Perfect Tragedy by Jennifer Miller
Epilogue
“How much further?” I ask with a smile in my voice.
“We’re almost there,” Blake responds, the tone of his voice laced with mischief.
When I got home from work tonight, he waited for me to change and then told me he wanted to take me somewhere. It’s a surprise. I was all for it, excited and curious. Then he made me put a blindfold on.
The suspense is killing me.
The last several months have been a whirlwind. I helped Blake and Mandy clean and do minor repairs on their childhood house that has stood empty since Virginia’s death to prepare it for being sold. I thought it would be hard for them to part with it, but Blake said that it didn’t have many great memories and that he had spent more time at my home than his own and that he was actually quite relieved to finalize the transaction.
Blake also made it clear in no uncertain terms that he would be leaving his home in California and returning to Mason Creek. I challenged his decision since I knew he loved his job, and was highly confident I could find work at a dental office there. We discussed it several times and my willingness to do so was genuine; frankly, I was willing to be anywhere as long as we were together. But he wouldn’t hear of it saying my dad was in Mason Creek, that all of his best memories are here, and then, reminding me – as if that was necessary - that we fell in love here. How could I argue?
His hand is in mine and his thumb continually brushes across the top of my hand. The transitions have been going astoundingly well. Things between us have been a dream. We are more than making up for lost time - we can’t get enough of each other. Loving him is a dream, so much so that sometimes I’m still afraid I’m going to wake up and find out all of this didn’t happen. I’ve woken up in a cold sweat a couple times after having nightmares about just that. Each time, Blake has held and soothed me with words of love until I calmed down.
The car stops and I turn my head toward him and he laughs softly.
“What’s funny?”
“You look adorable.”
“What are we doing? Where are we?” I try to pry information from him.
“Hold on a few minutes.”
He opens the car door, leaves my side and the door closes. I hear the trunk open, then close and then I sit in silence waiting.
The air hits my skin as he opens the car door, “Alright love, I’m going to help you turn and get out of the car.”
“Okay,” I giggle at the absurdity of whatever he’s doing.
He helps me walk a few steps and I feel grass tickle my ankles.
“Alright, you can take off the mask and open your eyes now,” he instructs.
I obey and smile when as my eyes open. He’s brought me to the same spot we came the night of prom. Near the bridge I love and where we ate burgers and spent time together.
“What are we doing here?” I ask and then turn around to find Blake down on one knee. My hands fly to my mouth in surprise and my eyes water immediately.
“Sienna Torres,” he begins.
“Yes.” I answer impatiently and he laughs out loud throwing his head back and I smile widely.
“What if I was going to ask you to promise to eat burgers with me for the rest of our lives.”
“I’d say yes.”
“What if I was just going to ask you to get a dog with me?”
“I’d say yes,” he laughs his eyes sparkling.
“I love you. Finding our way to each other has been quite the journey but being with you, living my life with you - it all feels like a dream. There are days I wake up and turn to you to reassure myself that you’re still there, that I didn’t imagine all of it,” I smile and nod knowing exactly how he feels. “You are my home. I never feel more complete, more whole, than when I’m with you. I want to spend the rest of my life with you. Consider me all in, for better or worse,” he says repeating my written words and it makes me smile wide. “Will you marry me?”
“Yes. A hundred times, yes.”
He laughs and puts a gorgeous ring on my finger.
He takes me in his arms and kisses me.
My life felt incomplete for so long, like a lost boat in a raging storm trying to find its way to shore.
Though lost and tossed around, I always knew the direction I was to go and so glad I never gave up.
He’s my anchor, my home, my perfect tragedy.
My broken heart, now mended by his love.