by Miley Maine
“But this dress…”
“Was made for you. You are what makes it shine, not the other way around. Never forget that.”
“Thank you.”
“No, thank you. You’ve showed me so much. I finally feel happy again. It’s as if you’ve broken the curse that was shadowing over my life.”
“Isn’t it the prince who usually does that?”
“Perhaps. But in this case it was the princess who broke the curse, and then the prince slayed the terrifying beast that lay in wait at her castle. I would say our story is just about complete.”
His wording confused me a little bit, but I brushed it to the side for now. I was sure that it was nothing.
The two of us headed out, getting into his car, and drove to the Italian restaurant where we had our reservations.
There was a lightness in my chest now that seemed to be persisting. It felt like my life was finally perfect, everything falling into place. I hoped that this happiness would last, but I also knew that we would be able to weather any storm that came our way.
That was the power of love, especially love like ours.
The restaurant that Vincent picked out was the fanciest I’d been to yet. I was convinced that the silverware was made of actual silver and there must be real diamonds in the chandeliers above our heads. That was the kind of vibe the place gave me.
We were seated immediately at a table that definitely had a real silk tablecloth and given menus with no prices on them.
So it was definitely expensive.
“Order anything you want,” Vincent said.
I may have been more used to this routine by now, him not caring about prices and telling me to get whatever I wanted, but that didn’t mean that it didn’t make me feel at least just a little strange doing it.
“Okay,” I said. But the menu was overwhelming. I didn’t even know where to begin.
Thankfully Vincent took over for me, ordering us a number of small appetizers, some soups, a few salads, and a couple of main entrees. He told them to bring out the dessert menu once the two of us were finished with the main course.
The waiter left and I turned to Vincent with wide eyes.
“I don’t know if I’m going to be hungry enough for dessert after eating all of that.”
“Everything comes in small portions here,” he explained. “That way you can sample a lot of the menu without overstuffing yourself.”
I turned around to look at the other patrons and saw that, indeed, all the portions on their plates were small.
“I suppose I might be able to manage it then,” I said.
“You better.” He winked. “I intend to experience the full service of this place with you. It’s one of my favorites.”
The fact that Vincent came here enough to be able to call it one of his favorite restaurants was astounding. The staff seemed to recognize him too.
I had to admit that I was a little in over my head in this kind of a place. I could only hope that with the two of us eating out together more often, I would become accustomed to it.
Or maybe I never would. Maybe I would forever be humbled at the sight of menus with no prices on them and silverware that was made of real silver. Maybe I would forever be out of my element on Vincent’s arm. I could only hope that our child would both learn to be comfortable and also know when humility was important.
I didn’t think I could deal with raising a child that was too spoiled.
But I had faith in the two of us to do what we had to. Vincent already had experience raising a young child by himself and I was trained in social work. I at least knew how to work with children in the classroom.
The food that came then was absolutely delicious and I completely forgot all about this dilemma.
Each course was better than the last, culminating in two little chocolate gateaus that Vincent ordered for us, drenched in fudge and raspberry sauce. It was my absolute favorite part of the meal and I told Vincent this several times.
He laughed. “I didn’t know you liked chocolate so much.”
“Then clearly you don’t know me well enough. Besides, this was special chocolate.”
“Hopefully I can make it even more special,” he said with a wink. Before I had time to puzzle out what he meant by that, Vincent got down on one knee in front of me.
I gasped and I could feel that all eyes were on us as Vincent pulled out a beautiful ring box from his coat pocket.
But when he started to speak, the whole world seemed to melt away.
“Emma, I told you that you have lifted a curse from my life and I mean it. You make me the happiest that I’ve been in a long time and I never want to let that go. You’re so incredibly special to me and I don’t know where I would be without you.
“I know that maybe this is a little sudden, or others would say it’s too soon, but I know in my heart that this is right. I don’t want anyone else. I want you.
“I want to solidify that. To promise to you with this ring that I will be faithful always. I want for us to get married.”
He opened the ring box, revealing the most beautiful engagement ring that I had ever seen.
“So Emma, I ask, will you marry me?”
I was speechless and I knew that there were tears in my eyes. How could I say no? I had just been thinking about raising children with him, about having a life with him. Of course I wanted to marry him. It was the perfect ending to our story together.
“Yes, a thousand times yes,” I said, letting him slip the ring onto my finger. It fit perfectly and I felt a sense of warmth radiating from it.
The whole room burst out into applause as Vincent stood and I threw my arms around him in a tight embrace.
“I love you, Emma,” he said, stroking my hair away from my face so that he could look into my eyes. “I will say it a thousand times over, as many times as you need me to. I love you.”
“I love you too,” I said, knowing that the tears were spilling out of my eyes now. “Thank you, Vincent. This truly was the best night and the most special chocolate I’ve ever had.” I let out a little laugh and Vincent smiled, then kissed me.
“Glad I could make it that way.”
Vincent paid for the bill with his card, then we left to a smattering of applause. We got into the car and Vincent turned to me, kissing me again.
“I can’t wait for my future with you,” he said. “I know it’s going to be wonderful.”
I nodded. “There’s so much I want to do.”
“Like what? Lay it on me.”
“Well, I was thinking about all the wonderful things we might be able to do. I would love to see more art programs started for underprivileged kids especially, not just those who are currently in the foster care system.”
“I think that that sounds like a lovely and important project,” Vincent said, kissing my forehead. “I will support you in that endeavor, I promise.”
“Thank you,” I said with a smile, marveling at how lucky I was to have found someone like him. “You know, you should definitely come in though. Your art skills could use a little more work.”
“Hey!” Vincent hit my arm playfully. “You’re speaking to your fiance, you know.”
“I know.”
“Well, how about this, we’ll start doing some more art together. I’d definitely love to learn more from you, and continue to honor Maya’s memory.”
This mention of Maya felt nice. I no longer felt jealous, or like it was Vincent wallowing in his sadness. Now it just felt like he genuinely wanted to honor her and all that she had been for him. I could really respect that.
“That would be lovely,” I said, smiling up at him. “I’m sure she would love that too.”
“I didn’t paint enough with her when she was here. I don’t intend to make that mistake again.”
“Don’t worry, I won’t let you. I’ll drag you into the art room if I have to,” I said with a laugh.
“If you do that, I intend to start a paint fight.”<
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“You wouldn’t dare.”
“Oh you know I would. And you know that you would enjoy it.”
I knew that I would. It would be fun, laughing with Vincent, just being ourselves and not worrying what anyone else might think of us or our actions.
“I’m so lucky to have you,” I said. “How did I get so lucky?”
“I should be asking the same question,” he said.
Suddenly my mind was back on my students. I wondered how many of them would get this lucky in terms of their parents and how many would end up aging out of the system.
“Vincent, can I ask for something selfish?”
“Sure, what is it?”
“Well, you know that there are a lot of kids that aren’t lucky enough to have parents, or even a stable home. I know we can’t help all of them, but can we at least adopt a few in the future?”
“We can do whatever you want,” Vincent said, kissing me on the forehead again. “I think that I would love to raise several children with you and give a stable home to those who don’t have it. I know you’ll make a wonderful mom.”
I smiled. “And you’ll be a wonderful dad, I’m sure.”
He sighed. “Can you imagine, three or four children, all running around the house like the little devils they are? That would certainly be a sight.”
“I know they would love it, especially the pool. There are so many kids that dream of living in a house like that.”
“Well, we’ll make a few dreams come true then, won’t we?”
“You’ve certainly made mine,” I said, leaning over to kiss him gently, then took his hand in mine. “I didn’t know if I would ever have a ring as beautiful as this or be engaged to a man as kind as you.”
“I thought your dream was to have a whirlwind romance with a pirate,” he teased.
“Those are only book dreams. I think the real-life ones are much better. I don’t know how good of an actual lover a pirate would be.”
“I suppose that that is true. Well, I guess you’ll just have to settle for me then.”
“I would hardly call it settling.”
“Fine them. You’ll just have to deal with the fact that you were lucky enough that the universe graced you with a fiance such as myself.”
I giggled and Vincent started up the car. The motor hummed to life beneath us. I felt safe and happy. Everything was bright and warm and perfect.
“Have you thought about it?” Vincent asked as he drove, eyes on the road.
“Thought about what?”
“What your dream dress might be.”
“Oh.” It was sudden, but I supposed it only made sense as the two of us had just gotten engaged. I had never really imagined a wedding for myself. I just wasn’t that kind of person. “I don’t really know. Something that makes me feel special I guess.”
“A fairytale dress?”
“Yes,” I agreed. “Something that pulls in the moonlight and has stars sprinkled all throughout the skirts.”
“I’ll send in an order then,” he said. “You know, I should fly you out to Paris. The Haute Couture houses there make the best wedding gowns and I’m sure we can find a house that will fulfill your request. And in the meantime, the two of us can explore all that the city of love has to offer.”
I sighed. “That sounds like an absolute dream. I’ve always wanted to go to Paris, or the countryside of France, but I never got the chance.”
“I want to take you all around the world,” Vincent said. “And after the baby is born, the two of us can go wine tasting through the french countryside.”
“And eat plenty of crepes, right?”
“Of course, as many crepes as your heart desires.”
“My heart desires quite a few crepes.”
“Then we can fly to Paris for the weekend to indulge your fantasy. I’ll take you to the Louvre and show you my favorite art pieces, and the two of can go shopping through all the little art stores.”
“That sounds like a dream.”
“Well, the nice part about being rich is that I can make that dream a reality. Though of course no amount of money would make me as happy as you do.”
“Then it’s a date?”
“Yes, a weekend date to Paris with my fiance. The real dream.”
Chapter Twenty-Six
Vincent
After our little weekend trip to Paris, Emma decided that we should tell her class the good news, both about our engagement and the pregnancy. As she put it, they were a very important part of her life and should be included in what was going on.
So we arranged for a day for me to come into her class so that we could share this information with them.
I had no doubt that there would be no shortage of strange questions or comments. It was just the way that kids were.
But I was also grateful to them. It was because of them that I had gotten to meet their beautiful teacher and it was because of them that I had an excuse to keep going back to see her. So I would endure their strange behaviors, enjoy it even.
I could hear them chattering away before I even entered the room.
We decided that I should come in after class started with some cupcakes and then the two of us could announce the news together.
They were all asking Emma what they were going to be doing that day, what new art project they were going to working on, and showing her the drawings they had been making in their sketchbooks.
She was trying to get them to quiet down but was clearly having quite a bit of trouble.
So I decided that it was now time for my entrance.
“Surprise!” I said as I opened the door, setting the box of cupcakes down on Emma’s desk.
Immediately, ten pairs of wide eyes were on me.
“You brought cupcakes?” one asked.
“It’s Mr. Eldrige!” another screamed.
Then there was just a general chatter of whispering between the kids, wondering what sort of occasion it was and if they would actually get to eat the cupcakes.
“Mr. Eldrige and I have some news to share with all of you, so we brought some cupcakes to celebrate,” Emma said, folding her hands over her stomach. “So if everyone could please sit down, we’ll pass out the cupcakes in a moment.”
“What’s happened?” one of her students asked, a little boy with curly brown hair.
“Well, Blake, that’s something we were just about to get into.”
Emma looked at me and I smiled at her for encouragement. She took a deep breath, and showed her ring finger to all the kids. “Now I haven’t been wearing this lately because I didn’t want you to ask about it just yet. Does anyone know what this is?”
“A ring?” The child who answered sounded confused as to why she would ask such a seemingly simple question.
“A wedding ring!” another shouted after a moment.
“Almost right.” Emma gave them another sweet little smile. “It’s actually an engagement ring. It means a promise to be married. Mr. Eldrige and I decided that we want to get married.”
The kids all looked shocked, some bringing up their hands to their faces and looking at each other with wide eyes and open mouths.
“You’re gonna get married?” Blake asked.
“Yes, we are.”
“We better be invited!” one of the little girls said.
“Can I be a flower girl?” another asked.
“Ooooh! Can I carry the rings?” one of the older boys asked.
Emma giggled, exactly in her element with these children. “I’ll see what I can do about getting you all invited, but I don’t know if you guys can be in the wedding party. I don’t want to pick favorites.”
“Nonsense,” I said, stepping forward. “They can all be flower girls and ring boys if they want to. I can pay for the dresses and suits for them.”
Emma looked at me gratefully as her students exclaimed excitedly.
“Can we have cupcakes now?” one of them asked.
“In just a moment,”
Emma said. “We just have one more thing to tell you.”
“Are you in love?” another asked in a dreamy voice.
“Yes, quite,” I said, looking over at Emma. She looked so beautiful with her face so perfectly flushed, doing her best to control these rowdy little children.
“Oooooooh,” was the general response from the children, though a few looked quite happy at the prospect of the two of us being in love.
“What else?” the one who had asked about the cupcakes pestered. Clearly, they wanted sweets.
“Well…” Emma looked at me, her hands drifting down to cup her stomach. “That’s not all. I’m also having a baby.”
There was a moment of silent shock, and then they all began voicing their opinions at once.
“Does this mean you have to leave?”
“When are you getting the baby?”
“Can we have cupcakes now?
“But what about uuuuuussssss.”
“Why a baby? They’re gross.”
“Can we name it!?”
“Now, calm down,” Emma said, letting out a little laugh. “I’d be happy to answer all of the questions you might have, but let’s have some cupcakes first. And yes, you’re welcome to suggest some names, but Mr. Eldrige and I will have the final say.”
“What about Racecar?”
“Or Poppy. I like Poppy as a name.”
“Oooooh! You should name him after me!”
They all clamored to share their name ideas, some more ridiculous than others. Emma made a point of writing all of them down, letting each student give her their suggestions.
“We’ll take a good look at these and tell you what we decide,” she promised. “Vincent? Can you pass out the cupcakes?”
“Of course.” I grabbed the cupcakes and a stack of napkins, setting down one cupcake and several napkins on each child’s desk.
They all thanked me politely and then I went to stand back over with Emma, giving her one of the last two cupcakes.
“That went over well!” she said brightly. The students were now chatting amongst themselves as they ate, fingers sticky from frosting. “Better than I expected, actually.”
“That was good for them?” I asked.