Someone Borrowed, Someone Blue Ch. 04

"Your righteous indignation is absolutely adorable. To be fair, most of my time here has been spent running errands and seeing family, although meeting my editor face-to-face was cool." I said, pointing in the direction we needed to go. "Gate 114. Anyway, I had to make sure I was here on time to meet you before our flight."

"Speaking of, where-"

"Vegas."

"Wow. Been a hot minute since I've been there." She sighed. "Would actually be a fun diversion, but I bet - see what I did there? - I bet we're not there long enough to do anything. What's the layover?"

"Umm," I said, struggling to keep a smile from breaking through. "Three and a half, I think."

"Gah, that's the worst! Can't get to a casino, play, and get back by then."

I lost my battle, let out a bark of laughter. "Three and a half days, Tish."

She glanced in my direction and gave me a calculated look. "I now suspect shenanigans are involved. Did the airline really change our flight, Bear?"

"Technically, yes." I saw her preparing to growl and added, "When I changed our flights, to be exact. Surprise! Mini-vacation in Vegas!"

There was a little more side-eye before she lifted her chin. "I suppose I could view it as a sweet and romantic gesture on your part."

"You could! Our focus groups have indicated that would be the preferred response." We skirted around someone sitting on their luggage in the middle of the walkway. "You've told me of your prowess at a craps table, but I've yet to experience it in person."

"Oh, it's something. Those dice do love to dance for me. And nothing gets a table riled up like a hottie making point after point." She quirked her lips, then nodded. "Okay, I approve of this unexpected change in itinerary. Of course, I don't really have the right clothes for the climate but shopping is fun."

"Vegas in January isn't exactly warm, Tish. What you packed for -"

"Tut tut." She shook her head. There will be shopping. Where are we staying?"

"Bellagio."

"Ooo, fancy and centrally located. Going to propose to me in front of the fountains, Bear?"

I made a face as I gently tugged her arm, moving us into a currently empty arrival gate area in order to let one of the transportation trams roll by. "No, that would be ridiculously tacky and has been done a million times."

"Agreed," she said, watching the end of the vehicle pass before beginning to walk again. Tish had gotten several steps away before she noticed I wasn't beside her anymore. She stopped and turned around to discover that I hadn't followed and, in fact, was down on one knee, holding up a small box. Eyes wide, she took a hesitant step or two back towards me. "Bear. Bear." Her voice was trembling. "What are you doing?"

A guy walking past looked down at me and said, "Looks like he's proposing."

Tish grimaced and gave him a dismissive wave before moving closer, one of her hands going to her mouth. "Is... is that what you're doing?"

"Pretty sure I'm supposed to be the one asking the question here."

"You'd best get asking, then," she said, stopping a foot or so away from me.

"Okay, then." The easy confidence I'd been awash in a few moments ago had vanished, and I had difficulty swallowing. "So. Well." I looked up at Tish, letting myself draw strength from her deep, dark eyes. "Not long ago you asked me to take a chance on you. With you. To take our friendship and move it to the next level. To make the move to put ourselves in position to spend the rest of our lives together. And I think it's been going pretty well. Do you?"

Both hands over her mouth now and tears rolling down her cheeks, Tish nodded.

"Glad to hear you agree, because for me they've been the best eight months of my life. We should have gotten together years ago, but that just means we'll have to pack even more joy and happiness into the time we have left." Why was my mouth so dry? "I love you and now it's my turn to ask you to take a chance on me. I very, very much want to be your husband, Tish, and for us to spend the rest of our lives together. Would you like to marry me and be my wife? Do this whole thing together forever?"

In response Tish stepped forward, hauled me to my feet, and wrapped me in the tightest hug ever. I could feel her cheek wet against my neck, her body shaking.

"Uhm, is that a yes?"

She pulled back and wiped at her face, a mixture of a sob and a laugh escaping her. "Of course it is, Bear." She sniffed loudly before kissing me, which prompted cheers from the crowd I wasn't aware had gathered in the walkway. When we broke apart she futility pawed at her eyes, a grin shining through. "I can't believe you proposed to me in an airport," she said, before laugh-crying again.

"We agreed any schnook could propose by the Bellagio fountains," I said, feeling a tear of my own running down my chin as I waved a hand at the wall behind us. "You've got both Santa and a dreidel watching over us. Much better story."

Tish rolled her eyes. "That's what I get for agreeing to marry a writer." She gave me another kiss flavored with tears before stepping out of my embrace. "You gonna show me what's in that box or not?"

"Oh, right." With a shaking hand I raised the box, flipping it open.

Tish gave a pronounced gasp, eyes going extra-wide. She started to reach for it, paused. "I think you're supposed to put it on me but I've never been proposed to before."

"No, you're right." Freeing the ring from its perch, I took her left hand in my right and slid it on her heart finger. In a good omen, it was a perfect fit.

She tilted her hand this way and that. "Uhm, that's one hell of a sapphire, Bear. Do I even want to ask how much you spent on it?"

"Funny story about that."

"Always with the stories," she said, her eyes still glued on the ring.

"As you just said, marry a writer and..." I slid an arm around her waist, enjoying the feel of her leaning back into me. "Anyway, I had planned to pick something out this week while I was here."

"Glad to see you didn't leave things until the last second."

"Hush. Engaged for mere seconds and already a shrew." I kissed her cheek as she chuckled. "ANYWAY, you are aware that when I flew in Sunday I went up to see family. Big gathering for Grannie Annie's 90th birthday."

"Wish I could have gone. I love Grannie Annie, even if she cleans me out every time we play poker."

"That feeling is mutual, and she - along with the rest of the family - was absolutely thrilled that I intended to propose. I believe she said I 'needed to make it official before you wised up,' or something to that effect."

Tish giggled. "Wise woman."

"Indeed. When she asked to see the ring and was informed I didn't have one yet, she made a tsking sound and dragged me into her room. After digging around in a jewelry box for a few minutes - I swear the thing had secret compartments - she handed me this ring. Well, not exactly - she handed me a ring with this stone." I looked at my girlf- my fiancee's finger. "I told her I wanted to pay her for it, because it was way too valuable. She said 'pish-posh' at first before tapping her chin and saying, 'Fine, I'm lending it to you. Give it back when you two are through with it.' Then it was a matter of finding a jeweler in the City that could shape the stone and set it in a new ring in time."

"Shape... oh!" Tish brought the stone close to her face. "I thought it was a heart at first, but... is it shaped like home plate?"

I grinned. "Seemed appropriate."

Tish spun in my embrace so she was facing me. "I love it, you amazing doofus. Something borrowed, something blue. I've already got you to cover the old part," she said with an impish grin, "and the new is, hmm."

"Each day we wake up next to each other?"

She kissed me again. "Man, everyone should marry a writer. They gotta get their own, though. You're taken. And-"

Tish stepped back from me, her mouth hanging open. "Holy shit. Did you reroute us to Vegas to get married? Are we going to elope? Am I right?"

I laughed. "Yes, yes, and yes. If you want to, I mean."

She stood and stared at me for a few seconds before making my bones creak in another hug. "'If I want to,' he says. Of course I do." I heard her sniff loudly again. "I don't know how many lifetimes' worth of dreams I'm going through here, Bear, but I'm not going to complain about it. I can't believe how lucky I am."

I squeezed her back, happy beyond words. "Let's find out just how lucky you are and hope your knee holds out long enough for us to make our flight."

She gave her ring another long glance before turning eyes filled with mischief on me. "Last one there has to sit in the middle seat." Grabbing her bag, she filled the airport with laughter as she took off.

"Joke's on you," I whispered to her back as I started walking after her, pulling the first-class tickets from my pocket.

Dream of numerous lifetimes, indeed.

*fin*