I Hope You Dance

Chapter 36

Spending time away from those you love is always hard. Especially when it's to do a job that you may not return from. Last words being shared on a dock or a runway, not knowing if those were truly your last goodbyes or just temporary ones. But being apart from the one you love, it's a whole new kind of hurt I hadn't experienced. Even when I loved Aaron, being apart wasn't hard to be apart, and when I stopped loving him, I relished in our time separated. But with Rooster, it was like my heart was left behind in San Diego with him and he packed it up and took it with him wherever we went. So imagine my shock when I looked into the living room and found the man who holds my heart, sitting in front of the Christmas tree.

He had on a black t-shirt, pajama pants that match mine, and Laura reached over, slapping a large green bow on his head. He grinned at me as he sat crisscross in the floor, making an inhuman noise escape my lips. I surged forward, launching myself at him, tackling him to the floor, causing him to groan. "This isn't real." I cried, finding it hard to believe he was here. "It is real, pretty girl." I pulled back, looking into those brown eyes that always seem to captivate me. "How? How are you even here?" I asked as my hands came up to cup his cheeks, my thumb running just under his eyes. "You might want to thank a certain fleet commander for that." He said as he nodded his head towards my father. I sat up, smiling at my dad before getting up and pulling him into a hug. "Thank you, daddy."

Suddenly my mom took my shoulders, tears streaming down her cheeks. "We love you. Both of you." I furrowed my brow in confusion. "What?" She turned me around, her and my father laying a hand on either shoulder. I gasped at the sight before me, in absolute shock. "What are you doing?!" I asked loudly. He was down on one knee, holding his hand out for me while he laughed at my exclamation. "Come here." He waved me over, but I was frozen, standing against my parents, staring at his outstretched hand. "Come here, pretty girl." He waved again, and with a small push, I took a step closer. My hand slipped into his with ease, and the coldness that filled my body immediately disappeared and filled with warmth, and tears. I stood in front of him as he stared up at me. I held back all the sobs that wanted to escape, wiping my eyes.

"Mags, when I first met you, you almost ran me over." I let out a teary laugh at his words, remembering how we literally bumped into each other. "But it didn't take long for me to fall for you. Your bright and goofy personality, your love for people, your family. You make loving you so easy, and you are the most important person in the world to me." He had tears welling in his eyes as he smiled at me from his kneeling position. "We have been through literal hell, and I never gave up hope that we would find our way back to each other, and sure enough, we did. When I saw you for the first time at the Hard Deck, I know my face didn't show it, but you took my breath away and made my heart hurt all at once and I knew then I couldn't live without you. I told myself I wouldn't live without you, and I don't want another minute to go by, without you knowing that." He let go of my hand, pulling a small navy box from his pocket. My hands covered my mouth, hiding my dropped jaw. I had a feeling, when I saw him down on one knee, what he was doing. But he still shocked me with the ring box, so much so I almost didn't notice him take my hand again, popping the ring box open and revealing the most gorgeous ring.

"Caila, I promise to honor you, cherish you, and love you, for the rest of my life. I promise to protect you and give you a life full of adventure and love." I fanned my face, fighting tears as a few streaked his own face. "Mags, will you marry me?" I choked on a sob before nodding. He stood, catching my lips with his as he did. His arms wrapped my arms around my waist, pulling me close as we relaxed into the kiss. "Yes!" I said as we pulled away. He took the ring from the box, slipping it on my finger. I stared at it for a moment, tears still streaming. "Are you sure?" I asked without thinking. Everyone laughed as Bradley nodded. "I have never been more sure of anything." He said as he pulled me into another kiss. As we pulled away, he rested his forehead on mine. "Hold still!" Mom yelled, making us freeze. She grabbed my left hand, holding it up before bringing Bradley's up to hold mine. "Stay just like that." We did, relaxing as she took the picture. "Okay." We relaxed and turned to everyone who cheered, coming over for hugs. Hangman pulled us both into a hug, squeezing our shoulders. "Seriously, congratulations." He said as he shook Bradley's hand and pulled me into one last hug. "Oh, we should facetime Phoenix later." I said as I turned to Bradley. "Don't worry, I facetimes her and she saw the whole thing live."