Then the crowd is cheering and again chanting, “Rea-gan, Rea-gan.”
I shake my head in disbelief and look at Dougall so she can tell me what to do to make them quiet down, but she just shrugs, smiles at me, and shakes her head like she can’t believe it either.
I use both hands in a gesture for them to settle down like I have seen my mom do in her classrooms. They finally obey.
“Hi,” I begin again.
“Hi,” a few people in the crowd respond back, making me laugh.
“I can’t tell you how good it is to be home. You should know that we have been to two townships so far, and that was by far the best greeting,” I say with pride. A few people start to clap, but I keep going and cut them off. If they keep cheering like this, I won’t even have time to see my family afterward. “I am proud to have come from a township where we are all a family. We don’t treat people as an end to a means here, we all matter. I never fully appreciated that until I left for the Culling,” I say honestly.
“Even though I hope to spend quite a bit of time in Denver,” I smile and look in Lyncoln’s direction, “I will never forget my roots. I will never forget all of you.” Thinking of my family has me almost in tears again, my eyes doing that annoying burning thing again. “When people think of Omaha, they think ‘oh, the food people’ and leave it at that. But as we saw earlier today, it takes a lot of hard work and organization to produce enough food for the nation. No one ever goes hungry, and so no one really understands how hard the people of Omaha work. I do because I am one of you. I always will be. I worked these fields right alongside you.
“So thank you for instilling values in me I will be able to use if running the country. Thank you for showing me the correct way to treat others. Thank you for being my home and helping to mold me into who I am today. I would not have made it into the Culling without you. And I will never forget that. Or any of you.” As I start wrapping it up, the crowd goes wild again. I look to my mom, who is sobbing. I wave at her while I wait for the crowd to settle down again.
“Now. I have someone very important I would like to introduce you to,” I explain and look at Lyncoln, who arrives back at my side with his hand on my hip. “The man beside me is strong and wise, determined and selfless. He is also intelligent, caring… and stubborn,” I say, rolling my eyes, which gets the crowd laughing. “Although you cheer for me and chant my name because you know me, if you knew this man…”
Darn tears. I can’t even fight them anymore. Today is an emotional roller coaster for sure. Voice cracking, I continue, “If you really knew this man, it would be him you would be chanting for. He deserves to run this country, and not only is he capable, but his military backing has already shown him how. I equally respect him and love him. I know you will too. May I introduce you to, Mr. Lyncoln Reed.”
As I finish, the crowd goes berserk. He leans in to kiss my forehead again. When he does, the crowd starts chanting, “Lyn-coln, Lyn-coln.”
He smiles, waves, and then puts his hands in his pockets with his jacket open. This usually signals that he means business. Apparently, the crowd has already figured that out because they quiet down right way. What the heck? How can he control a crowd like this? Add that to his list of supernatural powers.
“Of all the townships we have the honor of touring,” he begins, and you could hear a pin drop because the crowd is so quiet. They, too, must like his deep, velvety voice. “I have been more nervous and excited to come here above all the rest. Growing up in Denver and being so involved in the military, I guess you could say I was a hot-head,” he shrugs and looks at me.
I roll my eyes and nod aggressively, making the crowd laugh.
He shrugs again, this time a little cockily, before continuing, “I thought Denver was a township better and above the rest. As the capital, we fancy ourselves the best the country has to offer. Imagine what a gut-check it was for me to meet this feisty little thing and find her more deserving, adept, and suited for running our nation than some of us that have been training for it our entire lives.” He looks to me again and I see the raw emotion and affection in his eyes.
I smile thinking of our first dance and the things he told me from the highlight videos that impressed him. He knew me, really knew me, a long time before I knew him.
“I know a big part of that is because of the way she was raised by her parents. She has also told me she learned how to deal with people having to grow up with someone as difficult as Ashton,” he jokes.
The crowd loves it. Ashton pretends to glare at me, and I can’t help but grin and wiggle my fingers at him.
“I also know a big part of who she is, is where she came from. Right here. She warned me that we were going to the middle of nowhere. Now that I’m here, I’m absolutely taken in with this township. What a peaceful and kind place. What a place to raise a family. Omaha, you are the heart and soul of our country. Like a beating human heart, no one really appreciates the power and reliability of their heart until there is a problem with it. So, I would like to say thank you for working as hard as you do. Thank you for being reliable, even though it means you go underappreciated as a result.”
His words move me to tears again, though I fight those beasts down, and I move to loop my arm in his as he finishes up. “And thank you for the woman standing beside me. I wasn’t looking for a wife out of the Culling, but I fell for her hard and fast regardless. Love isn’t a prerequisite for winning the Culling, but somehow in all the craziness, we’ve found it in one another. You have given me my partner, my future wife. For that, I will be eternally grateful and forever in your debt,” he stops abruptly and smiles before nervously adding, “I mean, as long as her parents approve, of course.”
The crowd laughs. As they quiet down again, none other than my very own dad hollers, “Fine by me, son.”
I try my best not to facepalm myself in embarrassment.
Lyncoln smiles, then looks at me, then looks at the crowd, then turns his chin slightly upward as if thinking about something. He glances toward Dougall, and she gives him a nod.
What is he up to now?!
He removes the microphone and says, “Well, I was going to do this later at the council dinner, but why not.” He then pulls me a few steps forward to stand in front of the podium with him.
What are we doing? Is he going to smooch me in public? My dad is right there for crap’s sake. I blush and smile at him nervously.
What are you doing, Lyncoln? Don’t make this super awkward!
Then he drops down to one knee and I almost fall over with shock.
He’s doing this?!
He pulls out a small black box and opens it to the most beautiful ring I have ever seen sitting inside.
He’s doing this!
It’s huge! Wait--where did he get it? Did he have it there the whole time?
One of his hands holds the box and the other holds the microphone. The crowd is going crazy, cheering and whistling. This time I feel the tears on my cheeks before I feel my eyes burn.
Is this really happening? Right now? I know we have to get married quickly for the Culling, but I never gave thought to when we would actually be getting engaged. And he’s doing it the old-fashioned way.
Is this really happening?
He is speaking into the microphone, but I can’t hear him over the crowd, which is deafeningly loud now. I really want to hear what he’s saying, dang it. I let my temper show her head a little as I look to the crowd, gesturing them to stop, and say, “Shut up. I can’t hear him.”
There is laughter and then they very much quiet down, wanting to hear his every word right along with me.
“Reagan Grace Scott. You are stubborn, and feisty, and sometimes just a handful,” he starts. A ripple of laughter is heard throughout the crowd. “You are also more perceptive, intelligent, caring, and thoughtful than anyone I know. You are the best thing that has ever happened to me.” He stops a moment and looks at me with that raw emotion again. I have only seen hi
m this close to losing it maybe once or twice before. “I don’t know why, but you chose me. I wake up every day thankful for you. I want to wake up every day of the rest of my life by your side. Whether that’s while we run the country or if we build a family right here. The details don’t matter as long as you’ll be my wife. You’re everything. The love of my life. Will you be my wife?”
I pull him up and kiss him as the crowd goes wild. He kisses me soundly, but not too aggressively since, oh, I don’t know, alllll of Omaha is watching!
As the crowd dies down just a little, he says into the microphone and to me, “So was that a yes?”
He puts the microphone up to my mouth. I throw my hands in the air and strongly holler, “Heck yes!”
And the crowd goes crazy again when he puts the ring on my finger. I whoop and holler with them and then grab him by the tie for another quick kiss. The crowd starts chanting his name again as we finally walk off to the side of the stage. I am so happy I think I could burst.
My happiness only momentarily falters when l see the sad look on Henry’s face. I’m sure he feels completely alone. Marisol is seething which means it’s probably a good thing Lyncoln publicly proposed. Next to them, Attie and Elizabeth are both wiping back tears. The three of us hug together. I’m glad to have found friends like them even though we are technically competing against one another. If one of them were the one to get engaged, I would feel overjoyed for them too.
Dougall and the rest of the professors move to congratulate us as we get ready to go to our spots for the meet and greet.
Dougall gives me a quick hug and whispers in my ear, “Well done, dear. Well done.”
Yes, Lyncoln proposing will help us get some votes. We are now the only engaged couple. Did Lyncoln have this planned all along? From the way he had been talking about marriage, I knew it was going to eventually happen, but I didn’t know he was planning a proposal.
I’m just glad he could propose to me with my family here. Even though there were thousands of extras in the crowd, it means more to me they were here, that this took place in Omaha. Sure, he could have proposed later, in a live interview or something, but I would rather it be this way. This may be one of the last times I will get to be at this home before I start my new home with Lyncoln in Denver.
I’m engaged. Eeeeeeeek!
Chapter 7
We leave from meeting everyone and head for the community center for our meal with the Omaha leadership and council, now including my family! I’ve never heard the word “congratulations” so much. During the meet and greet, I heard it so much that I started to say it before they said it because I knew it was coming. How embarrassing is that? Major facepalm! But now I finally have a moment alone with Lyncoln.
“Did you know you were going to do this today?” I ask him with a smile.
“Yes,” he nods once sheepishly with his head cocked to the side, waiting for my reaction.
I’m surprised. “There? In front of everyone?”
“No. Dougall wanted me to do it publicly, but I thought I would wait and do it later after the meal. I was hoping to do it with your parents there, I just kind of preferred something smaller, or really even just the two of us.” He pauses to look at me intensely. “Your dad had already given me the go-ahead, by the way. I spoke with him about a week ago to get his approval.”
“Who would have thought you were romantic?” I joke.
He scoffs, “I’m not.”
I nod and gesture with my fingers to emphasize, “You are. Juuuust a little.”
He grabs my arm to slow us down on our walk to the nearby community center. “Are you okay with this? With my proposing like this? It feels a bit dirty to use it to our advantage for votes, but I was going to do it either way,” he asks me genuinely concerned. “Dougall was really pushing that we needed to be engaged first of the couples, make that statement. And we both know I am marrying you either way.”
I stop completely and turn towards him smiling. “I’m totally okay with it. I agree about the votes, but we all know we would be getting engaged, and probably publicly so, like they have in the previous Cullings. Even if you did it privately, Dougall would’ve made you re-propose for the cameras. The fact that you made it a point to surprise me and do it at my home township makes it even better. If it had to be done publicly, you did it the best way possible,” I nod and give his cheek a kiss in approval, then add, “It’s just a bummer your mom couldn’t be here for it.”
He gives me a half-smile. “She knew it was going to happen. She helped me pick out the ring.”
Of course she did. I take his hand, give it a squeeze, and smile. “Remind me to thank her later.”
We walk a few more steps before he slows us back down and turns to face me, not far from the community center doors. Jamie, Sarge, and Rodgers are ever present, but other than that we are alone. “Regs?”
“What?”
“Thank you for saying yes. This wasn’t exactly the perfect proposal but thank you for being understanding about all of this.”
His rare vulnerable moments just melt me. I don’t hesitate to lay one on him. So what if Sarge, Jamie, and Rodgers are here? It’s not like they haven’t seen it before.
When we pull apart I giggle. “If you recall correctly, I didn’t just say yes, I said heck yes.”
He chuckles as do our guards. “Such a potty mouth, Ms. Scott. I’m sure Dougall will have it out with you later.”
I pretend to glare at him. “That will soon be Mrs. Reed to you.”
His eyebrows pop up in surprise before that animalistic expression takes over. Uh-oh. I know where this is going. Someone quick douse me in water before I catch on fire!
“I like the sound of that.” He says it so simply, but his eyes convey so much more. Predator Lyncoln, the one who is about to kiss the crap out of me, is in the house.
I do the only thing I can think of… spontaneously taking off sprinting for the door to the community center. Jamie and Sarge are right with me, though they are laughing hard.
“What are you doing?” Lyncoln calls after me amused.
“Running far, far away from you,” I laugh, turning around momentarily. “When you look at me like that it’s like a lion after its prey.”
He grins. “That seems like a fair analogy. You do realize that I could catch you if I wanted to?” He’s so darn cocky. And so darn right.
“Yep.” I nod as I turn back towards the doors, still jogging.
He laughs, “But still you run?”
I nod with a fist in the air. “But still I run!” I start laughing so hard I’m not sure I can run. At the doors, I stop to grab my knees and turn so I can see him as he strolls over. “I’m going to make Rodgers start carrying around a spray bottle and have him spray you down when you get all hot and bothered.”
Rodgers chokes in surprise and starts laughing despite Lyncoln glaring at him.
He looks back to me affectionately as he stops at my side. “That would be a full-time job, sweetheart.”
We all laugh pretty hard at that.
“Shall we?” I ask as I loop my arm in Lyncoln’s, glad that the mood has switched back to a fun one from holy-crap-let’s-make-out-level-9. Not that I don’t want that too, but there is a time and a place, and the time and place is not here and not now.
“We shall.” Still chuckling, he shakes his head as we head in to dinner.
****
The meal goes smoothly. I think back on meeting the crowd and realize that Benjamin was absent. Not that I expected to see him during the meet and greet, but I make a mental note to ask Ashton what he is up to and how his mom is. Though we ended on a bad note since he betrayed me, I still know why he did it and that they put him up to it. I don’t wish any ill towards him, and I want him to know that.
Other than the rock on my finger, the other shining moment from today is that Marisol got the least attention out of everyone. It does my heart good to see that. She’s been in a mood the entire day. Po
or Henry!
At the meal, we are served roast and cheddar mashed potatoes, an Omaha delicacy. They must have pulled some strings because we get homemade apple crisp for dessert. Fresh apples are a hot commodity here. It’s a great meal and everyone seems overjoyed with the day’s events.
As everyone finishes dessert and chats, I sit by Ashton and enjoy bantering back and forth with him. It’s like I never left, and I love him for that.
“Told you that you were going to beat me down the aisle,” he smiles and wiggles his eyebrows suggestively.
I immediately blush. “Shut up.”
“I don’t have much longer to give you crap, so I have to enjoy it while I can, Regs. I’m pretty sure your future husband can and would beat the crap out of me if I really made you mad. I mean look at his neck muscles?!”
I burst out laughing at his expression of jealousy. Oh, how I have missed Ashton! I can’t imagine what it would be like to live in a different township and never see him. Sure, I could always email him, but it’s just not the same. Let’s hope it doesn’t come to that.
“Really though, it’s the real deal? You didn’t ‘settle for anything less than the best’ like that crap mom spouts off?” he asks more seriously, showing his concern for his little sister.
I blush again and look at my hands. “It’s the real deal.” If only he knew the depth of my feelings for this man.
Lyncoln sees me struggle to keep my emotions in check and puts his hand in mine. “You okay?” he whispers softly at my forehead.
“Yeah.” I nod and try to smile at him.
“And if she ever isn’t okay,” Ashton interrupts strongly, pointing with his fork, and then falters, “Well… I don’t know what exactly I would do because I’m pretty sure you could beat me six ways from Sunday, but I will somehow hurt you if you ever hurt her.” He mumbles as an afterthought, “Probably would have to do it while you sleep.”
The Fracturing: Book 2 (The Culling Series) Page 10