Finding Rory

Chapter 54: Deliriously Happy

The sun had just started setting and Tristan's nerves were running wild. He walked over to where Rory was sitting with Kayla in her lap and smiled at her.

"Hey, Kayla, do you think I could borrow Aunt Mary for a little bit?" Tristan asked his niece.

"Where are you taking her?" Kayla asked curiously.

Tristan cleared his throat. "I'm just going to take her for a walk. We'll be back in a little bit, okay?"

"Okay, Uncle Tristan," Kayla agreed.

Tristan offered Rory his hand to help her up and then wrapped his arm around her and led her toward the bow of the boat on the upper deck.

"Are you enjoying yourself, Mare?" he asked as they walked.

"Yeah, I'm having a great time. You were right - your family is fantastic. I feel very welcome."

"They'd be crazy not to love you. Losing my grandpa changed us all. We realized how short life is and that we needed to put our differences aside. I just wish Grandpa could be here to meet you," Tristan said softly.

"I wish I could meet him, too. As crazy as it sounds, I love knowing that you knew my grandpa; it makes me feel like we would have his approval."

"You know, it's funny that you mention that. When I had lunch with my dad at the club, he mentioned how Janlan and Richard used to talk about how wonderful it would be if you and I united our families someday," Tristan confided.

"Do you ever think about that?" Rory asked.

Tristan smiled and led her around the corner. They were now on the upper deck of the yacht at the bow, while the rest of the family was on the lower deck at the stern. He wanted this to be a private moment.

"I do think about that. I was convinced that love just wasn't in the cards for me, but then you walked back into my life at that reunion. You were with someone else, but I still held out hope that we might end up together. Now you're my girlfriend, and I've never been happier in my entire life," he replied softly.

"What do you see when you think about our future?"

Tristan wrapped his arms around her and kissed her gently. "I see you and me, married and still unable to keep our hands off of each other," Tristan chuckled, and Rory hit him playfully.

"Be serious!"

"I'm being quite serious, Mare. As I was saying, I see you and me, building our lives together and being there for each other through everything that life throws at us. I see a couple of kids, or more if you'd like. I'd like to think that we might have a daughter who would look like you, and I'd hope if we have a son he's nothing like me." Tristan said with a smile.

"That sounds really nice," Rory whispered.

"I think it does. There's only one thing that would make it better."

"What's that?" Rory asked, looking up at him.

He reached into his pocket and wrapped his hand around the ring box. He pulled it out and held it out in between them. "Marry me," he whispered as he opened the box.

"You...you're proposing?!" Rory asked in surprise.

"I just told you that I want to spend my life with you, I asked you to marry me and showed you a beautiful ring that I'd really love to put on your finger. I'm pretty sure I did," Tristan chuckled.

"I...oh my god! Yes, Tristan!" Rory exclaimed, tears in her eyes. "Of course I'll marry you!"

"Yeah?" Tristan asked with a smile.

Rory just leaned up on her tiptoes and captured Tristan's lips with hers, kissing him soundly. "Yes," she whispered as she pulled back.

"Then I believe this belongs to you," replied Tristan. He took the ring out of the box and slid it into her finger, smiling as he saw that it was a perfect fit.

"Tris, it's stunning," Rory breathed reverently as she looked at the gorgeous ring that was now residing on her finger.

"Not as stunning as you are."

"Okay, that was cheesy, mister," Rory admonished him playfully.

"Cheesy, but true," Tristan admitted.

"We're getting married," Rory said, unable to believe it.

"Happy?"

"Deliriously," Rory confirmed.

They stood there for a few minutes, wrapped in each other's arms and enjoying the moment.

"I'm surprised Kayla hasn't come looking for us yet," Rory said with a laugh. "Do they all know what we're doing here?"

"No, my sister may suspect it, but no one else knows anything. Abby's the only one who knows I was planning to propose, but she doesn't know when or how. I wanted this to be all about us."

"It was absolutely perfect," Rory replied. "I wouldn't change a thing."

"I'm glad, babe. The fireworks should start any minute. You ready to head back down to join the family? I know Kayla was excited to sit with you during the fireworks."

"Yeah, let's go. But first you have to kiss me one more time, fiancé," Rory said softly.

"I'll kiss you anytime." Tristan leaned down and kissed her passionately, loving the feeling of her melting in his embrace. "I love you, Mary."

"I love you, Tris," she whispered.

Tristan took her hand and led her toward the stairs. "You know, I have a memory with you now that Logan will never have," Tristan said with a sly grin.

"What's that?" Rory asked curiously, eyeing him as she tried to figure out what he was thinking.

"You saying yes when I proposed," Tristan smirked.

Rory turned to him and stared for a minute, mouth open wide. "I can't believe you said that!" she said, laughing at his comment. "I would tell you that it was completely inappropriate, but it's actually pretty hilarious," Rory said as they walked down the stairs to return to his family.

"Hey, I may be reformed and more mature, but I'm still me," Tristan chuckled.

"I'm really glad, because I love you."