Good Morning, Loves!

Thank you to Frannie and Dani!

Day 258: November 26, 2020

Rose

18:59 PDT

Los Angeles, California

It's been a long, emotional day. I'm exhausted, but in a good, happy way, when Emmett finds me in the yard staring at the rose bushes he planted for me. He wraps his arms around me, holding me to his chest.

I lean into him, enjoying the comfort of his embrace. It's almost terrifying to think of how far we've come in nearly a year of being together. I am a different person for knowing Emmett, and I will always be grateful for that.

"I've never seen Jasper so happy," Emmett says gently. I smile out at the garden, resting my head against his chest.

"Yeah, same with Alice," I murmur.

Emmett is quiet, and I can hear what he's too nervous to ask. It makes me sad I still make him nervous, so I take a deep breath and make a move first. "Is that something you want, one day?" I ask, glancing up at him. He looks surprised.

"Marriage?" he asks. I nod, and he licks his lips. "Yeah," he says slowly. He looks at me, looking a little nervous. "Do you?"

I take a breath before I make the plunge. "I want it all," I tell him. "I want marriage and kids and dogs. I want after-school classes and picnics and petty feuds with neighbors and PTA moms." I turn in his arms. "I want family reunions and birthday parties and weddings, and every celebration life has to offer, because life should be celebrated." I wrap my arms around his neck, gently brushing my fingers through the ends of his hair. "I want to grow old with my best friend, the man I love more than anything, the man who saved me from myself, who taught me how to love and live; my soulmate."

Tears are gathering in his eyes as he looks down at me, and I can feel his heart thundering in his chest with wild, hopeful love. I take another deep breath, and I feel the rightness of what I'm about to say. "You're it for me, Emmett McCarty. It doesn't have to be today or a year from today, but I want you to know, you're my forever, and if you'll have me and my flaws, I want to marry you someday."

Tears slip past his long lashes as he stoops down, cupping my face tenderly. His kiss is soft, reverent, and it sings directly to my soul.

"Jesus Christ," he swears, pulling back from me a fraction. "Rose, I love you more than anything. I take you as you are, in any way I can get you." He pauses, brushing his thumbs over my cheeks. "I love you with everything in me, and right now, knowing you love me too is enough." He smiles, and that smile makes my heart race. "But one day, Rosalie Lillian, I'm absolutely going to marry you."

Can we just *wipes eyes* take a moment to acknowledge how far Rose has come? *sobs*

I was an absolute WRECK writing this whole week of chapters because... well, as you can see, my babies are growing up!