Forever Right Now

Sawyer slipped the ring on my finger, and held my hand tight as he kissed me again. The crowd swelled with applause and cheers.

In that perfect moment, Olivia slipped one of her little hands into mine, the other into his, and she held on. And we held on to her—and each other—just as tightly.

Darlene Montgomery,” Sawyer said, his voice ringing out into the auditorium, clear and loud. “Will you marry me?”

I could only nod at first, my voice silenced by happiness and tears, and the future that was waiting on the other side of this question.

“Yes,” I whispered, and fell to my knees too. “Yes,” I said, louder. “Yes, I’ll marry you. Of course, I will.”

The audience went crazy. Underneath the noise and lights, I kissed Sawyer, and tasted his tears that mingled with mine.

Then I turned to Olivia and held her close.

“Can I be your Mommy, sweet pea?”

Olivia gave me a perplexed baby look that said, I believe we have already established this, silly woman. Aloud, she said. “You my Mama

Here go, Mama,” Olivia said, still trying to give me the box.

I bent to touch her cheek, then stood to face Sawyer. “She keeps calling me her Mama.”

“Would you…?” His voice cracked and he tried again. “Would you want to be her mom? Because what I’m about to ask…I’m asking for her, too. For both of us.”

I nodded, tears spilling down and the audience took a collective intake of breath.

“I would be honored to be her mommy,” I whispered.

Sawyer’s jaw clenched and he got down on one knee, next to Olivia. The audience oooohed and awwwwed, but I hardly heard them.

Sawyer put one arm around his daughter. “Give it to her now, honey.”

“Here go!” Olivia said, and offered me the velvet box.

“Thank you, baby,” I managed. I took the box, but couldn’t open it. “My hands are shaking,” I whispered to Sawyer.

“Mine too.

I came forward and the emcee put the bouquet in my hand.

“You have a fan, Darlene,” he said, then looked stage right. “Come on out here, little sweetheart.”

Olivia toddled out from stage right with Sawyer holding her hand as she raced toward me. The audience cooed at the cuteness before them, Olivia in her puffy yellow dress, her little legs working.

“Here,” Olivia said, holding a black velvet box in her hand. “This for you.”

They were all there, and I wished I had Sawyer’s photographic memory; I’d have taken a thousand photos of my parents looking proud of me; my mother dabbing her eye.

Of Max clapping his hands so hard, I was afraid he’d hurt himself.

Of Beckett trying to be stoic as he fought back strong emotion, but the shine in his eyes gave him away.

And Zelda who didn’t bother to hide her tears

You deserve it all, Darlene. All of it.”

I threw my arms around him and kissed him hard, then swept into the theater, my heart full, and a huge grin on my face.

There is no slow fade. What we have is real.

We hold on, right?”

I nodded through tears. “Yes. We do.”

“We do,” he said. “Together.”

He held my face and broke the kiss, his eyes so beautiful and dark as they bored into mine.

“I love you, Darlene,” he said.

“I love you too,” I whispered. “And I’m so happy with you. And with Olivia.”

Without a word, he slipped his arms around my waist and kissed me, the kind of kiss that never failed to steal the strength form my legs so that I melted against him.