oh really?”
“Yes. How’s this one? It turns out my arch nemesis—the man I’ve despised and competed against since birth—is in fact the love of my life.”
“That is quite a surprise.”
I press a quick kiss to his cheek.
“I was supposed to continue competing against him. I had it penciled in for the next, oh, 40 or 50 years.”
“Now what do you have?”
“Hmm, I’m not sure.” I wink. “Marriage…children. At least two?”
“Three,” he says, wrapping his arms around my waist.
“FOUR,” I raise, still making it a contest.
“Easy there, let’s start with one and see how it goes.”
I smile and take a sip of champagne. “Okay, but where will our bevvy of children live?”
“Maybe a house with a lot more land and a wraparound porch.”
“I’d like that.”
“And a dog.”
“Yes. Definitely a dog.”
“Lucas?”
“Yes?”
“I think you should ask me tonight.”
“Daisy?”
“Yeah.”
“Be quiet so I can ask you now.”
And then Lucas Thatcher, the same boy I spent my entire life competing against, drops down to one knee and pulls a little black velvet box out of his front pocket. The same black velvet box I’ve sneaked a peek at every morning for the last year. I’m surprised it’s still intact after all my manhandling.
No one can see us when I start to cry, nodding my head yes over and over again. He slips the vintage diamond on my finger—an heirloom from his mom—and we stay there in that alcove making out like randy teenagers until the MC starts calling our name over the mic. Apparently, we are needed.
I step back, trying in vain to flatten my poufy dress. Dressing me up like a poodle was my mother’s idea of a sick joke.
“Do I look okay?” I ask.
“Yes, just a few hairs out of place. Nothing too conspicuous.”
I know he’s lying. I wipe at my face in vain. “Oh god. My mom will definitely know.”
“True, but then again, she’s known a lot of things ahead of time.”
I laugh, because of course it’s true. Just like always. The last two people who knew Lucas and Daisy were going to end up together forever were Lucas and Daisy.