"Finnie, would you get that please?" I yell from upstairs as the doorbell rings. "It's probably Layla." Turning to my daughter, I say, "What do you think?"
Fifteen-year-old Emery looks exactly like I did at fifteen, only with Chase's eyes instead of mine. Flicking her hair over her shoulder, she squints at my black dress and black pumps. "Hmm... I think there needs to be some color."
"It's supposed to be a sexy date with your father," I laugh. "Color is almost breaking the law on this."
Emery hops off my bed and strolls over to my closet. "Okay, first of all, ew," she says, taking a box off the shelf and digging through it, pulling out a pale yellow belt. She hands it to me and I wrap it around my waist. "And second of all, a little color never killed anybody."
Taking a second look in the mirror, I see that she's right. The yellow belt is just what I needed. "All right," I say. "You think I'm ready now?"
"Absolutely," Emery says. "Dad is gonna love this." She opens my door, and leads me downstairs.
"Hey Layla!" My best friend and roommate from college is here to watch Finn and Emery for the night. Even though they're old enough, and we live in one of the safest neighborhoods in New York, Chase was still uneasy about letting them home alone so late.
"Jessie! Don't you look gorgeous!" She hugs me and then holds me at arm's length to get a look at my dress. "Love the yellow belt."
Emery giggles and I send her a wink before Chase comes into the foyer from the kitchen. "Jess, love, you ready to-?" As he spots me, he cuts himself off. "Wow."
Finn makes a face and says, "Dad, gross."
"What?" Chase replies. "I can't tell your mother she looks stunning?"
"You can, just do it on your date," Emery says, pushing us out the door. "Have fun!"
Chase and I laugh as we walk down the driveway to his car. Once we're both inside, he takes my hand and just drives.
"Where are we going?"
"You'll see."
We end up in Central Park, and all the memories we had here come flooding back to me.
When he'd met me here when my plane landed in New York.
When the first week of college was over, and we both finally had time to see each other.
Our first major fight sophomore year that led to us taking a break and the week before junior year when we fell back together.
The time Kelsie and Emerson and the kids, plus Lilie and Wyatt, all came out here, just to tell us that Kelsie and Emerson were getting married when Emerson finished college. They've been married for six years now, and Lilie just called to tell me that Wyatt had proposed as well.
And the best memory of all? Chase's proposal. It was right here, under these same lights, twenty years ago. Feels like yesterday.
"This place holds so many memories for us, doesn't it?" He says as we walk, swinging our hands back and forth.
"You read my mind," I agree. "Good and bad ones, too."
"I'll take them all as long as they aren't with anyone else but you," Chase says. "Jessie, it's been twenty years since we got married. And every day you never fail to amaze me, make me happy. You gave me two beautiful kids, and I couldn't be more proud of you. You're the strongest woman I know. Thank you for a wonderful life. I love you so much."
I smile. "I love you so much." Under the lights of Central Park, he kisses me, and I'm back to a time when we were young. When the world was a mess, and nothing made much sense unless I had him.
I might've met him the same night I got into that crash that could've ended my dancing career, and yet, I think that was one of the best days of my life. Because I met him, and he didn't let me give up. And for that, and a million other reasons, I love him - forever and always.
~