Rosalie had to leave London after having her heart broken.
Years later, Rosalie is back with a content attitude and a childish four year old. She finally shows back up to a Lionesses game after being heartbroken by a footballer only three years ear...
I glance at myself in the mirror and take a deep breath. I had spent the better part of an hour getting ready for our date night because I wanted to wow Leah.
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I put on my sparkly pink heels, take my bag, and head to the lounge, where Leah, Amanda, Jacob and Millie are waiting for me.
The sound of my heels on the marble floor draws her attention, and she immediately turns around to meet my gaze. As I make my way towards her, I get a fluttery feeling in my gut, as if the two of us are the only people in the room.
She leans in close and places a kiss on my cheek before whispering, "You look incredible."
"You don't look too bad either, Williamson" I say with a wink and a cheeky smile.
"Mammaaaa" Millie, perched on Amanda's hip, yells.
"Sweetheart, doesn't mama look beautiful?" Millie smiles and nods in agreement as Leah points towards me.
"You two get off and enjoy yourselves, and don't hurry back, Uncle Jacob promised Millie another princess tea party" Amanda chortles, while Jacob groans at the notion of dressing up as a princess again.
Both Leah and I kiss Millie farewell before heading to Leah's car, where she drives us through the streets of Sydney while refusing to tell me where we were going.
Leah
She radiated beauty.
Yes, she still had terrible days every once in a while, but when she did, we made an effort to talk about it and work through it together, and she was finally back to the Rosie that I fell in love with.
Now is the time.
I had intended to do it immediately before Oakley's due date, but after we lost him, we went through a difficult period, and I knew it wasn't the right time to do it. Since then, the ring has been sitting inside my nightstand.
We were finally back on track, and the timing felt right.
Rosie always preferred Italian cuisine, so if we ate out, it was almost always at an Italian restaurant like the one we went to tonight. If the restaurant Beth suggested for tonight turned out to be terrible, the blame would fall on her.
We walk in to the restaurant and are shown to a cosy booth. It was wonderful to have some time to ourselves. Don't get me wrong, I adored Millie more than anything, but it was wonderful to spend some one-on-one time with Rosie.
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It had been two and a half hours, but it had only seemed like a few minutes.
We had spent the entire time chatting about football, Millie, Rosie's flat renovation plans and her future aspirations as a nurse. She was a gifted nurse, and I could tell she was missing working with patients every day. I'll never be able to express how grateful I am that she put her career on hold so that I could be a part of Millie's life.
That's a debt I'll never be able to pay off, so if she ever expressed an interest in going back to nursing, I would do anything I could to make that happen.
We leave the restaurant after I've paid the bill and returned to the car. We've always spent a lot of time at the beach. As a family, we've always found solace on the beach, so it seemed fitting to do it there.
After Rosie gets in the passenger seat, I close the door and check my phone to see that everything is ready for us to go. Rosie looks bewildered that we are at the beach and not the hotel after only a 10-minute car ride.
"I was thinking since it's still early, we could take a stroll down the beach like we used to?" My voice shakes with nervousness as I question her.
With a bright grin on her face, she stands on her tiptoes and places a gentle kiss on my lips. "I love you so much Leah"
I return her smile with a "I love you too baby" of my own as I guide her down to the shore and lead her to the surprise I have prepared. I can see it brightly lit up nearby, but thankfully Rosie hasn't spotted it yet.
My heart quickens as the ring burns a hole in my pocket. I'm so distracted that I can't pay attention to what Rosie is saying; Millie has lately outgrown all of her clothes, and what do you think we should do for her next birthday are a couple of the phrases that occasionally register in my mind. As we walk to the set up, I worry that she will mistake my lack of focus for disinterest or disregard for her.
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"Leah?" She looks around us like she doesn't know what's going on and then asks me, "What's all this for?"
I don't respond because I have no idea what to say.
I lead her up the walkway and delve into my pocket before kneeling. My stomach is churning and my heart is beating so quickly that it sounds like a steady hum in my ears. I can see the tears welling up in her eyes as she looks down at me while I'm kneeling in front of her with the ring.
"Rosie, I knew you were the one the first time we met. I adore dreaming with you because you understand me better than anybody else. Every day, you motivate me to do my best for you and our family. When I think of what I want to accomplish in life, I think of you. It continues to amaze me how far we've come. All the hardships we've endured have led us to this point. Despite our ups and downs together, I still know that you are the one I want to spend the rest of my life with. Will you marry me?"
Her eyes well with tears as she clings to me and says, "Of course I will Leah" before embracing me in a passionate kiss. I put the ring on her finger, and it fits like a glove thanks to Katie's help.
