Flipping Fates

by A. C. Williams

  Aaron Guinness is on one knee.

  “I love you, Trisha.” He stares into my face, and I know it’s true. “I want to spend the rest of my life having crazy, wild, brave adventures with you. Will you—would you marry me?”

  Tears drip down my cheeks.

  Oh dear, now I’m going to cry? What a ninny.

  It’s everything I ever wanted. He is everything I wanted. He always has been, from those early summer running wild after fireflies to all the danger we’ve faced in between.

  “Oh, Aaron.” I struggle around my trembling jaw. “I love you too.”

  He lifts those caterpillar eyebrows, and I run my fingers over them. “Is that a yes?”

  I laugh. “Oh, you silly goose, what else would I say?”

  He laughs with me and surges up to pull me close as he kisses me. Once, twice, deeply. Both of us laughing together as cheers and whoops and hollers sound behind us. Over his shoulder I see my parents and sisters and brothers-in-law celebrating. Even Gran has a confetti popper that she’s shooting off.

  “It’s about dang time!” Gran shouts.

  Aaron kisses the shell of my ear.

  “Great, can we eat now?” Lizzie yells.

  I roll my eyes as Aaron nuzzles his nose into my neck.

  “I was beginning to think that I was going to have to ask you.” I whisper against his ear.

  “Oh, that wouldn’t have worked.” He laughs.

  “Why not?”

  “It would have had to be Leap Day for you to ask me, and that’s a few years off still.” His tone darkens. “I couldn’t have waited that long.”

  I gawk at him. “That’s a thing?”

  “What?”

  “Leap Day?”

  “For sure. They made a movie about it.”

  I groan, and he pulls me close for another embrace.

  “What was Herb holding for you?” I giggle.

  “The ring.”

  “Aaron Guinness.” I step back. “You gave an engagement ring to my skeleton?”

  “Yesterday.” He sags against me. “I put it under his hat.”

  “Why?”

  “I had planned all this with your folks, and it needed to be in here.” He gestures to the den. “But I didn’t just want to leave it sitting out. And now it’s not there.”

  “Oh, Aaron.” I kiss him. “I love you.”

  “We’ll think of something.”

  I stop him and kiss him again, deeply. Deeper than I’ve ever kissed him before. We’re both dizzy when I’m done.

  I pull away and look into his eyes. “I love you, Aaron Guinness. That’s all that matters.”

  He moves to kiss me again and a loud clearing throat interrupts us.

  “Can we eat please?” Ruth is standing in the kitchen glaring at us. “You guys can make out all you want after that.”

  “You have a romantic soul, Ruth.” I step away from Aaron, although I don’t release his hand.

  “I do, in fact.” Ruth sticks out her tongue. “But if Gran goes any longer without eating, she’s going to start stabbing people.”

  “She would stab people anyway,” I mutter.

  We move into the dining room and find our respective chairs, and instantly the room comes alive, passing plates and condiments. It’s the happy hum of family, the people I love, and Aaron, who loves me because he chose me.

  After the prayer, which Dad keeps thankfully short, we all dig into the bounty from the propane grill, along with mounds of potato salad and bag after bag of jalapeño chips. No, I don’t find it ironic that we eat two kinds of potatoes at a meal. It is altogether fitting and proper that we should do this.

  Something bangs against my chair.

  I glance down to see Benji waving up at me.

  “Little man, you are getting around so well.” I reach for him and settle him in my lap.

  He fusses slightly and reaches for the horrifying doll in his basket. With a groan, I grab it and hand it to him.

  “Oh, Lizzie, you’re not going to let him keep that thing.” Mom shudders between bites of potato salad.

  “He loves it.” Lizzie shrugs. “What can I do about it?”

  Benji shakes the doll wildly, and something rattles inside it. I scowl at my nephew.

  “Benji?”

  He looks at me.

  “Did you put something in your doll’s head?”

  He babbles at me and sets the doll down. Happily, he rips her head off, and something shining tumbles out onto the table.

  An engagement ring.

  The whole room goes completely silent.

  Benji grabs the ring in his pudgy fingers and holds it up to me with a grin, covered in potato salad and ketchup, babbling cheerfully. The little diamond twinkles in the lights.

  Snorting with concealed laughter, Aaron holds out his hand, and Benji drops the ring into his palm.

  “Why, thank you, sir.” Aaron bows his head somberly.

  Benji bows his head back.

  Aaron glances at me. “Want me to wipe the ketchup off?”

  I hold my left hand out to him. “A little ketchup never hurt anybody.”

  A Letter To The Reader

  You survived yet another Trisha Lee adventure! (Seriously, someday there will be a t-shirt for this achievement.) I hope you laughed a lot. Lord knows, we could all use more to laugh about at this time in history.

  As I always do with my Trisha Lee books, I want to just take a moment to highlight one of the local non-profits in my hometown of Wichita, Kansas that’s really making a difference in our city. The Union Rescue Mission (www.urmwichita.org) is such an amazing ministry that is changing the lives of so many people with all their different outreaches. They serve more than 230 hot meals per day, and more than 170 men stay in their shelter and transitional housing every day too. They offer food boxes and social enterprises and programs aimed at self-sufficiency.

  The Eagles Wing program mentioned in this book is an amazing transformational ministry for men, helping them on a journey from homelessness to reintegration. Whether it’s transitional programs or rehabilitation, the Union Rescue Mission here in Wichita is truly an agent for change in our local community.

  Personally, I’ve been to volunteer for them many times, and I’m looking forward to more opportunities. It’s such an eye-opening experience to serve other people.

  If you’re in the Wichita area and you have some time available, I highly recommend it. You can apply to volunteer on their website, or you can look through all the different options for volunteering. Of course, you can always donate to their ministry. I can say from experience that donating to the Union Rescue Mission is an investment you won’t regret.

  And if you’re not in the Wichita area, let me encourage you to get involved in your local community. Wherever you are, there are outreaches that are making a difference in people’s lives. You just have to find them. Although, if you can’t find an organization, there’s nothing stopping you from helping someone in need on your own.

  Pay attention. Be aware. Open your eyes. We’re all surrounded by hurting people, and while throwing money at a problem can be a solution (because successful non-profits always need support, guys), sometimes the best thing you can do for another person is lend them a listening ear. Or buy them a hot meal. Or demonstrate that you actually care about them in a way that connects with them.

  I’ve been given so many second chances in my life. I want to be wise about it, but it’s only right that I extend that second chance to people around me. So I’m going to challenge you to do the same. May we all see the inherent value in people first before we focus on their circumstances.

  Thanks for reading! And don’t worry. Trisha’s adventures aren’t done yet.

  Amy

  About the Author

  A.C. Williams is an author, teacher, Grammar fiend, and creative-brained techie who is passionate about helping writers master the art of storytelling. A quirky, coffee-drinking, cat-loving thirty-something, she writes
about #AmericanSamurai and #SpaceCowboys in her novels, and she founded the StoryNinja Academy to equip authors of any genre to overcome the complex challenges of life as a storyteller.

  Join her adventures on social media (@free2bfearless) and visit her website, www.amycwilliams.com.