I was hired to protect him, not get him pregnant. His father would kill me if he finds out. But his perfect plan to seduce me worked so well. I knew I was falling deep. And this time, it was too deep to be saved.
Mistakes will be made, Prices will...
I knew, technically, Gulf and I were already engaged. The formal agreement that the three of us made established our intention to marry as much as a traditional proposal would have. That didn't mean I wasn't going to propose the right way, though.
I thought it was important, especially with how much I cared about Gulf, so a few weeks after everything happened, I planned a special date for the two of us with the intention of proposing to him.
We would get some lunch, and then I would take him to the conservatory, where all the flowers were still blooming in the greenhouse. Since it was cold and snowing outside, I knew it was something Gulf would appreciate, and it would be a lovely spot for the proposal. I was planning to do it in the orchid room. I had already scouted the location beforehand so I could make sure to get the details perfect. I wanted everything to be perfect for Gulf because I cared about him so very much.
That morning about an hour before lunch, the two of us got ready to go out. He was wearing one of his favorite, a white turtle neck sweater having a red rose on it top left corner and a black jeans. It almost looked like the perfect fitting for the occasion, and that made me happy. It made me excited to see what he would wear to our actual union. I wouldn't see it until the day of wedding, but I was sure it would be spectacular.
I knew that I would probably stop breathing from the sight of it.
To match Gulf, I wore one of my casuals, the ring box in my pocket. The weight of it was keeping me grounded as I considered our future together, and I was thankful for it. Without that small weight in my pocket, I might have gotten lost in all the possibilities, thinking of the infinite possibilities ahead of us and our child that he was carrying. When I imagined our family, I saw warmth and happiness. I saw the three of us in a little cottage, making art and food and enjoying our life.
"Are you ready to go?” I asked Gulf as he emerged from his room, a bit of blush on his cheeks, and some lip gloss on his lips.
“Yes,” he said with a smile. “I am more than ready."
I offered him my arm. “Let's get going, then, shall we?" he nodded and took it.
We went to a little French cafe, where I had made reservations for lunch. It was sweet, with a countryside atmosphere and the best crepes anywhere in Chicago. They served us fruit platters for an appetizer and left us with the menu card for us to decide what we wanted to eat.
Gulf giggled as he looked over his. “There are so many options. I don't know what to choose," he said.
"Want to share, then?” I suggested. “We could get a couple of dishes that both of us sound good and each take half.”
"That sounds lovely.” he smiled at me brightly. I wondered if he knew today was the day that I planned on proposing him, or if he thought it was only another date. Either way, he was clearly happy to be here with me.
I ordered us one sweet crepe and one savory crepe, and we talked about all the great things in our lives until they brought us our food.
“This is delicious,” Gulf said as he took his second bite of the savory crepe. “Thank you for bringing me here."
"Of course."
Once the two of us had finished our lunch, chatting the whole while, we headed to the conservatory. It was somewhere both of us had been before, but I remembered Gulf expressed to me how much he loved visiting it. I certainly didn't mind going again, especially when it was for a special day such as this.
I dropped off a donation at the front desk, and the two of us headed into the warm greenhouses.
“We should come here to paint sometime,” Gulf said, turning around to look at me with a smile. “I could show you how to paint flowers."
"I would love that,” I said, taking his hand.
I let him take me around to all of his favorite rooms, showing me which plants he liked the most. We stopped for a long while in the fern room as he looked at all the delicate curls of the plants.
“Those would make a lovely dress on you," I remarked, and he looked back at me with a smile.
"You think so?"
I nodded, "You would look like a forest fairy, your skirt made of fern fronds."
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He giggled. "And then what would you be?"
"Oh, well, I would be your elven knight, of course, dressed in armor made of flower petals."
"I don't think that would protect you much."
“Maybe not, but it would make a lovely painting."
Gulf nodded in agreement. “Maybe that's the next thing I'll paint. The two of us are fairy-folk in garments made of plants."
We went to sit on the bench by the pond together, watching as the fish swam around and holding each other's hands. I decided it was time to do it. It was time to propose to him.
I could see Gulf getting surprised as I kneel before him, reaching into my pocket to pull out the ring box.
“Gulf Kanawut," I started. I could see that there were tears welling in the corner of his eyes. “I know that we haven't been together for very long, and our engagement is partly due to an agreement with your father, but I still want to do this the proper way."
I opened up the ring box, revealing the simple antique ring I bought for him. I wanted to buy something with my own money, so it really came from me. Because of that, I hadn't been able to afford anything extravagant, but I hoped that he could see it because it was from my heart.
“Gulf Kanawut, I have loved you for a long time. I only realized just how much when you showed me what a relationship with you could be. I am grateful for every day with you and for every passing moment. You brighten my life. I couldn't imagine going through this world without you by my side. So I ask you, Gulf, will you marry me?”
It took him a moment, and I could see that there were a thousand thoughts flitting through his head, a thousand different things that he wanted to say. But the words that came out of his mouth next were exactly the ones that I wanted to hear.
“Yes. A thousand times, yes. Yes, I'll marry you."
I slipped the ring on his finger, and Gulf pulled me to my feet and into an embrace. I kissed him soundly as I held him, wishing that it was possible to never let go.
After everything we had been through, I never had to again.
