CHAPTER ONE
“What are we doing on the beach this early in the morning?” I ask my boyfriend, Julian.
When he picked me up at my apartment fifteen minutes ago, dawn had already arrived, and now the sun is rising as we stand here. Long streaks of golden yellow, orange, and pink languidly stretch across the sky-blue canvas. The water gently laps, and its saltwater scent fills my senses. The view is glorious, but I don’t understand why we’re here. Julian’s a rise-with-the-roosters person, but he knows I like sleeping in if possible.
It’s Saturday. The first morning Julian doesn’t have to rush to work. And since the public relations business I started with my sister is doing well, we now take most weekends off too. But that doesn’t explain the five a.m. wake-up call and the rush in his tone when he told me to meet him outside. I should have insisted on a reason then, but I was barely awake. And when I slid into his vehicle, he seemed distracted, his gaze darting everywhere but on me. I figured he was thinking about work. When I asked where we were going, he said it was a surprise.
He’s right about that.
“You love the beach,” he says and gently shivers in his thin jacket.
It’s practically summer, but the air is cool and the water is still too chilly for sunbathing or surfing. Not that I’ve ever seen him take an interest in either. He’s naturally tanned, and his only water activity includes fishing, which his job doesn’t give him enough time to partake in. I imagine he’ll get time when he retires in another thirty-something years.
I sip from the Styrofoam cup of hot coffee Julian bought and had waiting for me when I climbed into his black SUV. It helps with the chill. Now, if he’d wanted to see the sunset, we’d probably be standing here in short sleeves. I would, anyway. The days warm up pretty fast, and I’m not a fan of heat.
“So, are you going to tell me why we’re really here?” I ask while staring down the long stretch of beach. We’re the only people as far as I can see, which isn’t surprising. Most people are probably still asleep.
Julian softly clears his throat, and I glance at a forgotten blue pail several yards ahead. Some poor kid is probably missing it. Otherwise, the beige sand seems uncharacteristically unmarred and clean. I haven’t been here in a while—busy with work, family, my one friend, and of course, Julian—but the last time I was, it was definitely not this unsullied. It’s a public beach, and in the summer, it can get trashy.
A seagull cries, and I look up to catch a glimpse of its large body and powerful gray wings flapping inland. There’s the low hum of traffic sounds in the distance, but if I close my eyes and stay attuned to the water and the birds, it’s so peaceful. Julian’s right. I do love it here. I’m not into sunbathing or swimming either, but early mornings and late evenings are therapeutic. It not only calms my mind but clears it as well.
I take a deep cleansing breath through my nose and slowly exhale through my mouth, like all the meditation gurus tell you to do. It also helps to steady any wayward thoughts and distractions.
Julian clears his throat again. I hope he’s not coming down with something, because then I’ll catch it, and summer colds are the worst.
I open my eyes and realize Julian isn’t standing beside me anymore.
He’s on one bent knee and is staring at me with earnest gray eyes. His dark-brown hair looks as if he spent a long time in the mirror with a comb and some overpriced hair product. The corners of his mouth are raised upwards, despite the seriousness in his gaze. I’m taken aback and am certain I flinch and frown, but he keeps smiling. That’s when I notice the small blue box in his hand.
Oh my goodness!
I stop breathing for a moment and place a hand over my mouth. Is this…?
“Gianna Mancini, I have loved you since the first day I saw you in your aunt and uncle’s kitchen in Connecticut.”
I still think of that day with fondness. In hindsight, of course. At the time, I thought he was a pompous jerk. A hot one, but still a jerk.
“Even when we broke up, I still loved you.” His voice is full of emotion.
I nod because I felt the same way, even though I couldn’t admit it.
“You are kind and compassionate. You are generous and fearless.”
Oh, that last one gets me into trouble.
“You have a wonderful family who has taken me in and loved me as if I am one of their own.”
Ma has always adored him. I’m not sure why it was so instant. It was as if she knew we’d be standing here doing this one day.
“I want to spend the rest of my life with you. I want to grow old with you and continue to laugh and share wonderful and even mundane and boring times with you. You make me a better man.”
Tears gather in the corners of my eyes, and I’m speechless, which is saying a lot. Even my brain doesn’t know what to think.
“Gianna, will you marry me?” He flips open the lid of the box, and I gasp at the solitaire diamond set on a plain silver band. It catches the rising sunlight and dazzles.
I remove my hand from my mouth but can’t find my voice. I look from the ring to him and back again.
This is why we’re out here. This is why he called so early and sounded almost shy. This is why he didn’t want to spend last night at my apartment. So he could prepare? He’s so cute!
A small frown forms on his brow. It takes me a minute to realize that he’s nervous I’ll say no.
That makes him even cuter!
The first sound out of my mouth is a giggle, which morphs into an obnoxious chuckle. Way to go ruining the tender moment, Gi.
I jump up and down on the balls of my sneakers, and it hits me that I’m not dressed up. I mean, I never am. That’s not my style, but he’s in a suit and tie, and I’m wearing leggings and a T-shirt. He often wears suits. They’re a part of his work attire. So it didn’t dawn on me that he was dressing for this moment, a proposal on the beach at sunrise.
He picked my favorite coffee and location, and he remembered that I prefer silver over gold. He knows me so well. He’s simply perfect. I’ve thought of this moment before, of course. Not regularly, but every once in a while, especially in the last year when our relationship seemed stronger than ever. I figured he’d propose at some elegant restaurant with a roomful of strangers watching. That would be his favorite location. But he really thought about what would make this special for me.
His frown deepens. Oh, what’s wrong? Is he kneeling on a seashell?
Oh my goodness, I haven’t answered him yet. Why am I not saying anything?
“Yes!” I shout it so loud, he flinches, but his grin reappears and my heart melts.
“Yeah?”
“Of course I’ll marry you.”
He pulls the ring from the box and slips it onto my finger. I barely get a second to examine how large the diamond is or how perfect it looks there when he jumps up and pulls me into his embrace.
Our lips meet, and the longer they press together, the giddier I become until I’m smiling and he’s practically kissing my teeth.
We both laugh and pull our faces apart. My left hand is on his shoulder, and I, of course, stare at my ring.
“You had me concerned for a moment,” he says.
“Sorry. I was just so stunned. How long have you been planning this?” My eyes search his for maybe half a minute before I’m back to admiring the rock on my finger. What can I say? I’ve never been a diamond girl. I’m not fond of the industry’s practices, but today and the rest of my life, I’ll proudly be a hypocrite because this ring is stunning.
“I bought that after you helped Screama Ballerina cross over.”
Now he has my full attention, and I realize there are tears in his eyes too.
I scoff, and I’m certain he gets a face full of coffee breath. “But that was almost a year ago.”
His shrug is light and slow, as if he’s not sure he wants to do it. “I wasn’t positive if we were ready. No, that’s not true. I wasn’t convinced you were ready. I was the moment I followed you here to South Shore Beach. Maybe not physically, but I always knew we’d come to this moment.”
Wow. That was years ago. I can’t say I felt this confident about us all of this time. In the beginning, there was definitely a period where I didn’t like him much, even though I loved him. I wasn’t sure if I wanted to be with him when I learned about his job as a fixer. Everyone else around me seemed more assured than me about our future. Maybe because no one else knows about his work. It’s a big secret. It’s technically illegal and sometimes immoral, which is why I had such a hard time wrapping my head around us being together or not.
I’ll just keep these thoughts to myself to not shatter his fairy tale moment though.
“Do you like the ring? It’s two carats. I didn’t think you’d want one much bigger, and I considered a band with tiny stones set in, but I think you once said you prefer plain. We can exchange—”
“No! I love it. It’s exactly what I’d pick out myself.” Now I’m back to staring at it.
He’s right. I’d constantly worry about a tiny stone coming loose and getting lost because I’m not easy on my hands. Sometimes I’ll help my parents lift heavy trays or move a box in storage at the deli, not to mention all of the typing, hand washing, and helping my sister with my nephew. And as for the size, this is big enough to be noticed yet compact enough on my hand that I likely won’t catch it on things.
His chuckle is light. “You can’t take your eyes off it.”
I hope I’m not being rude, but just in case, I gaze into his clear gray eyes and grin. “It’s breathtaking.”
“As are you,” he says, pulling me closer.
How did I get this lucky?
I press my lips to his and drink in his love. With one eye open while staring at this gorgeous rock!
