The Stranger's Wife | Rewritten

41 ~ She did it again

• Willem •

We went back to the hotel after going out for dinner. Amelia looked beautiful in beige-colored pants, a black long sleeve blouse with a plunging neckline, and tall black strappy heels that wrapped delicately around her ankles.

She'd straighten her gray streaked hair and for a moment I thought she was a different woman. Her natural hair was long, but when straightened it fell to her lower back.

I opened the door to let her in. This hotel wasn't exactly decorated to my taste, but Amelia seemed to like it just the way it was, ugly brown carpet and all.

She gasped when I turned on the light and before she could take another step, she spun around to look at me with her kind brown eyes. "What did you do? This is beautiful, Will."

There was a trail of red rose petals leading to the bed and some more scattered all over it. In the center of the bed, a heart made of petals with the letters W+A in the middle of it stared back at us. A string of fairy lights decorated the ceiling and a series of unlit candles stood proudly on the dresser, the nightstands, and the center table.

The receptionist had done a great job setting up the romantic decor while we were out for dinner. I grabbed a lighter as Amelia walked slowly toward the bed. I lit the candles and watched her lightly touching the flowers on the white sheet.

"No one has ever done anything like this for me," Amelia said, sounding like she was about to cry. "I didn't know you were a romantic."

"I can be. With the right woman."

"This is incredibly sweet. Thank you." She took my hand and leaned forward to kiss me. Her lips were soft, pliant, and straight-up captivating. I loved how she always gave herself to me fully in every kiss.

I got down on one knee and pulled the box with the ring I'd bought for her from my back pocket. My heart pounded wildly in my chest. Not out of fear, but because my heart was filled with uncontainable love for the woman standing before me so unsuspecting and beautiful.

"Amelia, schatje, I know I never asked to marry you the first time eleven years ago because I figured it was a done deal, but here I am, on my knees, not because your mother suggested it, but because I chose you and want to continue choosing you every day for the rest of our lives." I took the ring out of the box, dropping the box on the floor next to my knee.

The ring was an oval shaped diamond and it glistened in the light of the candles and fairy lights hanging overhead.

Amelia looked down at me with bewilderment and awe. "Willem, we're already married." She chuckled.

"True, but this is a new start for us, baby. We have a lot of catching up to do and I want us to do this right." I caught her left hand in mine and was surprised to see that she wasn't wearing her wedding band. "Where's your ring?"

She tried to grab her hand out of my grasp, but I held on. "I lost it," she said, avoiding my gaze as if she'd committed a heinous crime.

"No big deal. I'll buy you a new one after you accept this engagement ring." Her face visibly relaxed and I placed the ring at the tip of her ring finger. "Dr. Amelia Miller. Will you marry me?"

"Yes. Yes, I'll marry you, Will. I'll be your wife in every sense of the word." She laughed and tears sprung to her eyes before she bent down to kiss me.

Fuck it if I wasn't the happiest man on earth right now. I slipped the ring on her finger and it fit perfectly. "I love you."

"I love you."