Prince's POV:
Her face showcased all the emotions she couldn't verbally express to me, and I was starting to get nervous that she was going to say no. The longer she stared at me in silence, the more my stomach dropped. Soon after, she gave me the answer I had always longed for with her palm on my cheek and tears in her eyes. "Y...yes. Yes. I'll marry y..you P.." Despite her stutter, Mya sounded so sure of her answer. Confidence poured from her words and I released the breath I had been holding. The ring was removed from the box and with a unsteady hand, I carefully slid it on Mya's right hand, even though traditionally, engagement rings were to be worn on the left ring finger. Nothing about our life was normal or traditional, so I wasn't worried. But Mya was silently questioning the placement and when I embraced her, I whispered my reason in her ear. "I wanted you to feel that this wasn't a dream," Her bottom lip trembled and reality hit me when our lips met under the glow of the moon and the candles that were still burning. She said yes!
Ian was humming and Mya laughed, wiping her face with the back of her hand before she spoke to him with the sound of disbelief and happiness flowing in her words. "Baby P..g..guess what? I'm getting married. C..can y..you believe it?" She was whispering it to him like it was a secret between them, but I knew when she met my gaze that she was saying it like she was because she couldn't believe it herself. She had been telling me, even before her stroke, that she wasn't marriage material and I deserved someone who was without so much baggage attached to them. I told her over and over that she was going to be my forever, and I meant it. I stood in front of her, watching as she really looked at the ring for the first time with her hand in mine. "It's beautiful," She mumbled softly, allowing me to take Ian and guide her up to the house after I successfully blew out every candle except for four. Her reaction to my proposal was still replaying in my mind when I laid Ian in his bassinet. Mya was looking in the mirror, watching me.
There was still something about her, even after all this time. The things I loved and adored were still there, coming in waves when I least expected them. We were together for two years and yet, I was willing to change my life for her. To settle down and have a family. Now, decades later, all my dreams were becoming reality. I had a family. I had a career. I had everything I had ever wanted and I was truly happy. Her reflection showcased a 'glow' she didn't have back home. I stayed silent as I discreetly watched while she turned her body to the side and examined herself for no longer than a minute before she sighed and let her shirt drop to the floor. It was nearing two in the morning and I crawled beside her once I changed clothes, noticing her stare once I got under the blankets.
"Does laying on your stomach not hurt you? I cringe every time I see you that way," I questioned honestly, pursing my lips playfully when she laughed with her head turned towards me. "Do you hurt and it makes you feel better? It doesn't look comfortable at all." She looked embarrassed and looked away before answering me. Her silence was enough confirmation for what I was assuming, but the reply made me lick my lips. Master of avoidance, she is. Her feet swung over the side of the bed and she gestured for me to come along to wherever she was going. Her features displayed exhaustion, but her mind was running a mile a minute. I knew by the way she was practically bouncing on her heels to get out of the room.
With the baby monitor clipped to my pants, I let my fiancée guide me around the house in silence, pondering on what she was thinking about as we walked through every room again with my hand grasped in hers. The pictures on the walls were adorned in gold frames and as she looked at each one, her fingertips delicately traced the photos behind the glass. I knitted my eyebrows in confusion, asking her if she was okay when I saw a tear roll down her cheek. She didn't acknowledge my question and continued walking until we were met with a grand piano and ocean view windows on all sides, a place I used to be for hours when I couldn't sleep. The softness of the piano would also help her. She'd lay on top of it and eventually, I'd stop and her eyes would reopen.
