I light the last candle in the shop, blowing out a deep breath to settle my nerves. Flo should be here any minute. "Dreams" is playing over the sound system, just like the first time Florence came into the shop, stumbling into my life and changing everything.
Months of saving up for that diamond.
Months of planning this moment.
Months of nerves and excitement.
The past few weeks have been crammed with house hunting and lawyers digging into Syd's case. Ash said maybe I should wait for things in our lives to settle down a bit, but honestly I don't want to wait another second. I love Florence with every fiber of my body and I'm going to spend the rest of my life with her.
The bell above the door rings, signaling Florence's arrival. I nervously adjust the cuff links of my dress shirt. Her smile wavers and her eyes go wide as she takes in the hundreds of candles lighting up the shop. The path of rose petals leads her to where I stand in the middle of the shop. Syd sits on the bar recording the moment. Florence's eyes dart around and absorb what's happening as she begins to tear up.
"Y/N..." she whispers.
"Florence," I say through a watery laugh. "Hey, ma chérie."
She walks closer, silent tears falling as she hesitantly reaches out to grab my forearm. "Is this what I think it is?" she asks. I smile and place a gentle kiss on her forehead before dropping on one knee. Even though she knew what was coming, she lets out a soft gasp when I do.
"Flo, the past year has been the best and the worst of my life. We've spent way too much of it fighting jealous ex boyfriends, hospital rooms, and crazy, murderous men. I know we haven't been together for a super long time, but I feel like I've known you my whole life and I want to continue knowing you for the rest of it. You've been here for me and Sydney in a way that I cannot even begin to describe and thank you for. We've created our own little family, the three of us. Maybe one day we can make it bigger. Before you, I was lost. I didn't know what it meant to truly love and trust someone enough to let them in and let them love you back. The day you walked into this shop, I never expected you to look at me the way you're looking at me right now. I never expected to fall so hard, so fast for a woman I barely knew. Despite all the heartbreak, the ups and downs, and the obstacles we never saw coming, we've gotten up each time we've fallen down, relying on one another for strength and faith. I cannot express how much Sydney and I love you." I begin choking on my words, tears welling in my eyes. "So I guess what I'm trying to say is: Florence Rose Pugh, will you do me the honor of marrying me?"
She sniffles, the tears cascading freely now, wiping her face and her eyes darting briefly to the side. "Yes. God, yes. I love you so much, Y/N."
She yanks me up off the ground, pulling me into a tight hug and sobbing into my shoulder. She pulls back and kisses my lips with so much force that it pulls the air out of my lungs. It's like nothing I've ever felt before. She kisses me like her life depends on it. Like she's trying to convey a million things that she can't find to words to say.
"YAY! Does this mean I have two moms now?" Syd shouts from the side.
Flo and I break apart, leaning our foreheads together. "I think it does, Syd," I laugh. I pull back from Flo, wiping the tears from my cheeks and taking a deep breath. With shaking hands, I open the ring box. Flo gasps at the sight of it and I giggle lightly. MY hands are trembling so bad that I struggle to get the ring out of the box. I get it eventually, then drop it on the ground. Florence and I both laugh at my giddy clumsiness as Sydney pokes fun from the sidelines. I pick it up off the floor and push out a calming breath, then I take Flo's hand and push the ring onto her left hand.
We make eye contact, and she's looking at me like I'm the sun, moon, and earth. We hug again tightly. Over my shoulder, Flo beckons Sydney over who runs up and hugs our legs. Florence picks her up and with the three of us hanging onto each other, I don't think I could be any happier.
"I love you so much, Flo," I whisper into the crook of her neck.
"I love you, baby," she says back and by the way her voice cracks, I know she means it.
A/N: This will be modified and published as a book sometime in September/October 2023. The novel version is so much better than this one, I promise. Lmk if anyone is interested in a sneak peak 👀