Celestial Love (Anthony Rizzo)

.98. Thinking Out Loud

Anthony

After a lot of time to think and talk around I have my plan to propose to Celeste. Was I nervous? Absolutely. And not that she won't say yes but that she's going to say yes only because I want her to or because she thinks that's what she wanted. She told me how she knew when James proposed she wasn't ready but she wanted to get married anyway. And I know things are different for if I ever hurt her or do something that warrants her to want to leave I'll let her go. I could never belittle her or take away anything she's worked her ass to have since she left him. She is also a lot stronger and a lot wiser than before. But I still want to do right by her and that means taking the chance that this is the right thing to do right now.

I truly believe it is. Life is only going to grow larger and larger from here on out and I know she would like the same last name as Ella and get rid of Daniels. Move on to something new and step out of that past that has had its hands around her throat since she was in high school. She's told me she wants to get married and I believe her. But I also get if she wants to take it slow, do pre-marriage counseling or just talk about what changes once we are married. I'm down for it all.

In order for the proposal to work the way I want it to I'm gonna have to wait a few days so now I gotta focus on biting my tongue. Not giving anything away and making this moment special for our family. Luckily we got a pretty good distraction.

"Mom! Look at me dance" I say as I hold Stella up in front of me. I make it look like she was dancing as Celeste just laughs.

"Maybe she'll be a dancer" she claims.

"If she's got her dads dance moves then she'll be set" I insist.

"Set for what exactly? Getting drunk in a bar" she teases.

"I got some moves" I defend.

"Moving and dancing is not the same" she argues.

"Oh sure. Because you're such a good dancer" I accuse.

"I never said I was. But just because you move doesn't mean you dance" she insists.

"If I remember correctly you only like to slow dance" I recall.

"I do" she smiles.

I set Stella down in her crib before grabbing my phone. I change the song to something a little slower. Ella seems to like it as it calmed her down a little. She just looks up at the stars that hang above her crib and gets lost in the music.

I grab Celeste's hand and spin her around on my finger before pulling her into me. Her hands land behind my neck as I securely grab her waist. The space between us disappears as we start to sway.

"When your legs don't work like they used to before
And I can't sweep you off of your feet
Will your mouth still remember the taste of my love
Will your eyes still smile from your cheeks

And darling I will be loving you 'til we're 70
And baby my heart could still fall as hard at 23
And I'm thinking 'bout how people fall in love in mysterious ways
Maybe just the touch of a hand
Oh me I fall in love with you every single day
And I just wanna tell you I am

So honey now
Take me into your loving arms
Kiss me under the light of a thousand stars
Place your head on my beating heart
I'm thinking out loud
Maybe we found love right where we are."

As she rests her head on my chest I hold her tight. I remember the first time we danced like this. So much was different, we hadn't a clue as to what we were doing. It was wrong but it never felt wrong. It always felt right when I held her like this.

"What are your plan for this weekend my love" I ask her.

"Nothing that I know of" she says.

"My parents are coming into town so why don't we have a date night? Let them watch Stella for the night and we can go out" I say.

"That sounds wonderful" she smiles up at me. I place a long kiss on her lips as I get lost in a world of my own.

"When my hair's all but gone and my memory fades
And the crowds don't remember my name
When my hands don't play the strings the same way, mm
I know you will still love me the same

'Cause honey your soul can never grow old, it's evergreen
Baby your smile's forever in my mind and memory
I'm thinking 'bout how people fall in love in mysterious ways
Maybe it's all part of a plan
I'll just keep on making the same mistakes
Hoping that you'll understand

But baby now
Take me into your loving arms
Kiss me under the light of a thousand stars
Place your head on my beating heart
I'm thinking out loud
That maybe we found love right where we are, oh

So baby now
Take me into your loving arms
Kiss me under the light of a thousand stars
Oh darling, place your head on my beating heart
I'm thinking out loud
That maybe we found love right where we are
Oh baby, we found love right where we are (maybe)
And we found love right where we are."

"Why are your parents coming into town" she wonders and I freeze for a second. Didn't really think up a excuse.

"The children's hospital is doing something special and they wanted to be there for it" I try.

"What is it" she questions. Of course now she isn't focused on the baby and asking all the questions I don't have the answers to.

"Not sure, it's above my pay grade this time around" I try.

"Well I still think we should stop by and help out. We haven't been there since Stella was born and I'm sure they miss you" she claims.

"We can just have my parents handle it" I insist.

"This is your foundation too. And Stella and I are in the family part of the Anthony Rizzo Family Foundation so I think we should check things out. Make sure the kids are doing good and that your parents don't need help" she tries.

"Don't you have enough to worry about" I ask.

"Maybe. But this foundation means a lot to me too. I mean you guys helped save my mother and now that Ella is here I can only imagine what these mothers feel like with their babies in there. I would lose my mind. If we can help I want to be there" she demands.

We finally break apart as I stare down at her. She had bags under her eyes and her hair a mess. But she was still stunningly beautiful. Everything I ever dreamed of and more.

"I love your heart" I insist.

"And I love you" she smiles.