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Two Years Later
Digging through his dresser, Derek hurriedly looked around for the small little black box he had hidden with his socks. He’d gone back and forth between using the same ring he had proposed with before and buying another ring, but in the end sentimentality won. The classic round cut diamond with a smaller diamond on both sides of the larger gemstone fit Anne perfectly and he knew he would have trouble if he tried to pick a new ring for her.
“I can’t believe you kept that,” Anne said from the other side of the room.
“I don’t know what you are talking about,” Derek feigned ignorance.
“I found the ring weeks ago, Derek,” she countered. “I know it’s the same ring.”
Narrowing his gaze, he looked at her. “What were you doing in my sock drawer?”
“We were watching movies on the sofa and my feet were cold. You told me to get some socks...” she carefully reminded him.
“Right,” he sighed. “Well, there’s no point...”
“There are ample reasons for you to continue on with your plans,” she interrupted. “Your sister Sophy, Sarah, my aunt,” she listed off. “Mary would be thrilled to be able to know something before Elizabeth.”
“Fine,” Derek replied with an eye roll. “But we still need to get to the graduation party my sister in insisting on throwing me for getting my Masters and passing my CPA exam. My brother can’t wait for me to sign the paperwork to join him.”
“And I can’t wait to say yes.”
“At least I know this time.”
“I would have said yes last time if you weren’t so stubborn about getting married quickly.”
Derek looked at the painting that Anne had hung over his bed. She had painted it during her first year at the high school where she had replaced the stubborn art teacher that had made her student teaching placement miserable. There was another one hanging in what would soon be their dining room.
“Derek?”
“Anne?”
“There’s really no reason to wait this time,” she told him. “We’ve waited long enough.”
“You, Ms. Elliot,” he smiled, giving her a quick kiss on her nose, “will have to wait just a little while longer.”
“But do we actually need to plan a big wedding?” she whispered. “Can we...”
“Let me ask you first,” Derek sighed, shaking his head.
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Waiting impatiently to give Derek a different answer than she had seven years ago, she tapped the toe of her shoe against the floor as Derek made his way around the room greeting his family and friends.
It was fitting, Sophy and Bob – who were still renting Kellynch while her father and older sister stayed in Florida – had insisted on hosting Derek’s graduation party. This time the cars that lined the driveway had been driven by people Derek recognized.
Mary, Charles, and their brood of four children - three boys and one girl named Anne – were one of the first people to arrive. Their children were running around – except for Anne who was being held by her father – on a sugar high thanks to all of the sweets Sophy had baked for the party.
The Musgraves and their bunch – including Isa and James, Etta and Charlie – were the next car to park.
People Derek had tutored over the years. Teachers that loved having Derek as a substitute and hated the fact that he would no longer be on the substitute teacher lists for the next school year.
Ed, Sarah, and their four girls – Sarah saw her step-daughters as her own and treated them as such – were bouncing around the floor, dancing to the music that hadn’t been intended for dancing.
Anne’s fingers twitched to sketch out the scenes in front of her. While there were napkins aplenty, there were no pencils or pens within reach.
Coming up behind her, Derek grabbed her hand and tugged her outside. He had waited for one of the children to make a scene before seizing his opportunity. “Come on,” he whispered in her ear.
Leading her back to a familiar patio, Derek watched her face as she looked at the twinkle lights that had been woven into the bushes and mini trees. A few battery-operated candles flickered on the table.
Getting down on one knee, Derek grinned, “Anne Katrina Elliot, seven years ago I made a complete and utter fool of myself. I should have listened when you told me that we were too young to get married, that we needed to wait. We’ve both grown up, both experienced things that we never would have experienced if things had turned out differently back then. But from now on, I don’t want to live without you. Will you marry me?”
Not even looking at the ring – she knew what it looked like – Anne plopped down on her knees and threw her arms around his neck. “Yes!” she exclaimed. “A thousand times yes!”
Kissing her into silence, mostly to stop the string of ‘yeses’ that kept falling from her lips, Derek grinned.
Pulling away from him, she whispered, “Do we have to wait?”
“I think our families would be disappointed if they don’t get to see us get married.”
“They didn’t have to wait seven years.”
Laughing, Derek stood up, pulling her with him, before spinning around.
Hearing the applause from the doorway, Anne dropped down to her feet, noticing that one of her heels had fallen off of her foot, and buried her face in Derek’s chest.
“Let’s see the ring!” Sophy called out. Taking a step forward, she reached for Anne’s left hand. “There’s no ring!”
“I haven’t put it on her finger yet,” Derek sighed.
