by Ellie White
"We do, our office literally looks out at this exact view," she says sarcastically.
She looks so beautiful as she sits cross legged on our blanket. She's almost glowing and the twinkle in her eyes shines brightly.
"Yeah, I suppose,” I say, non-committal.
"Are you going to tell me what's wrong?" she asks as I sit here like a bag of nerves. "You've been acting strange all day."
"Nothing is wrong," I answer, winding my fingers through her hair, kissing her softly. "I just can't believe it's been an entire year."
I go to top up her mug with champagne but it's still full. Meanwhile, I've drained two full cups as a bit of Dutch courage.
Get your shit together, man.
"Please, don't break my foot tonight," she says with a grin.
"Har-Har,"
"Would you like your gift?" she asks with an excited smile; she is practically bouncing on the spot.
"Can I give you mine first?" I ask. I need to do this before I really start freaking out.
"Sure," she says, smiling, the streetlight catching her face beautifully and sending the butterflies in my stomach mad. Why am I so nervous?
"Maggs, I just want to say something first," I say taking her hand and kissing it gently. "Never in a million years did I think I would be sat here with you on our first anniversary. You're the most beautiful woman inside and out I know I don't deserve you but, for some reason, you love me as much as I love you and that's the greatest gift I've ever gotten."
I stand up in front of her, pulling her up with me and I take out the small, velvet ring box that has been weighing my pocket down all evening.
I drop to one knee.
Recognition flashes across her face and tears fill her eyes as though she can't believe what's happening.
"Maggie Jones, will you marry me?" I say, presenting her with the teardrop diamond engagement ring I'd picked out 6 months ago.
"Yes, of course, I'll marry you. Oh, Jake, I love you so much!" she says through her tears as I slide the ring onto her finger. It’s a perfect fit. She slides her arms around my neck, holding me tight and kisses me over and over again.
Relief washes over me. "God, I'm so glad you said ‘yes’. Honestly, I've felt ill for weeks about it. I was terrified you'd say ‘no’."
"Of course, I wasn't going to say ‘no’. I had no idea you were even thinking about this. I can't believe this. Does anyone else know you were going to do this?"
"Yeah, everyone knows," I say with a laugh. "I asked James to help pick the ring and, turns out, he was a terrible choice so I asked Laura and Helen to help, instead. I told my mum and dad, mainly to get advice on how to butter up your dad so he would give me his blessing. Then, when I asked your dad for his blessing, your mum walked in while I was basically sweating all over her carpet. She was the one I was most nervous about finding out my plan. I thought she might have accidentally let it slip on one of your drunken girls’ nights out. Then, I asked Philip's mum and dad for their blessing which they were thrilled about. Then, I felt bad that everyone else knew except Harry and Simon so I told them the other night."
She laughs softly.
"Here," I say, handing her mug of champagne as we sit facing each other on the blanket again. "We're celebrating and, once we're finished here, we're heading to The George where everyone is waiting for us to celebrate. I promised we wouldn't be too late since James and Helen need to get baby Dale home."
"Let me give you my present first," she says, reaching into her bag.
"You've already given me the best present ever by saying ‘yes’. Nothing will top that," I say, kissing her again.
"I think you'll find this one will," she smiles, tears still in her eyes as she hands me what looks like a long, rectangular jewellery box.
I flip it open but it's not jewellery inside. Looking back up at me is a pregnancy test. My mind goes blank for a moment as too many thoughts hit me at once.
"Are you? Is this real? You're pregnant?" I manage to force the words out.
She nods, smiling. I'm going to be a dad.
"We're due in October," she says, smiling at my stunned reaction.
She was right, this is the greatest gift I've ever received and I can't help the grin on my face as I stare at the two little, pink lines looking back up at me. For once in my life, I'm truly speechless.
Suppose that explains why she hasn't touched her champagne.
"I know we didn't plan to get pregnant but I've come to realise that the best things often aren't planned, like you and me."
"Maggs, we're going to be parents," I say, kissing her again through her tears of joy. "A wedding and a baby? We’re going to be busy.”
Suddenly, it hit's me. There’s so much to plan. Why is she not buried deep in lists and excel spreadsheets?
"We need to buy a house. Maybe we can look at Kingston so we're closer to our parents? We'll need a bigger car. We'll need to buy furniture, pick a hospital, a wedding venue. Why aren't you in psychotic planning mode?"
"Jake," she says, holding her hand on the nape on my neck and kissing me to shut me up. "Let’s start by telling everyone, shall we? I know you're supposed to wait until twelve weeks but I want to share this with people who mean the world to us. We'll just tell them to keep it quiet until we get the all clear from the scan," she says, softly taking my hand. "Then, tomorrow, we can go into planning mode together. Let's just enjoy tonight with the people we love."
I kiss her again, getting lost in the feel of her. She's always the voice of reason, one of the many things I love about her.
"I love you, Maggs. You, too, little bean," I say to her incredibly flat stomach which makes her cry even more.
As I hold my pregnant fiancée, I know I've found true happiness and, as I look to the stars twinkling above us, I know Philip would be happy for us, too.
The End.
Acknowledgement
Firstly, I’d like to thank my editor, Megan Georgia, from Megan Georgia Editing. The story wouldn’t be what it is without your guidance and expertise!
Thank you to Ashley Santoro for my beautiful cover; it’s amazing and finishes everything off perfectly.
To my husband, Adam, and my wonderful babies, Oliver and Hallie, for giving me the love and encouragement I needed to write this book.
A huge thank you to my mam, Dale, and dad, Kevin for being the best parents anyone could wish for. Especially Mam, for setting fire to the coffee table in the conservatory while making Flaming Sambucas and the countless girls’ nights we enjoyed pre-lockdown!
A special mention to: my brother, Ben, my grandad, Raymond, my Auntie Kim and all of my Burgess cousins. I hope you like reading about Philip as much as I loved writing about him.
To my Lawson cousins, thank you for inspiring me with your incredible talents every single day.
A special mention to my besties, Jasmine, Miranda, Steph, Sarah and Sarah, for always being at the other end of a WhatsApp message.
To Melanie, Stephen, Abi, Ashley, Leigh, Alfie and Isla for being a perfect example of a loving family-in-law.
To Auntie Margaret, Auntie Angela, Helen, Trish, Dave, Angie and Brian. I hope you like your namesakes as much as I do.
Thank you to Melissa Morgan for being a great Beta Reader. I’m so glad we met on Bookstagram. Your support means the absolute world to me.
Finally, to you, my reader. Thank you for reading this story.
Whoever you are, whatever you’re going through, remember: There’s always a star shining i
About the Author
Ellie White was born and raised in Sunderland and is a proud Mackem!
She lives in Houghton-Le-Spring with her husband and two young children. She is a lover of chocolate, rom-coms, musicals and anything Disney.
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